The Value of Sliding Doors
On My Hip
Years ago, when my older son, Riley, was very young, I used to occasionally carry him on my hip.
If you’ve ever done that, you know the challenge: one arm occupied, the other juggling keys, bags, or a coffee.
That’s when I started noticing sliding doors.
No pulling. No pushing. No awkward hip-check while trying not to drop a kid. The doors simply opened when I approached, did their job quietly, and closed behind me.
At the time, I didn’t think much of it. Looking back, it was a perfect lesson in good marketing.
Sliding doors don’t demand effort
Great marketing works the same way. The best systems don’t require prospects to figure things out. They remove friction. They anticipate needs. They open at exactly the right moment.
When someone lands on your website, finds your Google Business Profile, or fills out a form, they’re often the marketing equivalent of a parent with a kid on their hip: busy, distracted, and short on patience.
If your marketing requires:
too many clicks
too much explanation
too much manual follow-up
…it’s a door they have to push.
Automation is the sliding door
Automation in marketing isn’t about being flashy or replacing people.
It’s about low maintenance, reliable convenience:
forms that route inquiries automatically
follow-ups that happen without reminders
systems that respond when someone shows intent
Like sliding doors, good automation doesn’t call attention to itself. It just works.
The real value: effort saved
Sliding doors aren’t impressive because of the technology.
They’re valuable because they reduce effort at exactly the moment effort is scarce.
That’s the benchmark for modern marketing:
Does this make it easier for the customer to move forward?
If the answer is yes, you’re probably on the right track.
Marketing doesn’t need to shove people through the door.
It just needs to open when they arrive.
Final Note
In case you hadn’t guessed, this is the kind of thinking we apply when we design marketing systems…