Break large purchase decisions into contained mini-decisions to reduce prospect pressure
At the start of each sales meeting, explicitly state the small decision the prospect needs to make by the end - whether to take a demo, start a trial, or meet again. This 'submarining' technique prevents prospects from feeling overwhelmed by the full commitment and creates clear yes/no checkpoints.
When to use
When selling B2B products where the buying process involves multiple stakeholders and a significant commitment, especially for founders without sales experience who find closing uncomfortable.
Don't do this
Leaving the big purchase decision ambiguous throughout the meeting, which creates anxiety and often leads to 'let me think about it' responses.
1 Founder Who Did This
Learned the 'submarine' technique from sales books and applied it by explicitly stating the decision needed at the end of each meeting: 'By the end of this meeting, I'm going to ask if you'd like to set up a follow-up demo'