Most people will agree that, unless you’re acting impulsively, before making an important decision, you think things through point by point. In other words, you consider the pros and cons. You think about the positives and negatives.
And at the end of your analysis, you weight the evidence. Then, you finally make your decision, yes or no.
With that said, the beautiful thing about the following technique is that it does exactly what we’ve just described. As such, you’ll want to use it towards the end of the sales conversation if your prospects can’t make up their minds.
In other words, the best time to use this technique is after you’ve confirmed that your prospect needs your offering. That way, you know that this is the right decision for the prospect.
At that moment, you start by saying, “Mr. Prospect, it’s fair to say that you want to make the best decision for yourself with regard to this product, isn’t it?” The prospect will likely say, “Yes, of course I do.”
Then, you continue by saying, “Well, let’s try this then. Let’s take this sheet of paper [do this as you’re talking] and draw a line down the middle. Now, on the left side, we’ll write down all the reasons in favor of this decision. And on the right side, we’ll write any reasons that might be opposed to the decision.”
Facing Minor Objections
Now, at this point, you may encounter some resistance. You see, this technique is also known as the Ben Franklin close. And the reason why is because it’s based on the way Ben Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States and a man of epic achievements, actually arrived at his decisions.
As such, the prospect might say, “Oh, Mr. Salesperson, you’re not going to use the old Ben Franklin close on me, are you? I used to work in sales. I heard about that one at a seminar I went to long time ago.”
Now, if the prospect says this, there’s no need to let it bother you. Simply go along with it.
And you can do that by saying, “Oh. Can I ask, did you try it? Did you use it in your sales career?”
Now, it actually doesn’t matter whether he tried it or not. You see, your purpose here is to simply ease the tension and guide him through the close.
With that said, after he responds, you continue by saying, “Okay. Then since we both know about the method, and since it’s logical and simple, why don’t we give it a try and see what happens?”
Moving Forward
You then take the sheet of paper and write “Reasons For” at the top of the left side. Then you write “Reasons Against” at the top of the right side.
Next, you say, “Let’s think of the reasons why this product might be a good choice for you today.” And to begin, you write down the most attractive benefit that he would enjoy as a result of owning your product.
Then, you ask, “We agreed to that, didn’t we?” The prospect will likely say, “Yes.”
Next, you write the second benefit that he would receive. And once you get his acknowledgement on that, you go on to the third benefit, and so on. Then, you continue this process until you’ve written down as many as ten reasons why he should purchase your product.
And after this, you say, “Let’s see, can you think of any other reasons favoring this decision, Mr. Prospect?” If the prospect says no, then you ask, “Then have we covered everything?” The prospect will likely say, “Yes, it looks like you’ve covered it all.”
Let the Prospect Participate
Next, you hand the piece of paper over to him and say, “Now, can you think of any reasons that might be against going ahead with this idea?” And in the meantime, you simply wait patiently and say nothing. In other words, you let the prospect figure out any reasons against purchasing your offering all by himself.
For instance, the prospect might say, “Well, let me think. There is the . . .” Then he’ll write down the concern that he has.
Now, most prospects will only be able to come up with one or two, or perhaps three reasons not to buy your product. And after that, he’ll no longer be able to come up with any reasons opposed to the decision.
Then, when he’s finished, you compare his reasons with the ten reasons you’ve provided for going ahead immediately. And you can do that by saying, “Now let’s count them.”
Doing this out loud, you say, “One, two, three . . . ten. That’s ten on the yes side.” Then, you write this number down as the total.
After that, you continue by saying, “And on the other side, we have one, two, three.” And again, you write this number down as the total. Then, you summarize everything by saying, “Okay, that’s ten yeses and three nos.”
Closing the Sale
From there, you say, “Well, Mr. Prospect, the wise decision is pretty clear now, isn’t it?”
The prospect will often look at the two lists and say, “Yes, I guess it is.” Then, you finish with, “Then why don’t we get started on this right away for you?”
Now, it’s important to deliver this technique in a relaxed, respectful, yet confident manner. Once you do that, though, the reason why this technique is so effective is because it lines up with the way your mind makes any kind of major decision.
On top of this, many times when people buy, they need some positive reinforcement as well. That way, when they discuss the purchase with their husbands, wives, and friends, they’ll have some additional facts to give them.
You see, sometimes people will happily buy at first. But later, if their acquaintances ridicule them for making what they think is a poor decision, they may end up cancelling.
As such, this process of listing the reasons in favor of the purchase not only helps you make the sale. But many times, it also helps you to keep the sale.
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