Lesson 5 of 8 · 15–20 minutes

Practice the Benjamin Franklin close

Build a buyer-led balance sheet and identify the most important uncertainty.

Learn the skill

Invite the buyer to list reasons to proceed and reasons to pause. Add a third column for evidence or next action. Include the current approach as a legitimate option.

Weight the factors instead of counting them. One critical requirement can outweigh several conveniences. Ask which items matter most and which are deal-breakers.

Use the sheet to support a decision, not to prove the buyer must purchase. If migration effort is the biggest unknown, agree on an assessment before asking for commitment.

Read, then apply

Start with the closing guide. The teacher profile offers further reading.

The Benjamin Franklin close →The cost-of-inaction conversation →Ideas from Brian Tracy →

Fictional practice scenario

Your onboarding service could reduce repeated administration, but the buyer is concerned about migration effort, training time, and budget approval.

Your assignment

Create a three-column balance sheet with at least two benefits and two concerns. Label assumptions, identify the highest-priority concern, and agree on an evidence-gathering next step.

What you’ll produceA balanced worksheet with importance, evidence, owner, and next action.

Review your work

Both sides use the buyer’s priorities.
The most important concern is identified.
The next action resolves a real unknown.

Optional role-play

Practice with an AI assistant

Copy this prompt into your preferred assistant, or ask a colleague to use the scenario. Check the feedback against the checklist above.

Play a buyer considering an onboarding service. You value fewer repeated tasks but worry about migration, training, and budget approval. Help me practice a Ben Franklin balance-sheet conversation. Challenge me if I count benefits to pressure you or minimize a concern. End by asking for a specific evidence-gathering action.

Put it into words

Your practice notes

Draft your exercise using fictional or anonymized details.

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A quick check

Check your understanding

Your balance sheet has five benefits and one major concern. What follows?The buyer should purchase because benefits outnumber concerns.Remove the concern to simplify the decision.Ask how important the concern is and what evidence could resolve it.

I completed the exercise and reviewed my work against the checklist.

This is your own practice record. You can return to any lesson whenever you need it.