Ben Franklin Close: Examples, Script, and When to Use It

By Calvin D. · Updated Oct 11, 2026

The Ben Franklin close is a closing technique where you and the buyer list the reasons to buy in one column and the reasons not to buy in another, then weigh them together. It works best when a buyer says "I'm on the fence." The visible list replaces vague worry with specific points you can address, and the buyer reaches the conclusion on their own.

You've probably heard this one from a buyer: "I like it, but I need to think about it." That sentence usually hides a swirl of half-formed concerns. They can't tell you what's wrong because they haven't sorted it out themselves. The Ben Franklin close gives them a way to sort it, with you sitting next to them rather than across the table.

This guide covers where the technique comes from, how it compares to other closes, a step-by-step method, a copy-ready script and worksheet, examples by deal type, and the situations where you should leave it in the drawer.

Where the Ben Franklin Close Comes From

The name points to a real letter. On September 19, 1772, Benjamin Franklin wrote from London to the scientist Joseph Priestley about a difficult decision. Franklin declined to tell him what to do. He offered a method instead: divide a sheet of paper into two columns with a line, put the reasons for on one side and the reasons against on the other, and add to the lists over several days as new points occur to you.

Then comes the part salespeople tend to skip. Franklin weighed the reasons against each other. When he found one reason on each side that seemed equal, he struck both out. When one reason on one side matched two on the other, he struck out all three. He kept going until he could see where the balance lay. He gave the whole approach a name: "Moral or Prudential Algebra". The point was clearer thinking, not mathematical precision.

In sales, the method became known as the Ben Franklin close. Notice what the sales version kept and what they often drop. The original is a private reasoning tool you use over days. The sales version is a shared, compressed exercise done in one conversation. That difference matters, and we'll come back to it, because it's where the technique either feels respectful or feels like a trap.

What Makes It Different From Other Closes

Most closing techniques push the buyer toward a yes. The Ben Franklin close slows the conversation down and puts the evidence on the table. It's less a "close" than a structured decision aid, which is why it fits complex, considered purchases better than impulse ones.

Here's how it compares with the closes buyers and reps hear most often.

Two things stand out. First, the Ben Franklin close is the only one in the list that deliberately invites the buyer to say negative things out loud. Second, it's the most honest about uncertainty. If the cons win, the list shows that, and you learn it before wasting three more weeks on a deal that was never going to close.

Why a Written Pros-and-Cons List Helps Buyers Decide

Undecided buyers aren't usually short on information. They're overloaded and unsure which concerns matter. A list helps in three practical ways.

It turns a fog into items. "I'm just not sure" becomes "implementation takes our team's time in Q4" and "we'd lose our old reporting." Items can be solved. Fog can't.

It shows the real weights. Buyers often discover that the one worry they keep circling back to is outweighed by four benefits they'd stopped noticing. Or they discover the opposite, which is useful to both of you.

It shifts ownership. When the buyer generates the reasons, they believe them. People tend to trust conclusions they helped build more than conclusions handed to them. If you want the longer reading on why, see our guide to closing psychology.

When to Use the Ben Franklin Close

Use it when the situation matches these conditions:

• The buyer says some version of "I need to think about it" or "I'm torn."
• You've covered the main value and the buyer isn't hostile, just unsure.
• The decision is considered, such as a multi-month contract, a platform switch, or a hiring decision on your own side that affects their team.
• You can name at least a few real benefits, and you're prepared to hear real objections.
• You have 15 to 20 minutes and the buyer has time to engage.

Skip it when the buyer is clearly ready to sign (it adds friction), when the deal is tiny (a worksheet is overkill for a $40 monthly tool), when you suspect the cons list will be longer than the pros and you have no honest answer, and when a hidden stakeholder is the real blocker. In that last case, the exercise just produces a tidy list that the missing person ignores. Start with stakeholder alignment instead.

How to Run the Ben Franklin Close, Step by Step

This is the working method. Total time is roughly 15 to 20 minutes on a call or in a meeting.

Step 1: Name the situation and ask permission

Say what you're hearing, and propose a way forward. "It sounds like you see real value but a few things are holding you back. Would it help if we put it all on one page and looked at it together?" Wait for a yes. If the buyer declines, don't force it. Move to a different approach, such as a trial close to find out what's really going on.

Step 2: Draw two columns

Use a shared screen, whiteboard, or a plain document. Label the left column "Reasons to move forward" and the right column "Reasons to hold off." Neutral labels matter. "Pros and cons" is fine, but "Reasons to buy" and "Reasons not to buy" can sound loaded.

Step 3: Let the buyer fill the first column

Ask: "What would be the best outcomes if this works?" Write their words, not yours. If they struggle, prompt with things they said earlier: "You mentioned reporting takes a full day each month. Should that go on the list?" Aim for four to six items.

Step 4: Fill the second column honestly

Ask: "And what worries you or makes you hesitate?" Then stay quiet. This is the hard part. Don't defend, interrupt, or reframe. Write every concern down, including price, timing, risk, change fatigue, and "my boss isn't convinced." If the buyer stops at two items, ask "What else?" once. Real concerns often arrive on the second ask.

Step 5: Add anything the buyer missed, openly

If you know of a real benefit they didn't list, such as a faster onboarding path or a contract term, offer it: "Can I add one I think matters?" If you know of a real downside they missed, say so too. A seller who volunteers a con earns a lot of credibility. This is also where an existing business case pays off, because you can drop its numbers straight into the left column.

Step 6: Weigh and cancel, Franklin style

Now do what Franklin did. Go through the lists and ask which items offset each other. "You listed 'takes team time to set up' and 'saves 10 hours a week afterward.' How do those compare?" Strike out pairs that balance. Ask the buyer to rank what's left by importance. You aren't doing arithmetic, you're helping them see what remains.

Step 7: Solve the remaining cons

Pick the heaviest remaining con and work on it. Some can be solved ("Let's put a phased rollout in the plan"), some can be reduced ("Here's how customers usually handle that"), and some are real and stay. Use your objection handling framework for the common ones. Cross off what you resolve, in front of the buyer.

Step 8: Ask which way the balance leans

Don't announce a conclusion. Ask: "Looking at the page, where do you land?" If the balance favors moving forward, ask for the next step. If it doesn't, ask what would need to change, or agree on a clear point to revisit. Either answer is progress.

Step 9: Capture and send the page

Send the list afterward in a short follow-up. It becomes a record the buyer can show their boss, which helps if the decision needs internal approval from people who weren't on the call.

Ben Franklin Close Script You Can Copy

Adapt the wording to your own voice. These are the lines, in order.

Pros-and-Cons Worksheet Template

Copy this into a shared document before the call. Fill it live with the buyer. The "Weight" column uses a 1 to 3 scale chosen by the buyer, where 3 means "matters a lot."

Below the table, add three lines:

• Items struck out as offsetting: ______
• Heaviest remaining concern: ______
• Buyer's conclusion and agreed next step: ______

Examples by Deal Type

These scenarios are illustrative, written to show the pattern rather than describe real customers or results.

Example 1: Mid-market software renewal

A finance director is reviewing a renewal for a reporting platform. She likes it but says the budget is tight.

The list she builds: Pros are "monthly close is two days faster," "auditors like the trail," and "team already knows it." Cons are "cost is up this year" and "we might consolidate tools."

The rep suggests striking "cost is up" against "two days faster at close," asks her to estimate what those two days are worth, and offers to review the ROI calculation with her. The tool-consolidation concern stays, so they agree to map which features the other tool would need to replace. The outcome isn't a forced yes. It's a specific, dated next step.

Example 2: New-logo enterprise deal

A VP of operations wants to switch vendors but fears disrupting a busy quarter. The rep uses a shared screen and the worksheet.

Cons: "migration risk," "training time in Q4," "IT bandwidth." The rep handles each separately: a phased rollout starting in January, vendor-led data migration, and a named IT contact. Two cons remain after the discussion. The VP says the January start makes the Q4 worry disappear, and the call ends with a kickoff date.

Example 3: Small business owner, services contract

A salon owner is considering an annual booking and payments contract. She says, "I'm not sure it's worth it."

The rep keeps it simple: a four-line list, no weights. She names "fewer no-shows" and "less time on the phone." The con is "I've never used software for this." They strike "never used software" against a free setup call. She books the call. Simple deals need a simple version of the technique.

Handling the Most Common Cons

Certain concerns show up on almost every list. Here's how to respond to each without turning the list into a debate.

If a con is real and you can't fix it, say so. A list that ends with "this isn't a fit right now" is a success, because you've protected a relationship and saved a failed implementation.

Do's and Don'ts

When the Ben Franklin Close Backfires

A few failure patterns are worth knowing.

The loaded list. If you fill the pro column with ten items and the con column with one, the buyer sees what you're doing. It reads as manipulation. Keep the balance honest.

The wrong decision-maker. A single contact who can't sign will produce a clean list that dies in committee. If you suspect that, check whether the person in the room has authority, and map who else shapes the decision before you run the exercise again.

Ethics: Keeping the Technique Honest

The Ben Franklin close is one of the more ethical closing techniques because the buyer does the reasoning. You can keep it that way with a few rules:

1. The buyer authors the list. You contribute only with permission.
2. You never remove a concern the buyer cares about because it's inconvenient.
3. The weights belong to the buyer, not to you.
4. If the balance favors waiting, you honor it.
5. The page you send afterward matches the page you built together.

If you're building a wider approach to closing, our closing strategy overview shows where a decision-aid technique fits alongside tools that push for commitment.

Key Facts

• What it is: a closing technique that lists reasons to move forward and reasons to hold off, then weighs them with the buyer.
• Origin: a letter Benjamin Franklin wrote to Joseph Priestley on September 19, 1772, describing what he called Moral or Prudential Algebra.
• Franklin's core move: strike out reasons that offset each other until you can see where the balance lies.
• Best fit: considered purchases where the buyer is undecided and can't say why.
• Poor fit: ready buyers, tiny deals, and situations where the real blocker is a missing stakeholder.
• Time needed: about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Rule of thumb: the buyer writes the list, you contribute with permission, and you honor the result.

Learn More

• Assumptive Close - Move committed buyers forward with "when" language
• Trial Close Techniques - Test readiness before you ask for the decision
• Objection Handling Framework - Prepare honest answers for the cons that come up
• Closing Strategy Overview - See where each technique fits in a full closing plan