Secrets of Closing the Sale

by Zig Ziglar

“Instead of handling the decision emotionally, let me suggest we borrow a page from the life of one of the wisest men our country ever produced. His name was Benjamin Franklin. When he was confronted with a difficult decision, he would take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the center. On the left-hand side he wrote ‘Reasons For,’ and on the right-hand side he wrote ‘Ideas Opposed.’ (This was altered slightly by the late Percy Whiting, author of The Five Great Rules of Selling.) “What I suggest, Mr. Prospect, is that we follow the same procedure, which in its simplest form is to look at the facts for and against the purchase and then let the facts make the decision. By following that procedure, folks, neither one of you can be wrong and, regardless of what you decide, you both will be right. Does that idea appeal to you, Mr. and Mrs. Prospect?” (You can depend on it—it does!) Here’s Why You Should Go Ahead (At this point you take your talking pad and draw a line down the middle and print “Reasons For” on the top left side and “Ideas Opposed” on the top right side.) “There are many reasons you should go ahead.” You say, “Number one, you like it.” However, you don’t number the reasons for or against the purchase until you sum them up. You do not number the “Reasons For” because it provokes a numbers contest between “Reasons For” and “Ideas Opposed.” The prospect might construe this as a challenge to try to come up with more reasons against. Some of the “Ideas Opposed” co...