Guest Article

The Benjamin Franklin Close

Chellie Campbell, Financial Stress Reduction Expert

"Much ingenuity with a little money is vastly more profitable and amusing than much money without ingenuity." -Arnold Bennett

When I can’t decide whether or not to do something, I use a sales technique called “The Benjamin Franklin Close.” (I don’t know why it’s called that.) I take a piece of paper, draw a line vertically down the middle of it, and label the left-hand column “Pro” and the right hand column “Con.” I write down all the reasons I can think of for taking the action in the left column, then all the reasons for not doing it in the right. By the time I am finished, it is clear to me which is a longer, stronger list.

Years ago, when I was trying to decide whether or not to keep my office or move my business into my home, I used this technique.Here’s how it looked:

Pro

Save money on rent
Convenient—no driving to the office
Larger room for giving workshops
Prettier, more comfortable workshop room
Work information always available at home
Only need one phone
Access to computer at home and office

Con

Cost of hiring mover
Cost of hiring professional organizer
Cost of reprinting stationery

It was clear to me that I really wanted to move and that in the long run, it would not only be more convenient but would save money. Since all the “Cons” involved expenditures of money that weren’t on my regular budget, I started thinking about how I might “find another way to get what I wanted.”

I wanted to hire a mover who was in my LeTip networking group, and I remembered that he had mentioned an interest in my workshop. I called him and asked if he’d like to do me a favor and move me and I would do him a favor and let him take my workshop for free. He said “Yes!” with alacrity. 

Flushed with success, I thought the same offer might hold with the professional organizer in the group, and also the printer. They both happily agreed. So the net cost of my move was—zero!

Is there something in your life you are undecided about? Try the Benjamin Franklin Close. If that doesn’t work flip a coin. By the time the coin lands, you’ll know on which side you wanted it to land. You can tell because that’s when you toss it again, telling yourself, “Well, two out of three….”

Today’s Affirmation: “I give of my bounty to others, and they bounce it back to me!”

Chellie Campbell, Financial Stress Reduction Expert, is the author of bestselling books The Wealthy Spirit, Zero to Zillionaire, and From Worry to Wealthy: A Woman’s Guide to Financial Success Without the Stress. She has been treating Money Disorders like Spending Bulimia and Income Anorexia in her Financial Stress Reduction® Workshops for over 25 years and is still speaking, writing, and teaching workshops—now as Zoom classes and The Wealthy Spirit Group on Facebook—with participants from all over the world. Website: www.chellie.com.