Three mistakes I see every week when talking to a client
Every week I review real conversations from IBs. Mistakes in talking to a client are almost never about knowledge: the IB knew what to say and said something else. There are three I see every week, and all three are fixed with one sentence. They aren't method mistakes. They're moment mistakes.
“Let me know if anything comes up” is the polite way to close the door
The conversation went well and ended with that sentence. It sounds friendly and it isn't: it hands the other person the job of coming back, when they still have no reason to. Never close without a concrete next step: a small question with a date is enough, something like “shall I write to you on Thursday?”. The next move becomes yours again.
He answered the first sentence, not the objection
The client said he was going to think about it and the IB explained the conditions again. The conversation died right there. “I'll think about it” is almost never the objection: it's the lid. Don't answer the first sentence. It's almost never the real one. Name out loud what you think is underneath and let them correct you.
He over-promised to close fast
To close the same day, he promised to be available at any hour. The client deposited that afternoon and stopped writing three weeks later, the day the IB took a morning to reply. The service didn't fail: the promise did. A promise you can't keep doesn't win you a client: it gives you a deadline.
A habit mistake takes a month to fix. A conversation mistake takes one sentence
Some mistakes repeat for months and only show up when you look at your numbers. These three happen in ten seconds and appear in no metric. That's why you have to look at them while you still remember how the conversation ended.
Do it today with a single sentence
Open the last conversation you closed and read only your last sentence. If it doesn't contain a concrete next step, write them a small question today, with a date. One conversation, one sentence.
The mistakes that don't happen in one sentence but over months —and only show up in the numbers— I gathered here: Five mistakes I see in IBs who don't grow.
What to say when the conversation gets hard: Stage 1 of the academy
In IB ACADEMY, Stage 1 works on these moments: how to name an objection so the real one surfaces, and how to ask for the next step without pressuring. We practise it live, with your own conversations.
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I work with the IBs in our network so their community grows with a system, not with improvisation: attract, support, retain and organise a portfolio. Here I write about that work, with no income promises.