Episode 244: How to Lose a Client in 10 Minutes
The 10 Conversation Quirks That May Be Costing You Business
You didn't lose that deal because your price was too high. You didn't lose it because a competitor swooped in. Most of the time, you lost it mid-sentence, in a conversation that felt totally fine while it was happening.
Here are the 10 most common ways business owners talk themselves out of a sale, and what to say instead.
1. Leading with the pitch instead of the problem Launching into features before the person has told you what's actually wrong makes them check out. Ask a real question first and let them do the talking.
2. Over-explaining the price Justifying, hedging, "well it's actually a really good deal because..." Every extra sentence teaches them to distrust the number. State it, then stop talking.
3. Answering a question they didn't ask Rambling into a rehearsed script instead of their actual question makes people feel like they're talking to a brochure. Repeat their question back before you answer it.
4. Going vague when they ask for specifics "It depends," with no follow-up, reads as unsure. And unsure doesn't get hired. Give a real number or range, then explain the variables.
5. Making the close about you, not them "I'd love to work with you" isn't what closes deals. Naming the specific outcome that changes for them is.
6. Filling every silence The pause after your ask is doing work. Talking through it undoes the yes that was already forming. Ask, then let it sit.
7. Being defensive about objections Arguing or over-correcting turns a question into a conflict. Get curious about the objection before you respond to it.
8. Promising more than the conversation earned Overselling scope or speed might close the deal, but it costs you the relationship later. Be precise about what's true right now.
9. Forgetting to ask for the business A great conversation that just... ends isn't a strategy. Hope is not a follow-up plan. Make a direct, low-pressure ask for next steps.
10. No follow-up at all Most yeses show up on the third or fourth touch, not the first. Silence loses more deals than any objection ever will.
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