diff --git a/src/client.rs b/src/client.rs
index 70bf176..45da512 100644
--- a/src/client.rs
+++ b/src/client.rs
@@ -121,46 +121,21 @@ impl Client {
         Ok(())
     }
 
-    /// Connects using the specified SASL mechanism.
+    /// Connects and authenticates using the specified SASL mechanism.
     pub fn connect<S: SaslMechanism>(&mut self, mechanism: &mut S) -> Result<(), Error> {
-        // TODO: this is very ugly
-        loop {
-            let e = self.transport.read_event().unwrap();
-            match e {
-                ReaderEvent::StartElement { .. } => {
-                    break;
-                },
-                _ => (),
-            }
+        self.wait_for_features()?;
+        let auth = mechanism.initial();
+        let mut elem = Element::builder("auth")
+                               .ns(ns::SASL)
+                               .attr("mechanism", S::name())
+                               .build();
+        if !auth.is_empty() {
+            elem.append_text_node(base64::encode(&auth));
         }
-        let mut did_sasl = false;
+        self.transport.write_element(&elem)?;
         loop {
-            let n = self.transport.read_element().unwrap();
-            if n.is("features", ns::STREAM) {
-                if did_sasl {
-                    let mut elem = Element::builder("iq")
-                                           .attr("id", "bind")
-                                           .attr("type", "set")
-                                           .build();
-                    let bind = Element::builder("bind")
-                                       .ns(ns::BIND)
-                                       .build();
-                    elem.append_child(bind);
-                    self.transport.write_element(&elem)?;
-                }
-                else {
-                    let auth = mechanism.initial();
-                    let mut elem = Element::builder("auth")
-                                           .ns(ns::SASL)
-                                           .attr("mechanism", "PLAIN")
-                                           .build();
-                    if !auth.is_empty() {
-                        elem.append_text_node(base64::encode(&auth));
-                    }
-                    self.transport.write_element(&elem)?;
-                }
-            }
-            else if n.is("challenge", ns::SASL) {
+            let n = self.transport.read_element()?;
+            if n.is("challenge", ns::SASL) {
                 let text = n.text();
                 let challenge = if text == "" {
                     Vec::new()
@@ -178,27 +153,53 @@ impl Client {
                 self.transport.write_element(&elem)?;
             }
             else if n.is("success", ns::SASL) {
-                did_sasl = true;
                 self.transport.reset_stream();
                 C2S::init(&mut self.transport, &self.jid.domain, "after_sasl")?;
-                loop {
-                    let e = self.transport.read_event()?;
-                    match e {
-                        ReaderEvent::StartElement { .. } => {
-                            break;
-                        },
-                        _ => (),
-                    }
-                }
+                return self.bind();
             }
             else if n.is("failure", ns::SASL) {
                 let msg = n.text();
                 let inner = if msg == "" { None } else { Some(msg) };
                 return Err(Error::SaslError(inner));
             }
-            else if n.is("iq", ns::CLIENT) && n.has_child("bind", ns::BIND) {
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn bind(&mut self) -> Result<(), Error> {
+        self.wait_for_features();
+        let mut elem = Element::builder("iq")
+                               .attr("id", "bind")
+                               .attr("type", "set")
+                               .build();
+        let bind = Element::builder("bind")
+                           .ns(ns::BIND)
+                           .build();
+        elem.append_child(bind);
+        self.transport.write_element(&elem)?;
+        loop {
+            let n = self.transport.read_element()?;
+            if n.is("iq", ns::CLIENT) && n.has_child("bind", ns::BIND) {
                 return Ok(());
             }
         }
     }
+
+    fn wait_for_features(&mut self) -> Result<Element, Error> {
+        // TODO: this is very ugly
+        loop {
+            let e = self.transport.read_event()?;
+            match e {
+                ReaderEvent::StartElement { .. } => {
+                    break;
+                },
+                _ => (),
+            }
+        }
+        loop {
+            let n = self.transport.read_element()?;
+            if n.is("features", ns::STREAM) {
+                return Ok(n);
+            }
+        }
+    }
 }