"I Help" statements don't work. Here's why.
"I Help" statements don't work.
Here's why.
What to do instead to get clients
By Katie Momo
Your I Help statement is stopping you from getting more clients
But not the way you think. (Good news is, you don't have to rewrite it again!)
See how to ditch your I Help statement grow your business:
The surprising psychology of why "I Help" statements don't (and will never) work
How it's losing you money - and repelling clients
What happened after I stopped using an I Help statement
The little-known secrets that successful business owners do differently
Make your offer an "easy yes!"
So your "I Help" statement isn't getting clients
You’ve probably rewritten it more times than you can count - and it’s still not working.
So you Google "How to write an I Help statement for my business"... But really, this is the wrong approach.
I know it sounds appealing to sum up your business in 1 sentence.
But it doesn’t really work, does it?
Your business is too nuanced to condense into one snappy statement. Most importantly,
Nobody buys based on one sentence…
But they CAN go from “cold to sold” in one conversation.
Your I Help statement is costing you money
Real talk - It’s not possible for this statement to do all you want it to.
The myth of the One Perfect Sentence that explains your business persists because it’s parroted by every business coach out there.
The fact it’s so normalized makes it feel real. However,
Your ability to make people go “I NEED that!” can make-or-break your business
Having made my clients over $12 million dollars, I see this on a daily basis.
It’s just not as simple as 1 sentence 😉
Turning people into paying clients is one of the most valuable skills every business owner needs.
It’s time to stop gambling your livelihood on a faulty, inaccurate strategy.
I stopped using an “I Help” statement.
Here’s what happened:
After introducing myself at an event, a lady gasped and said, “You’ve GOT to meet Sarah!”
She grabbed me by the arm and pulled me across the room.
A few minutes later, Sarah was booked to work with me.
Yep, I’ve had strangers sign me on the spot.
After ditching the I Help statement:
⬆️ Revenue went UP
⬇️ Dry spells went DOWN
🔁 I got CONSISTENT CLIENTS, both immediately and over time
How “I Help” statements hurt your business
Once I saw the mechanics and failures of this flawed approach, I couldn’t unsee it.
NO WONDER it wasn’t working!
It all starts to make sense when you see the big picture…
“I help” statements break the unspoken rule
You probably know you’re making this mistake. You just don’t know what to do about it.
In fact, it’s one of the biggest complaints I hear from business owners about their I Help Statements:
“It’s soooooo boring!”
You can’t bore people into buying. If they’re bored from the get-go, they won’t hire you.
Clients get sold on your excitement, passion and enthusiasm
Your “I Help” statement shows none of this. It’s as dull as soggy cardboard.
I light up when people talk to me about copywriting! I get so excited, and people pick up my energy.
And it’s the same when you talk about your work! When you’re passionate about what you do, people feel it.
It’s well known that people who are personally interested work harder. That's the kinda person a client wants to work with.
Your enthusiasm is contagious - and a unique selling point. You’ve got to use it!
You’re hiding the most important thing
If you’re using an “I Help” statement, you’re burying the information future clients are disparate to know…
The outcomes you’ve helped people achieve.
This is the REAL reason someone would work with you!
When you use an I Help statement, you rarely get the chance to dive deep enough to share the true transformation and impact of your work.
Without knowing what you help people achieve, it doesn’t feel “real” - and it sure as hell doesn’t make someone want to work with you.
Your "I Help" statement makes people go 🤔
Straight up, they don’t know what you’re saying.
This is BIG, because people don’t buy if they don’t understand.
Trying to figure out what your I Help statement means
Maybe it’s confusing and full of jargon…
"I help women love themselves by elevating their frequency, breaking through limiting beliefs, and cultivating a profound sense of self-worth"
“I SAAS companies implement innovative, data-driven solutions to enhance ROI and improve key performance indicators"
Or maybe it’s so short it’s vague…
“I help moms find themselves again after having children.”
“I help businesses grow on social media”
Either way, it doesn’t really mean anything
It might sound really good to you (and maybe your business coach), but it doesn’t ‘click’ with the people who matter - your buyers.
Honestly, even you are cringing…
If using your “I Help” statement makes you feel phony, salesy or inauthentic - people feel that.
The more salesy you feel, the less you sell.
It’s like when someone tries too hard to get you to like them.
It’s awkward, and actually does the opposite… it pushes you away!
This is exactly what happens when you feel weird using your I Help statement.
It accidentally works against you.
… and it’s sabotaging your ability to get clients
If you can’t confidently introduce yourself, it makes people doubt you.
They don’t know you’re shaky just because your I Help statement makes you feel weird…
They think it’s because you’re not confident in your abilities.
And who wants to work with someone who doesn’t even believe in themselves? Nobody.
When people work with you, they ‘borrow’ your confidence. They might not see the end game, but they trust you do.
If you don’t appear confident, you’ll have a heck of a time getting people to trust you enough to work with you.
Here's what to do instead!
Below I cover 3 simple (yet pivotal) changes that will transform how you talk about your business.
These 'twists' on the typical elevator pitch have been game-changing for myself and my clients.
The psychological shortcut to getting clients
Once you know this, it’ll be immediately clear why “I Help” statements fall flat.
And yes, this is literal brain science - but it’s super easy to understand!
People need to understand a bit about how your offer works.
When you give a glimpse of the experience, they can envision themselves working with you.
If they can picture themselves doing it, it becomes an easy “yes!”
Get people to experience working with you for a moment
This activates the part of the brain that drives buying decisions - the limbic system, which is the emotional center.
“I Help” statements don’t work because they are logic-based. Logic is the last part of the buying process, and is used to ‘justify’ our decisions to others.
People buy based on experiences and emotion - so of course I Help statements don’t work!
You won’t expect this to work, but it totally does
Picture this: 2 friends recommend the same pizza place.
One friend said, “Their pizza is great!”
The other told you,
“Their pizza is so good, it’s ruined all other pizza for me.
I can’t even go anywhere else in town now!
It’s the best I’ve had outside Italy.
Seriously, I could just eat the pizza crust by itself it’s so good.
It’s done in a wood-fired pizza, so it gets those little charbroiled crispy bits, you know?
And they make their own chili-infused olive oil I can’t get enough of.
They’re actually the only pizza chain to be awarded a prestigious pizza award outside Italy!”
Which pizza place are you going to?
Exactly.
The second one made you FEEL something. It got you craving pizza.
And that’s what you’ve got to do when talking about your offer.
Engage their senses and make ‘em hungry for it.
Plus, that powerful emotional experience deepens their connection with you.
Your relationship is now more than just about your offer - it’s how you make them feel!
Turn a dead end into a bridge
Here’s one of the biggest problems with “I Help” statements, and the likely one that is losing you the most money…
It’s a conversation ender.
You know what happens after giving your spiel - most people respond with a weak smile and something like “That’s nice!” or “Cool!”
That’s because they don’t know what else to say… and they definitely don’t want to hear more.
The whole point of introducing yourself is to start a conversation. Because conversations lead to clients!
It doesn’t have to be long - just 2 or 3 minutes can be the difference between having someone slip through your fingers, or becoming a future client.
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