29 May Be a Trust Magnet in a Sea of Sameness

I’ve found that when working with clients or employers, there’s a strange pattern: they act like they’re the only company under the sun. They get proud of their site, their copy, their brand refresh — and stop there.

But here’s the truth they miss: every click they get was either before or after a click to a competitor. You are always being compared.

You Didn’t Get 100 Leads — You Got 50

Let’s say your site brought in 50 leads this month. But you didn’t *get* 50 leads. You got 50 out of the 100 that could’ve been yours. The other half? They found your competition more helpful, more believable, more likeable. You just didn’t see the loss happen — because they never filled out your form.

It’s fine to be proud of your website. Really. That copy your brand person wrote may be clever, and your hero image may be gorgeous. But that’s not the whole game.

You’re Not Competing With Yourself

Most companies stop at “Do we look good?” when the real question is “Do we look *better than everyone else* they’re evaluating today?”

And what does “better” even mean?

It means visually cleaner. Easier on the eye. Strong layout, calming fonts, deliberate design.

It means sharper messaging.

And yet, there is still more needed.

But Everyone Claims the Same Damn Thing

Let’s be honest. Every vendor says the same thing: – “We streamline your process.” – “We’re #1 in customer service.”

Nobody believes it, because everyone says it, now a million times over. The industry is a sea of sameness. Features leapfrog. Pricing converges. CTAs echo each other. And your prospects? They’re stuck comparing clones.

Then there’s this doozy:  “We save you time so you can focus on your business.” WTF.

Here’s a tip: stop pretending to know what people will do with the newfound time you’ll save them. “So you can focus on your customers” — no. Maybe they’ll play Wordle. Maybe they’ll take a longer lunch. Maybe they’ll finally book that massage. See our “Complete the Circle” post for more — because when you leave that last 15% unsaid, they fill it in with their version. That’s the part they remember.

When Everything Looks the Same, How Do They Choose?

The answer: **they pick the one they like more**.

Not the one with the better product. Or the cheaper plan. Or the best customer quotes. Those things help, sure. But when everything else blends together, likability wins.

And no, “likable” doesn’t mean quirky copy or smiling stock photos. It’s often more subtle.

Influence Isn’t Just on Your Website

That influence has to surround you.

• A 20-second video of your CEO, being real and approachable
• The calm, confident tone in a nurture email that doesn’t try too hard
• A quick story in a LinkedIn post about how your customer used your tool to save a weekend
• A casual comment in a webinar where your VP says, “We get it — sometimes things just suck and need fixing fast.”

None of these are lead magnets. They’re trust magnets.

What SRGP Helps You Do

Aside from everything else, one part of our job is to get you *out* of the sea of sameness.

We don’t just make you look “different.” We make you feel more real, more credible, and yes — more likable. That’s when people start choosing you before they even realize it.

Because when everything else looks and sounds the same, likability is the ultimate differentiator.

And that’s what actually gets the lead.