“Noise proves nothing. Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she had laid an asteroid.”
I’ll be honest, Florida tap water has a smell. It exists somewhere between a hotel pool and a bleached locker room. 🤢
The state says the chlorine level is “acceptable.” I say acceptable is doing a LOT of work in that sentence.
So, after one too many showers feeling like swim practice, I went looking for a whole-home water system.
Man … the internet has opinions on this topic.
Pop-ups. Countdown timers. Flashing “FREE in-home water test!” One site had a bouncing chatbot chasing me from page to page, asking if I needed help.
[ I did need help. But not from you, friend. ]
***
After that digital assault, I went the complete opposite direction and looked for smaller, local companies.
Half of them I couldn’t tell apart. Same stock photos, list of every filter, softener, and water-adjacent service known to mankind. One had a homepage that (clearly) hadn’t been updated since flip-phones were a thing.
The company I finally called definitely wasn’t the loudest … OR of the flip-phone dynasty. It was the first one where I actually understood what they did, who it was for, and why I should believe them.
That’s it. That was my entire decision.
***
I talk to a lot of service business owners who are frustrated by competitors that post daily, announce everything with a megaphone, and somehow land clients (despite themselves).
You have every right to be annoyed. I closed every one of those countdown-timer / screaming-in-your-face websites. And plenty of your prospects do the same.
But the obnoxious sites weren’t the only ones I skipped. The rest I just couldn’t understand to save my life.
Do we need a softener? … Or just a filter? … What the heck is reverse osmosis? … Why would we choose TRT0511 when TRT0512 is cheaper?
Your referrals get the warm and fuzzy version of you, the one someone vouched for over coffee. Everyone else just gets your website. And they’re asking the same three questions I was:
What do you do?
Will it solve my specific problem?
Can I trust you to do it right?
Pretty simple.
***
You don’t have to scream louder. Please don’t. You’d hate it, and so would your ideal clients.
What you need is a website that answers those basic questions, solved by a few unglamorous fixes:
A headline a complete stranger understands. What you do and who it’s for, in normal (human) words.
Proof from actual clients. One specific case study beats a wall of brand logos.
Recent work / results, so people have confidence you’re still in business.
Fewer services, clearly explained, with benefits to back them up. Not every single thing you’ve ever done in the course of your business existence.
Professional [ *cough*, non-AI ] design to show you care about how your business looks.
Put plainly — just the gosh-honest truth about your expertise, made easy to find, understand, and validate. That’s it. No cackling hens or bouncing chatbot gimmicks required.
***
Every one of those other water companies probably thinks their website is fine. They look at it every day. They know exactly what “TRT0511” means.
And that’s the trouble with your own website and marketing. You can’t un-know your business to see it the way a stranger does.
Good thing we built something to help. ;) Our Website Trust Index reviews your site and hands back your scores in the five categories that matter most — trust & credibility, search, conversions, visual impact, and mobile; plus an estimate of what the gaps are costing your business and high-impact fixes you can make.
Your move → See your trust-index scores
***
Make it a great week! 🙌
Resource of the Week:
Become an email marketing GURU.
Is your email strategy due for a tune-up? GURU Conference (powered by Constant Contact) is back Nov 12–13, 100% free and virtual. You'll get email tactics you can steal the same day from top B2B and B2C marketers. Last year, 29,000+ marketers showed up. Save your free spot.
You received this email because you're a client of Premier Designs or subscribed to the Monday Mantra newsletter. Update your preferences or unsubscribe anytime. The links in our “Resource of the Week” section are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase.
