The Real Reason Your “Superior Product” Isn’t Working
And the advantage your competitors can never copy
Starting and running a business can be a complete mindfuck.
When we begin, we’re constantly overthinking.
Will this work?
Has this been done before?
What about my list of 1001 reasons that this is a terrible idea?
Then, when we are up and running, it’s just as bad.
Why isn’t this working?
What if someone steals my idea?
Worst of all…why is no one coming to my business?
Most founders assume a business’ success is up to its ideas, products, etcetera. But there’s a hidden element beyond this to what makes them tick which we often overlook.
You can hear it every time someone asks a question like, “Why would someone pay more for a worse product when they could have mine?”
A successful company can have a pretty mediocre product and still succeed. On the other hand, some companies with extraordinary products can still be fighting an uphill battle.
So what’s the missing ingredient?
Trustpilot feels like the mob!
I came across a post on Twitter/X this week.
It said…
Trustpilot feels like the mob.
“I should collect reviews on Trustpilot…”
…
Gets amazing 5-star reviews…
…
Ok, let’s put them on the website. Nice.*Costs $299/month to put YOUR reviews on YOUR OWN website. Goes up to $1,099/month if you want to show the actual review instead of users clicking through to our site.*
…Someone vibe code this and crush them please.
Honestly—I’m not going to defend pricing like that.
But I do think objecting like this is to entirely miss the point.
It’s tempting to think, “They’re already my reviews! Why won’t you let me post them on my site!?”
It’s really not that simple.
No one’s stopping you from manually copying the reviews and pasting them on your website. But pray tell me, why is it we prefer being able to show the Trustpilot logo and automatically having a link to the review on a third-party site?
It’s because when you use Trustpilot, you aren’t just buying “a platform to host reviews”.
You’re also buying:
decades of manual review curation
decades of borrowed trust and authority from consumers
decades of positioning themselves as the “go-to” place for off-site reviews
The reviews may be about your business. But it’s still a mistake to think “a collection of words” means the same thing on your site, on Trustpilot, or on another website. Even if you own the review, the consumers are going to believe very different things by reading the same thing in the different places.
Trustpilot has existed as a business since 2007. Over the last 20 years, they’ve become a household name. At this point, a hundred positive reviews on Trustpilot is about as valuable as having tens of thousands on many other similar platforms.
They certainly don’t always get it right.
But anyone who thinks that all they need to do to compete is “vibe code and undercut” is in for a rude awakening.
PS—this isn’t to name and shame in the slightest. I totally get the frustration. I just wanted to include the original message to show what spurred this post. ☺️
You can take the product out of the business…
Products can be copied. Features can be replicated. Prices can be undercut.
But a 20-year-old reputation cannot be stolen overnight. Part of Trustpilot’s $1,099/month price tag includes how they’re already seen by the wider public.
The same applies to any of your competitors who might charge more for a worse service. If their reputation means people see them as a safer bet, the extra cost will be worth it to their customers.
The downside is that, if you’re at the start of your journey, you’ve got an uphill battle to prove you’re worth trading with at all. Especially in a crowded marketplace where people already know and believe in the competition, you’ll be working hard to earn your place.
The upside is that, when you do find a loyal audience, it becomes massively harder for people to copy you (and hey, maybe you can start charging a premium for your services, too).
Yes, it’s unfair. Yes, it takes time.
But people don’t just buy a product or service in isolation.
They’re buying an outcome—as well as how likely it is to succeed. That includes, but isn’t limited to, the business’ reputation/track record, their social proof and online presence (both social media and reviews).
An apples-to-apples comparison of two businesses’ offers will seldom tell the whole story.
The irony of wanting to vibe code a competitor to Trustpilot is that people wouldn’t know if it was legit in the first place. If anything, people might check Trustpilot to see whether the new platform was even worth using.
I’m definitely not saying Trustpilot are immune to competition.
But I’m pretty sure they aren’t getting edged out of the marketplace any time soon. After all, they have a 4.4-star rating on Trustpilot.
And for a company with over 450,000 reviews, that ain’t bad.
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