This week, we’re talking about two businesses that, on paper, do pretty much the same thing.

They’ve both been building websites for years. Both had refined their craft, yet one felt like their websites were built better, were more complete and had more features and better support than the other. They even had (slightly) more experience.

Yet it was the other business that was having more success.

So, what was the problem?

Well, it was obvious once you looked at how they gained new business - as it had nothing to do with making better websites, being faster, or being cheaper.

And there are a million other people out there who do website design and building too.

It came down to that people didn’t go to the successful business because he built the best websites in the world. People came to him because they were “friends”.

Now, to be clear, we’re aware that lots of successful businesses have been built on attracting people where they don’t know you and you don’t know them. However, if you’ve never really tried to get to know your readers, followers, commenters and online acquaintances, you may really be cutting off your profits at the knees.

If you operate what is known as a “Third Tribe” mentality, the sheer number of people who visit your website or read your blogs, matters far less than the number of people you exchange a few words with, or who you can help without asking for payment, or who like you enough to repost or share anything you put out.

A Third Tribe business is about getting as many people to like you as possible.

What most do is jump on social media and announce services and low prices. Blating out specials and offers etc.

By contrast, what this business does is use social media to make friends and help people – not to create customers.

If you write and talk about yourself as a whole person, rather than a one-dimensional business drone, people tend to be interested in you.

If you answer tweets and emails in a somewhat chatty, personal way instead of going for the sale when it’s not obviously warranted, people tend to enjoy talking to you.

And when all of those friends — and friends of those friends — one day have a need that you are able to fill, they won’t go to Google and look for the first search result, or for the guy with the cheapest price. It’s human nature that they’ll come to you — their friend — first.

This really can be as simple as I’m making it sound. If you have an easily consumable product or service that a lot of people need and can afford, then all you really need to do is to get out there and make online friends. And they don’t even have to be friends-friends, if you know what I’m saying. They can be people who have read what you wrote somewhere and liked it.

The web has magnified our interpersonal connections and the ability to meet new folks in new ways, but it hasn’t changed the fundamental nature of relationships. If we like people, then we want to hang out with them more, and do more with them. It’s that simple.

Now get out there and make some new friends.