I don't actually work in the design part of the company, just occasionally implementing UX designs, but I've frequently been in the client meetings, and the poi

I don't actually work in the design part of the company, just occasionally implementing UX designs, but I've frequently been in the client meetings, and the point you make here cannot be overstated. This is the prime motivator of most clients when presented with a "templated" website - they want theirs to look different enough not to be recognized as the template. They want this so much they will push for sub-optimal UX, just for the sake of differentiation. I honestly don't blame them, as our templates, just as most templates, produce recognizable results - pretty much same site, different colors and logo. All that being said, for more than 3/4 of them, they change their mind pretty quick when they find out the price difference between going with the templates or having custom UX developed. And this is just with the farmed out UX people who are cheap - not our good designers who the big customers use. Templates are good 'cause they let the little guy at least have the form and functionality of the big guys as long as they can tolerate they're essentially a row house.