I love the writing style of Wired, and their article “How Facebook Exposed Us All as Freaks” made me realize that our privacy policy has not been completely established yet. Sadly, Facebook’s privacy policy did not prevent their tracking system to monitor our purchasing history with other websites (thankfully I never really got into Facebook). Like it says, the damage is done and now we must “love the dumpty” and lose the Gorilla Mask.

For Wired’s 15th anniversary, they did had an excerpt on soul-baring quotes. This was our favorite from it:

I don’t have any lofty goals. I just want to have fun making the best damn operating system I can. — Linus Torvalds, founder and coordinator of the Linux Kernel Project, July 2003

This is essentially the philosophy that Border7 has. We only do projects that we will enjoy. We don’t work on anything mundane or boring. This may be a terrible work ethic, but it ensures that the quality of work that we output is up to the standards we’ve come to live by. Our sole goal as a company is to enjoy and love the work that we give to our clients. If we know from the get-go that the project will cause a headache, we already know that we won’t provide the client the best quality of work. We don’t want to change the world, or provide the next best thing, we just want to have fun and enjoy what we do. Fortunately, there are a few other companies out there with similar philosophies.

Many people think that Sales is all the same, selling a cell phone is similar to selling a shopping cart system. Through my experiences, I have found this to be far from the truth.

Selling A Service

A service does not give instant gratification. It generally requires a little more work on the consumer’s part and can cost more in the long run than a product. When selling a service, you don’t sell the features, but the benefits. Why is this service worth the cost? The commitment? You need to be able to explain what makes it really worth it. Also, generally, most services can be provided by a lot of people. You need to explain what makes you different, how are you going to ensure that they will receive a different experience with you instead of going with Joe Schmoe over there.

Selling A Product

Selling products is a little bit easier as people generally know what they’re looking for. Half the battle is already done for you. When the person comes into purchase the product, its more a matter of which product to settle on. Now it just takes a few pokes and prods from the salesman to help decide on the best product that suits them. Again, a sale is eminent, just a matter of what to sell.

Border7 sells a service, however at the same time, it is a product. Design is generally viewed as a service but you are in fact selling a product (the design itself). So selling it takes practice and some expertise because you need to sell the features but also the benefits, all in your initial pitch.

Blogging is becoming more and more an everyday staple of the daily life. Personally, the moment I log onto the internet I check my RSS subscriptions and catch up on all the latest happenings amongst my blogging friends. Blogging allows everyday people to have a voice and reach an audience they never could before.

Through the use of blogs it is possible to teach new things, expand your business, promote yourself, or anything else for that matter.  There are 5 Immutable Laws of Persuasive Blogging - Per Copyblogger (I am subscribed to them too) - that will never change, regardless of what you blog about.

1. The Law of Value

There is no point to read something that provides no value to you. Simple as that.

2. The Law of Headlines and Hooks

There are millions of blogs. People skim pages and are looking for something to catch the eye. Headlines are naturally bigger text, so they will stand out, use them wisely!

3. The Law of “How To”

One of the two most asked questions is How - the other being Why, but that is a totally other story. If you can explain the How on something, you have found an audience.

4. The Law of List

Lists are just a great formatting technique. When things are listed out in front of you, its easy to digest and determine its value.

5. The Law of Story

A story, especially an engaging one, gives you the opportunity to “present a problem, the solution, and the results, all while the connotation of the story allows readers to sell themselves on what you have to offer.”

We are still working on all of these aspects and like writing term papers, practice makes perfect. Do you agree with the people at Copyblogger? Or do you think they are missing something?

Mike Rowe is the host of the show Dirty Jobs and has made a killing by performing the tasks that “most of us couldn’t bear to do but are really happy someone else will” (Fast Company, Feb 2008). Its quite a genius plan really. I watch the TV show whenever I can because it amazes me how anyone is able to do these jobs. Yes, I am one of those people who will gladly pay someone to do something I don’t want to, but I do tip well. I appreciate that they are willing to do it, and this show reinforces that gratitude even more.

It is a requirement that everyone at Border7 read Inc magazine, or at least some articles from it. One article that caught our attention was “How to Jazz Up Your Site” which is basically screaming at us to read it.

They make a valid point, a lot of companies do not look at their site as bringing in any actual value. Before, websites were just online brochures. Granted, when the internet started it was just a way of informing people. Now, in the age of Web 2.0, relationships are developed. You want to have a site that engages its viewers and drives traffic, in turn, leading to sales.

The great thing about a website is that it is not limited to a geographic location. It can open your company to a new market. If done correctly, you can market your product or services to new locations. Sometimes, people just don’t know your out there. Just by adding an article system to your company website can drive traffic. By providing information to potential consumers they gain your trust, and are more likely to buy.

One thing that Inc also mentioned was how the use of analytics can help you tweak your store to better engage the customer and persuade them to buy. Also, having a nice design doesn’t hurt as something that is more visually appealing is more likely to keep someone on your store. Forums are a great way for your current customers to discuss your products and services. Forums also let new customers find out information from a different source.

All in all, companies need to reevaluate their web precense and ensure that they are driving it to its full potential.