Unsalted (That's our clever name for our blog)
August 19: The Blinksale folk have got it wrong
Before Blinksale was launched I was really excited about it. I was literally reaching for my credit card as I first logged in. I had been longing to use it since I first heard about it. I was conviced it was going to be spectacular, and that I was going to use it for all my invoices for the rest of forever!
How did the Blinksale folk turn such a ridiculously enthusiastic potential customer, the hottest lead they could ever hope for, into a non-sale?
I think it's down to a number of things. First, I didn't like the colour scheme, or the design particularly. That's pretty shallow of me, but come on, I'm a designer, and so are a lot of the people they're aiming it at. We're sensitive people, and we like the tools we use to look slick (designers in general love Apple, etc.)
Secondly, I didn't like the whole idea of sending invoices as HTML-formatted emails. To my mind, a PDF document carries more weight.
Finally, I found that it didn't really save me much time. I have an invoice template already, and it takes me under a minute to prepare a client's invoice. Blinksale shaves perhaps a few seconds off that time, but is that worth $72 per year or more? I didn't think so.
As an aside, I also think they're going in completely the wrong direction with their use of blogging. Their "praise and props" category, which makes up a substantial number of their posts, is just customer testimonials. "So and so says Blinksale is great etc." Where the value in me subscribing to their feed? And where's the conversation? No-one is going to comment on those posts. A blog is not the place for them.
As a fellow web application developer, I wish them all the success in the world, but I think some parts of their approach are slightly flawed.
Comments
- June 24: Can't find a good domain name?
- April 14: Local business web presence for $60
- December 11: Client web site on BBC News
- November 27: New York City and Montreal
- July 08: New office
- (For more, check the archive)
Preview
Add A Comment