In the spirit of the Thursday Thirteen meme, Know More Media will list thirteen things we learned from the outstanding interviews we are continuing to have this week across our network. 

These interviews include All-Star thought leader Seth Godin; buzz marketing expert Ron McDaniel; Peter Ford, Blue Angel's maintenance and PR team member; Ruth Schaffer, microbiologist and bio-tech blogger; customer-service consultant and blogger, Tom Vander Well; and noted blogger, speaker and consultant B.L. Ochman.

Thirteen things we have learned:

1. Blogging pays.  It has brought B. L. Ochman several Fortune 100 clients, abundant speaking and consulting opportunities, and a global network.
2. Blogging has killed the illusion of message control, bringing about less secrets and less centralized messages.
3. The definition of Customer Service: Doing the best you can, with what you have, to care for your customers the way you'd want to be taken care of if you were in their shoes.
4. The #1 Customer Service Tip: As soon as customers tell you their problem, immediately apologize and commit to do what you can to resolve the issue.
5. Bio-tech is just starting to recognize the impact of blogging and the prospects of which can be phenomenal.
6. The Blue Angels considers all members of their team tasked with the responsibility public relations as they not only perform their airshows, but as they interact with kids at school, hospitals and all try to be positive role models.
7. Blogging is like radio.  If a salesman got his own radio station, he could broadcast his commercial on it over and over, but no one would listen.  If they played music and had useful interviews, people would listen.  Even if it has his ad on it once in a while.
8. Buzz Marketing is best employed when it is part of an overall marketing strategy.
9. You can create a solid customer base with no expensive ad campaigns, no media buys, and no cold calling. 
10. The number one flaw in salespeople is that they believe that the customer cares about them.  The number two is that some salespeople confuse closing with bullying.  The number three flaw is that they don't listen.
11. The number one aspect of sales that Seth Godin would ensure that salemen in training had down cold. Permission.  The ability to deliver anticipated, personal, and relevant messages to prospects that choose to hear them.
12. Cold calling makes as much sense as propositioning people with marriage at a singles bar. Seth cold calls people all the time--to introduce an idea, not to sell something for money
13. "Blogging rewards those that tell an authentic story over time, and ruthlessly punishes those that lie or commit fraud"