Lessons learned from the success of the social network Yammer

Microsoft acquired last year on the social network for business-oriented Yammer in a great deal amounted to $ 1.2 billion, is no doubt that the amount paid by Microsoft's large, with an almost twice the value of the company within a few months of its launch and obtaining financing. But what we can learn from the success of Yammer?

B definition Yammer

If you have not heard of this social network after Vmek right because it is intended for network staff, companies and businesses and not individuals and ordinary people.

Yammer network was founded in 2008 to be an alternative network Twitter, but for businesses, and in the meantime the Facebook network to grow and increase its own characteristics and advantages, thus the network turned to the tradition of Facebook even quoted them the design of the interface. 
Network provides the possibility of paid subscription beside free, and where more than 4 million users (employees) of which about 800 thousand users paid, and serve the network of more than 200 thousand companies around the world, including a large number of corporate giants such as Ford, eBay, Shell, DHL and other so that 70% of U.S. companies on the list used Furtune 500.

So that the user can join the network, e-mail it to use exclusively professional, that is, on the scope of company's website and can not be used as a normal e-mail continued to e-mail providers.

As a sub-page devoted to each company opened her account on the network, and continue each staff (members) through them, and allows them to create private and public groups, and offer all the possibilities of communication and social interaction Kaltaliq and admiration.

We note the similarity between Twitter and Yammer, for example, asks Twitter Tweet writing box "What are you doing" while asking Yammer "what you are working on" any assumed that what is going on around you is the work, not the activities of daily life.

In Twitter are called tweets tweets while in Yammer called Yams. There is also the possibility of follow-up persons Following similar to Twitter, too.

Lessons Learned

Useful better than wonderful

Committed numerous Internet companies many mistakes in the way they work after theInternet bubble , where its founders has great ideas admire them but they expect that users Abadelhm this admiration which has already achieved as happened with Anstgram of the network acquired by Facebook billion dollars. Or may not be achieved completely.

But Anstgram does not realize any profits yet, and no one pays billion dollars to get a great idea loved by its founder and the people, ultimately there are investors looking for returns for their money, and this is what you may not achieve brainwave.

And here came David Sacks, founder network Yammer idea of ​​network status when he was working on Geni, which has launched just where noted that employees need to communicate with each other and share information, so they create this tool, then found Sacks that as long as this tool very useful for his company, the Other companies also may need and benefit from, and indeed he was right where the number of network users exceeds five million employees from various companies around the world.

Think of profits from the outset

Investors always insists on knowing when the project will start to recover his capital to obtain financing in addition to the dividend. If you're lucky and you have the idea of ​​a successful company and required you may accelerate towards the so-called exit strategy exit strategy by selling the company and catch the big money and distribute it to investors with profits and put the rest in your pocket.

The network Yammer idea ready in advance about the way the project investment and make a profit from the outset. Where people can use the network for free, and can even create own subset social networks companies for free, but if companies wanted more control and management of these networks, they must pay a fee for it.

If you should not necessarily have to launch your company and your products paid on the shelf waiting ready to pay you, but it is important to know well the most important components of income sources, and reconsider them after the market feelers as if he refused to pay under these circumstances.

Listen to all

Sacks knows very well that for the launch of the product is the best, you have to surround yourself with important persons in your field and hear them well They will help you inevitably including development. Here was Sacks oversees product designers closely, and when they told him that this is checking administrative bothering them, accept it with an open mind and try to get away a little bit of supervision on them. Now they send him weekly revisions to see the business details on the products generally without daily intervention which reduces the inconvenience of persons responsible for the transfer of the company and its products to the level of the best developed.

Does not stand listening to people employees in the company, but no less important for them users of products and services company. Where continuing Sacks personally with users via Twitter on an ongoing basis, and does not hide it when he says, "I want to know what people are saying about Yammer till I developed the product and the company better."

Strong weaknesses

No one knows everything what is going on around him, so the smart leadership that is always trying to learn quickly because the changes around him faster.

Sacks encountered weaknesses in the company, which was in sales, where he admits when the company launched it was thought that there is no need to worry about sales, where people are expected to pay from the budgets of companies as the main customer in the network-oriented business.

But what catches later that companies, especially big ones, need to negotiate with someone on the purchase of such services, where they have concerns standing on the security of the network and privacy considerations, so it was necessary to have a sales team working in the company to communicate with customers and to respond to their questions. There was no employee working in the sales department in Yammer and today there are more than 30 employees make up the department.

Does not depend Sacks entirely on the sales team alone, where often go in person to meetings with customers to hear directly their questions and their needs they constitute important opportunities for the development of network products later, there is nothing better than this gift from the customer because the need for the product is the basis for development and sell .