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Define Netquest in 3 words
Enterprising, young and fun
Creativity, enthusiasm, innovation
Netquest is team, construction and quality
Netquest is innovation, nonconformity
and continuous learning.
For me Netquest is Advanced Online Fieldwork.
How everything begun
It all started when in 2000, in summer...
two people joined: Ramon Souto and me
to thik about how to create an Internet business.
Basing our project on an idea of a tool
to measure knowledge, to implement tests,..
in a way that it seemed to us a bit innovative
but the reality was that
we started with more ideas than criteria
And with a higher desire of undertaking that with prudence.
We founded the company on January 9, 2001
we were 4 founding members.
I always remember when we were 5 or 6 people
a lot of hours to think, ruminate on things...
any decision was like a big issue, a drama.
We all were taking part in everything...
And it was very exciting at the beginning because
everything had still to be done.
The market did not exist
we had to create it
there was nobody or almost anyone who did online research in Spain.
I honestly thought that there was no future
and the truth is that I was wrong.
Because that team has raised
the company that is currently Netquest.
We looked for an investment partner
and we were lucky to find one
who understood, who we liked, who had expectations
who was very close to us.
When he explained us his project...
... I liked it so much.
And not only we invest in projects, but also in people.
Nicequest is the brand
of Netquest consumer panels.
They are communities of people
registering to take part in market research.
For each survey they complete
they receive a few points
that then they can exchange
for the gifts in our shop.
Every day there are thousands of people
responding to surveys with us.
Hundreds of thousands of people
in Spain and in Latin America.
Well ... that's exciting!
The more difficult challenge: to sell the panel.
Sell a product that did not exist.
That nobody needed
In which nobody trusted
because there were many prejudices against
the Internet methodology.
There are big challenges
But I was surprised by
the challenge of the internationalization.
Without having offices there...
all that distance means...
doing all the training, explanations, ...
talking to suppliers in Latin America...
We never had the feeling
of wasting our money
but he has been a very good manager
for everyone: for himself first
and for us, too.
What matters is our differenciation
in our effort to dignify surveys,
and do them well.
The challenge is to make it work.
Really, here in Netquest
every day is a challenge.
Anecdotes
My best memories over the years...
Foundation stage
Year 2000
Germán finally managed to arouse interest
in an initial investor group
He manages to arrange a meeting with the investors in our office.
A small office of 10m2
on a terrace roof
Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. in the morning
Nervousness in the days before
meeting preparation...
strategy...
The the morning comes, the meeting comes
9.00 am
investors coming
but Germán does not arrive
I call him...
ring... ring...
silence on the other side
Germán?
(Germán) I can not believe it!
He had overslept ...!
While we were waiting
I thought...well,
Legend tells us that Bill Gates
also arrived late to his first interview with IBM.
Maybe we are not going so bad!
And once I went to see a client
I spent an hour explaining what online research is
and online surveys
and finally he said...
but ... online surveys ... at the end...
Where do you insert the paper?
How do you send them?
then I thought... Jesus!
He has not understood anything!
With the colleagues we always remember
an incident we had with a boy
who came here to work...
... he was a very nice guy ...
...very energetic...
that one day, doing an intervention
changed the database server we had
and it was like stepping back in time
all the work we had done for 1 day
We were working and suddenly ...
everything was like the day before
We call it the "Back - Groundhog Day"
because it was like stepping back
and we did not understand anything... and everybody was running ...
and this boy seemed scared
but he did not say that it was him who did it.
Talking to the panelists
at the beginning as I was in charge of giving email support
to the panel members
On the first website we had
there was a picture of the girl who answered the emails
she was a wonderful Scandinavian or Swedish girl
and had a fan club that used to send her emails
telling her they were completely in love with her
and there was one guy in San Sebastian
who sent his photo
explaining all his life...
He said he lived with his mother
but, if that the relationship went ahead
everything would change...
I had to send a fax
on behalf of Germán to a provider that is quite important
in english
and in faxes I usually write:
"number of pages sent…"
I wrote the word “"sheet”" in english
and used the word wrong...
with "i" instead of with two "e"
and, logically it kicked up
a fuss in the office
that made a great impact.
Moving Forward in the Industry
Our approach was to be the leaders in Spain
Today Netquest is # 1 in Spain,
52 employees,
Office in Madrid
Office in México, office in Brasil
we are looking to settle down an office in Argentina
The first surprise comes when you discover that
they are not like the other ones
they do not come from a foreign country
ah, Netquest is not American?
or, is not English? or, is not German?
ah...!
A leading world technology to do online surveying
A panel I would think no company in the world...
is doing as we are doing
We have experience in investing in projects
I would say that is a role model
The panel quality, the recruitment quality, ...
the incentive quality
is somewhat visible
and you can see it also when you work with them
I honestly think,
and I always try to pass it on to my team
that we have what’s necessary to play in
this sector’s first division
and that is my dream.
Looking at the Future
I imagine a complilation of two things:
a company with more capacity
that I hope we have soon.
A company with more resources to do things
but also a company that keep its spirit
its way of working
and specially its humility
We do not have to think we are something we are not
Because we are still a very small company
I think we should pay attention
to changes
and we have to keep that look
in which the quality comes first than quantity
I see them on the Internet 3.0, that I do not know what will be
but they surely they will be there
because they are doing everything
and they have that curiosity
Well, we will be a super brand
we will be super famous
Google will buy us as well
surely...
and surveys will be in 3D
with 3D glasses
and the panelist will be in a virtual supermarket
and he will be taking the products,...
he will put them in a floating trolley...
I have a very clear desire that is
to invent the way to make surveys nice
And it has to last for years
10 and more.
We share a dream
It is a nice project
with wonderful people
in a sector in transformation
therefore, everything to be discovered, all the possibilities
We can be creative
we can reinvent a sector
and that is something priceless to me
I think Netquest
in addition to the magnificent panels,
the technology that makes it unique,
the infrastructure, the offices, the idea ...
all this ... is because of the people.
I believe that if you change the 52 people working today
and you got 52 others... exactly the same positions
the company would not work.
In these 6 years this is the first time
that I have found a job I really enjoy
It is evident when I wake up in the morning
I go on the subway
looking forward to getting at my desk
I would like to take this time
to thank
to all the people I'm working with
because they really make my job easier and my life better.
I can thank my colleagues
who have helped me at all times
I always have been supported
the truth is that I have always been very supported
and thanks to them
my experience in Netquest
is an experience 10.
I am very grateful to Santiago Llobet
a person who arrived at Netquest in 2001,
he is a cofounder of the company,
and he has been 10 years with us, staying strong in all the battles
with all the difficulties
and I have much affection for him.
And I think they have earned the trust
both of the market itself and of the customers and suppliers
and that, how do you achieve that?
Just by doing a good job
And quality partners like Netquest
of Netquest’s flexibility
help you to be where you do not want to be, where you can not or are not interested to be
and that is always good to have.
Thank you for everything you have taught me
for everything I have learned
for everything we have shared
I would like to thank all members of this project
all the team members
and all people who have been in the company
who are a great amount ... and that are very important
thanks for believing in this project
thanks for believing in me.
I am immensely pleased that you have accompanied and helped me
And from here I also would like to mention
those who are not in this video
as people of Brazil, people of Mexico people of Madrid...
it is difficult to bring them here to record the video
and they are the ones that make this company a unique company.
For me it is an experience 10
and a lesson
to see how the effort
perseverance and tenacity,
in this case of Germán
and a small group of people,
can take you anywhere.