Creating Slack's Launch Video: Behind the Scenes

James Sherrett narrates the story of Slack's launch video, produced by Sandwich Video in 2014. He explains the significance of having a Sandwich video for a tech startup, detailing the video's production, the script collaboration between Slack's team and Sandwich, and the quest for a fitting title. The final title, 'So Yeah, We Tried Slack,' emerged from a key line in the video. Sherrett also mentions a sequel video created during the COVID-19 pandemic and teases future content on Slack's Easter eggs and unique features.

00:00 Introduction: The Quest for a Sandwich Video

01:21 The Making of the Video

01:52 The Title Dilemma

02:37 The Final Decision

04:04 Aftermath and Reflections

04:37 Easter Eggs in Slack

Slack's Journey to Fair Billing and Effective Pricing Strategies

By 2014, Slack saw consistent weekly growth and recognized that once teams started using the platform, they rarely stopped. There were two main growth drivers – acquiring new customers and expanding in existing customers – and two main tensions Slack faced, particularly the hybrid use of multiple communication tools.

To address these tensions, Slack adopted three key pricing principles: simplicity for new customers, fairness for existing ones, and speed for deployment. Specific tactics like starting with a high pricing point, avoiding unlimited user deals, and offering credits instead of discounts were employed. The highlight is the fair billing policy, which ensured users were only charged for active usage, boosting customer trust and simplifying billing processes.

The story winds up with a nod to Slack's long-term approach to customer satisfaction and its impact on their sustained business growth.

00:00 Introduction: A Slack Story by James Sherrett

00:22 Understanding Slack's Growth Levers

01:12 New Customers: The First Growth Source

01:58 Expansion of Existing Customers

03:32 Tensions in Slack's Growth Model

05:50 Principles of Slack's Pricing Strategy

08:21 Tactics for Implementing Pricing Principles

15:49 The Fair Billing Policy Origin Story

21:40 Conclusion: Reflecting on Slack's Journey and Lazy Computer Programmers

Slack's Early Days: Sonoma Offsite Reflections

In this episode, James Sherrett recounts his first offsite experience with Slack in Sonoma on May 15th, 2014. The narrative captures the early, intimate scale of Slack's global workforce of around 30 employees, the significance of in-person interactions in a remote-first company, and the excitement surrounding their burgeoning product success. Sherrett shares his initial thoughts and questions about offsites, his reflections on meeting his new boss Allen Shim, and the profound realizations about Slack's potential and future. Highlights include candid moments with colleagues and pioneering discussions on product and customer interaction, illustrating the blend of meticulous work and imaginary thinking that characterized Slack's early growth.

00:00 Introduction: A Slack Story by James Sherrett

00:27 First Offsite Experience in Sonoma

02:26 Meeting the New Boss: Allen

05:43 Getting to Know the Team

07:50 Offsite Activities and Reflections

10:11 The Future of Slack: Aspirations and Challenges

12:45 Conclusion: Embracing Change and Change and Change

Navigating Sales in Slack: Early Deals and Hard-Learned Lessons

James Sherrett recounts his experiences of closing early sales deals at Slack without a traditional sales team. He describes the significance of celebrating wins through dedicated Slack channels and shares a memorable story about negotiating with Sauce Labs, a customer demanding a discount. The narrative highlights the importance of understanding customer needs and being prepared for tough negotiations. Sherrett explains how these early experiences and the detailed pricing proposals were pivotal in refining Slack's approach to sales and customer success.

00:00 Introduction: A Slack Story by James Sherrett

00:19 The First Deal: Celebrating Wins

01:16 Creating the #accounts Channel

03:27 Memorable #accounts Post: Sauce Labs

05:09 The Cannon

09:32 Crafting the Perfect Pricing Proposal

18:14 Conclusion: Lessons Learned

19:28 Teaser: Up Next - Offsite in Sonoma

The Twitter Game: Building Slack's Wall of Love

This episode explores how Slack effectively used Twitter to connect with its tech-savvy audience and amplify customer feedback. It details the creation and evolution of Slack's 'Wall of Love,' a curated collection of positive tweets that addressed customer objections and showcased unsolicited endorsements. The narration emphasizes the significance of customer engagement on Twitter and describes internal processes designed to maximize the surface area of the company to customer feedback.

00:00 Introduction: A Slack Story by James Sherrett

00:22 The Early Days: Twitter as a Key Platform

01:46 Playing the Twitter Game

05:23 Creating the Wall of Love

07:29 Managing and Expanding the Wall of Love

11:06 Maximizing Customer Feedback

14:30 Conclusion: The Importance of Customer Interaction

Launching Paid Slack: The Journey from Free to Paid

In this episode, James Sherrett shares the story of how Slack transitioned from a free to a paid product. From the early planning stages, the company knew its business model would be a B2B SaaS offering. The script details the use of credits to ease the transition for customers, and the data-driven approach that helped identify key patterns in user growth and retention. As Slack prepared for its February 12, 2014 launch, the team used customer feedback, analytics, and strategic PR to ensure a successful rollout. The episode also touches on the company's early struggles and the pivotal role of customer stories in achieving long-term success.

00:00 Introduction: Launching Paid Slack

00:23 Defining the Business Model

00:51 Customer Engagement and Feedback

02:41 Analyzing User Data

04:08 Preparing for Launch

10:14 The Launch Day

13:17 Post-Launch Reflections

18:29 Continued Growth and Customer Relations

The Slack Socks Saga: A Quirky Marketing Success

In this episode, James Sherrett narrates the fascinating journey of how Slack created custom socks as a unique marketing tool. Starting with a small budget, the team decided to use socks featuring their tartan design as company swag. The process wasn't easy and included a 99-email thread just to finalize designs.

Despite initial challenges, the socks became immensely popular, eventually leading to orders of up to 500,000 pairs. The socks not only contributed to brand identity but also symbolized the quirky originality and growing pains of Slack as it transitioned from a startup to a large business. The narrative concludes with reflections on how the company's unique identity evolved and adapted as it grew.

00:00 The Slack Socks Story Begins

00:22 Why Socks? The Marketing Strategy

02:25 Design Challenges and Email Correspondence

05:50 The Popularity of Slack Socks

06:56 Evolving Designs and Internal Impact

10:20 Reflections on Growth and Change

13:02 Conclusion and Transition to Paid Slack

Saying No Nicely: A Slack Story by James Sherrett

In this episode, James Sherrett starts at Slack in 2014 as full-time Director, Accounts. He discusses the evolving roles and responsibilities in a small startup environment, focusing on customer interactions, providing demos, and collecting feedback.

A key theme is the philosophy of 'saying no nicely,' both to customers and in shaping product strategies. James explores different ways to decline requests respectfully and strategically, the impact of this approach on customer satisfaction, and the overall business operations. Additionally, he touches upon the growth of Slack, its core functionalities, and how it became a pivotal tool for digital communication and teamwork.

00:00 Introduction: Starting in Accounts at Slack

01:33 Customer Interactions: Helping and Selling

02:24 The Art of Saying No Nicely

03:01 Examples of Saying No Nicely

04:50 Learning from Customer Feedback

06:37 The Philosophy of Saying No Nicely

12:24 Slack's Core Functionality in 2014

14:39 The Complexity of Messaging

15:48 Being a Guide and Guard

16:48 Saying No Nicely: A Continued Practice

17:36 Conclusion: Focus Drives Results

18:03 Up Next: Slack Socks

Transition from Marketing to Accounts at Slack

A quick episode to mark the transition of the story from Part 1 to Part 2. A thank you for the audience's support and feedback. A recap of the topics covered so far. A sneak peek into what's coming next, including launching Slack's paid product and creating the Slack Wall of Love. If you're reading this you likely already know about the accompanying podcast.

00:00 Introduction to the Slack Story

00:23 Transition to Part Two

00:40 Preview of Part Two

01:05 Three Things

01:36 Recap of Part One

02:40 Podcast Information

03:07 Feedback Request

03:38 Okay, onwards

Please sit next to the money

In this episode, James Sherrett narrates his tumultuous journey at Slack, starting as a consultant in June 2013, navigating through periods of high demand, strategic pivots, and personal struggles. Despite initial setbacks, including a retracted job offer, James continued to show up for work. His persistence and growing alignment with the team ultimately led to his official hiring as the Director, Accounts at the end of 2013. James shares insightful anecdotes about customer engagement, internal teamwork, and the evolving dynamics of startup culture, providing a behind-the-scenes look at Slack's early days. James' wife Monique also makes an appearance to offer her perspective.

00:00 Introduction

00:28 Early Days at Slack: Joining the Team

01:32 Marketing and Customer Engagement

03:12 Scaling Up: Handling Increased Demand

03:58 The Polite Struggle for Control

07:12 A Turning Point: December 2013

11:12 Monique Shares her Perspective

22:04 Final Decision: Joining as Director, Accounts