Chuck Salter (salter@fastcompany.com) is a Fast Company senior writer. Visit Netigy Corp. on the Web (www.netigy.com).

Sidebar: Fuel for Growth

Netigy poured millions of dollars and several months into the systems that define its infrastructure. Here's what other startups can learn from Netigy.

By the people, for the people. Before Julie Mickelson, Netigy's chief knowledge officer, could customize the knowledge-management system, she had to find out what its users wanted. She sent out an eight-page questionnaire to 76 employees to learn how they would use it. The questionnaire asked which features would be helpful and which wouldn't be. One big surprise: the importance of offline access. So Mickelson made sure that the field employees can access the system on the hard drive of their laptops. Then, when they log back on to the system later, it automatically updates the files.

Make learning a habit. Almost daily, Mickelson sends out "Knowledge in a Minute," a company-wide email. It contains Netigy news, plus information that's tailored to users' interests.

The difference is in the details. The Netigy sales methodology is highly structured, because the relationships that Netigy tries to build with its clients require discipline and attention to detail. For instance, the sales-call plan reminds employees to bring a gift to a client meeting -- not a coffee mug with the Netigy logo but rather a gift that has some value, such as a white paper or a top consultant. "No one likes to meet just to meet," says Brendan Keegan, senior VP of global sales. "If you don't bring something of value, you probably won't be invited back a second time."