Lessons from “challenger brands”

For decades I had the privilege to work for some of the largest regional and national golf retailers throughout the country. I then had the great opportunity to work for several challenger brands on the supplier side after I left the retail desk. A challenger brand is in many cases a new brand, an organization looking to find its footing and accounts in their specific product category. It is important to note that people in these organizations work long hours to push a very large rock up a seemingly impossible hill. The products are generally excellent. The challenge is that these brands do not have a great deal of capital, they have small marketing muscle, and their ability to hire and pay a small staff is far less than they need to compete against the established products already owning the shelves and e-commerce sites throughout the industry. 

The years spent with challenger brands were grand experiences, with great learnings and many wins. There is no better feeling than when a new brand adds accounts, especially larger, nationally known organizations. Although a few people were doing the work of many, these teams were tight, cohesive units; amazing people that worked hard together, enjoying the effort together. There are lessons here, lessons to take away from challenger brands. Lessons to help your property and team grow during this new season. In this In My Opinion post, you will see ideas to help your club develop additional success habits to digest and to own.

Communicate and lay out the entire story: Because you may have fewer new hires than required, possibly also experiencing turnover with The Great Resignation still front page news, be open and up front with the team about the work ahead. If you believe there will be more hours required, or potentially additional, inconsistent shifts, tell everyone from the start and continue to communicate openly as required. Your team will appreciate the open communication and honesty. People want to know. They each have unique lives to manage. 

Challenger brands work to provide extraordinary personal service: Because new brands begin with no accounts while their competitors have thousands, they look for ways to move faster, do things right the first time, while bringing a great attitude to the job every day. These attributes, such as speed, accuracy, and attitude, are essential, winning traits. When your team works hard to provide these same values, traffic will increase and sales will multiply, with your team earning more as your business grows.

The challenger team works hard for every win: No matter the order size or frequency, a challenger brand is forced to work hard for each and every order. These people take nothing for granted. In many cases new customers are happy just to have complete sell-through, no matter the popularity of the new product. In most cases, they will not reach back to the brand for a reorder. It is essentially always up to the challenger brand team to continue to connect and promote their goods. These teams never assume a reorder is part of the relationship.

In thinking about my years working for challenger brands, I believe the skills, energy and attitude required by these folks every day would be great assets to add to your teams’ tool kit. Honest, upfront communication, amazing personal service, and full commitment with speedy follow up are the things my teammates did as standard practice in order to build brands that exist and thrive today. No matter what you add or change to build your hospitality story, remember to make it distinct, interesting, and fun. The golf business was once an industry with a bit of crust around the edges. It is now moving in many exciting directions. Take the mindset of the challenger brand, where new and interesting is the mantra of the day, every day. Create a golf experience where golfers say: “I want more of that” on the 18th green!

Jack Dillon writes the In My Opinion posts. Jack is a consultant, author, and mentor. His newly published book: The Grand Tug of War: buying and selling in the real world, is available now. Jack can help you build a better team, create better service and a great golf shop. Contact Jack at: jackd@careerdividends.com or call Jack at: 407-973-6136. Jack is available to help you and your team. Jack lives in Orlando.