Meet the fastest growing footwear brand on the golf course.
Err, actually, you’ve already met them. PAYNTR Golf ring the bell? They should. The last two parts we have released about them are detailed how two veterans of the shoe industry came together to create the best golf shoe on the planet.
Today, we’re putting PAYNTR Golf under the microscope to find out what exactly it’s doing to maintain such exponential growth.
And when I say exponentialthis is literal, not figurative.
“We will be over 80 percent growth this fiscal year,” said Mike Forsey, Co-Founder of PAYNTR Golf. “We anticipate growing 160 percent next year.”
From now on, PAYNTR Golf should no longer be considered an “achiever” or “challenger” or whatever word you want to use to describe an underdog.
PAYNTR Golf is not weak. However, they have that “dag” in them and they are not slowing down.
So how exactly did PAYNTR flip the switch from underrated shoe to the undisputed best shoe in golf? From wondering if they would ever be on the national radar to selling on shelves around the globe?
The recipe is easier than you think.
Step 1: Create a product people care about
I’ll spare you the gory details on this one because I have already written about it. Simply put, PAYNTR Golf made a product so good they can hardly keep it on the shelves.
“We are experiencing tremendous sales,” Forsey said. “They had clerks put the product on the floor and customers would come and take the product out of their hands and take it to the register.”
Most small and medium-sized companies order a lot of inventory and are stuck with a bunch of stationary products. Not PAYNTR. Right now, his biggest problem is keeping up with the demand, all because they built a golf shoe that people can’t stop talking about.
Or dressed.
Or recommending them to their friends.
PAYNTR built a golf shoe that people care about. Period.
Step 2: Lots of listening
You have successfully created a product that people think about. now what? You can either sit back in your chair and call it a day or you can get your hands (or, in this case, your ears) dirty by asking for feedback from the consumers who care so much about your product in the first place.
This step is perhaps the biggest separation for PAYNTR from their competition; the reason why they are growing as if they have two rockets behind them.
However, this is not rocket science. But it takes a lot of work. The PAYNTR team has worked long to determine exactly what the golfer is looking for, including the younger golfer who may not be so keen on trying something from a FootJoy or adidas.
So when PAYNTR heard that consumers loved their Speed Classic line, but wanted something more casual and trendy, rather than duplicating what already worked, they took a risk and brought out the Sport Classic line, a series of shoes designed for both on and off the course.
It was an overnight success.
“We have some sense of how many people are walking off the golf course.” Forsey continued. “Now it’s close to 20 percent of our business.”
Step 3: Sweeten it, don’t go cheap
Now, faced with a crucial decision, PAYNTR can either choose to follow the path of many before them and start prioritizing dollar signs or, as you may have guessed, do even more to give golfers an outstanding product.
Instead of diluting the brand by joining everyone under the sun, PAYNTR has built a strategic and multifaceted approach to marketing that is keeping them on the tip of consumers’ tongues without watering down their image or product.
“We kind of have a marketing mix, right? We have, obviously, tour players, we have our social media, we have our website, we have influencers and collaborations,” Forsey said.
“Definitely the validation of having Sam (Burns) and Justin (Rose) and Jason (Day) and Mike Weir, you know, all those guys, gives them (consumers),’Oh, I have to try it. If you know, if they’re trying it, I have to try it.‘”
The validation of the tournament has been huge for PAYNTR. So are their collaborations. When you see a great collaboration like that PAYNTR recently did with Forresters, provides instant authentication.
What you don’t see, and perhaps even more telling, are the collaborations PAYNTR says “no” to. Because they won’t do anything that compromises their integrity or lowers their brand.
Sweeten, don’t sit. This is another way PAYNTR has been able to amass such a following without the need for shady partnerships or guerilla marketing tactics.
Step 4: Stick to your roots
What would you say if I told you that MyGolfSpy is getting out of the golf business and starting a recipe blog?
You’re going to say something like “you guys are going crazy!”, right?
This is essentially the same reaction I got from Forsey when I asked about PAYNTR infusing every shoe in their line with the same performance-infused technology.
Because abandoning the things that got you here in the first place is never a good idea.
PAYNTR got where they are (and where they’re going) by treating every single product like it’s the most important in their line. Whether it’s 55 percent of their business or five percent, any shoe that rocks the PAYNTR “Performance Multiplied” logo is without shortcuts and shortcomings.
In other words, every product that PAYNTR puts out is the best. And every detail, down to the last stitch, has been decided with one person in mind: you.
The golfer.
The guy who can’t get enough of the game.
The girl (yes, their women’s line is expanding rapidly as well) who has pro aspirations.
Golfer taking practice swing in post office lobby.
The former No. 1 golfer in the world, who is working on a career revival.
PAYNTR does something for everyone. And that’s why they are (still) the fastest growing golf shoe brand in the world.
Post Golf’s Fastest Growing Shoe Brand (Spoiler: You’ve Already Met Them) appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
