Ryan Draving, Head of Strategy at B2B growth agency The Moving Company interviews Knight Schwandt, VP of Sales at Club Caddie.
Club Caddie is an all-in-one golf management software. Knight discusses how Club Caddie aids single and multi-course golf management operations. The software was born out of the founders' frustration with using multiple uncommunicative systems at their own golf course. Club Caddie integrates various functions, emphasizing ease of use, comprehensive support, and scalability. Schwandt highlights the company’s dedication to customer feedback and integrity, which drives their product development and customer relationships.
Schwandt discusses how Club Caddie consolidates multiple golf course management systems into a single platform, emphasizing the importance of customer feedback and support. He highlights the company’s focus on integrity and the unique perspective their industry experience brings, allowing them to anticipate and meet customer needs effectively.
Schwandt also elaborates on Club Caddie's approach to scaling, marketing, and customer acquisition. The company prioritizes honesty and a consultative approach, ensuring they bring on the right customers to maintain high satisfaction and retention rates. He underscores the significance of surrounding oneself with the right team members who share the same values and drive, contributing to the company's success and culture.
00:00
Ryan Draving: We're back again on the SaaS Growth Show. I'm your host Ryan Draving, and I'm here today with SaaS leader Knight Schwandt, Vice President of Sales at Club Caddie. Club Caddie is an all-in-one golf management software built by golf industry professionals. Knight, welcome to the show.
00:18
Knight Schwandt: Thanks, Ryan. Happy to be here.
00:20
Ryan: Great. Before we dig into your selling and marketing strategies, tell us a bit about what you do. You work with multi-course golf management companies and single course owners. How do you help them grow?
00:40
Knight: Sure. Aside from single, family-owned golf courses and multi-course operations, we work a lot with simulators too. You're starting to see many off-course facilities pop up. Club Caddie was set up and developed to be used by 99% of golf courses in North America. Our founders became stakeholders in a semi-private club in Michigan. They noticed the club was using five different software systems that didn't communicate with each other, making it very difficult to run the business. Our founders, who built a tech company and had an exit out of college, decided they could do it better.
01:32
Ryan: That sounds like a great solution. What are the key advantages of Club Caddie?
Knight: We consolidate what has traditionally taken two to six different software systems into one without sacrificing features or functionality. Being operators ourselves, we understand the urgency when our customers need something, so we emphasize support, ensuring someone is available to help at any time. Our software is wide, meaning it does a lot, and deep, meaning it does it well. We've invested a lot into building a software effective for both simple and complex operations.
02:40
Ryan: It sounds like customer feedback plays a big role in your development process.
Knight: Absolutely. Soliciting feedback from our partners has been a cornerstone of our development roadmap. No two golf courses are the same, so we encourage feedback. Being operators ourselves gives us a unique perspective to anticipate what our partners want and need, driving our development roadmap and pipeline.
03:29
Ryan: That's great. I often see aspiring SaaS entrepreneurs thinking they can transform an industry without industry experience. It's rare to see a team with deep industry insight like yours.
Knight: Yes, our CEO and founder still manage a golf course in Michigan and use our software daily. This unique perspective means we aren't just guessing what the future looks like; we're experiencing it. If a customer is frustrated with something, we see it too, and it gets fixed quickly, allowing us to scale the product transparently and effectively.
04:46
Ryan: That's great. Tell me about what scaling quickly has looked like for you.
Knight: The company was founded in 2018. The first couple of years focused on development and beta customers. We were acquired by Jonas Software in 2020, a well-known member club software company. From 2021 until now, we've focused on acquisition, identifying our ideal customer profile, and ensuring we sell to the right customers with integrity. We emphasize setting clear expectations and have sometimes told prospects we might not be the best fit, ensuring we bring on the right customers.
06:35
Ryan: There are about 15,000 golf courses in the US, right? Do you target those without software, or is that not your primary market?
Knight: We do want that business, but the reality is that we solve the problem of consolidating multiple systems into one, providing data you wouldn't otherwise have. Golf courses still using pencil and paper may not value that data. They might be in a rural area where they have a corner on the market. We target golf courses that want to know their customers better and implement targeted marketing strategies.
09:10
Ryan: You’ve said that you win the majority of deals when you’re part of the consideration set. How do you get into those situations?
Knight: We do traditional outreach like cold calling, email marketing, and paid ads. Industry trade shows and partnerships with national associations like the National Golf Course Owners Association help build our reputation. Partnering with local PGA sections has also been effective. Our competitors have been around for decades, so it takes time to build confidence and reputation, but focusing on word of mouth and customer satisfaction helps.
12:53
Ryan: What's your approach to sales tactics? Do you operationalize methods or let your team figure it out?
Knight: We don’t want to be overly prescriptive. It’s like the golf swing—fundamentals are the same, but each swing is unique. We emphasize fundamentals like discovery and qualifying, but allow personalities to shine through. We take a consultative approach, guiding the sales process to each golf course’s needs.
16:41
Ryan: You mentioned the importance of feedback. How do you handle it?
Knight: Our onboarding process is complex, and we focus on making it efficient and effective. After implementation, we send a survey to get honest feedback. NPS surveys are crucial to gauge customer satisfaction. We aim for continuous communication and improvement, making sure customers are happy and addressing any issues quickly.
20:30
Ryan: When it comes to marketing, do you lead with features, emotions, or benefits?
Knight: It depends. Features are important to our customers, but emotion plays a role in any buying journey. We focus on both, depending on the audience. Our ads emphasize that we are an all-in-one solution, highlighting both features and emotional benefits like support availability.
24:29
Ryan: How do you stimulate word of mouth?
Knight: We focus on providing exceptional service and support. We ask for feedback through surveys and NPS, acting on it promptly. Our customer success team is constantly reaching out and checking in, ensuring customers are happy and willing to promote us.
29:56
Ryan: How do you decide which events and media opportunities to participate in?
Knight: We look at ROI, focusing on awareness, credibility, and reaching the right audience. We ask for feedback from competitors and partners, ensuring our efforts align with our goals. We partner with associations like the Michigan Golf Course Association and participate in effective trade shows.
48:26
Ryan: Any final thoughts for our viewers?
Knight: Surround yourself with the right people. Focus on culture fit as much as experience. Hire people with the right mindset, attitude, and character. Hiring the right people will help you speed up and succeed.
50:04
Ryan: Thanks, Knight. It was a pleasure having you on the show. To everyone else, thank you for joining us! You can check out Club Caddie at www.clubcaddie.com.
