Rife putts along to its own game plan
The No. 1 putter on the Champions Tour has doubled its maket share with an unorthodox marketing plan.
 |
| Two Bar Hybrid Mallet, $199.80 |
(Fortune Small Business) -- The most popular putter at the Senior Open on July 31 will be Rife. Since FSB profiled Rife Putters ("Roll Player," March 2006), the Orlando company has moved from second place to become the No. 1 putter on the Champions Tour. It is relied upon by top players such as Fred Funk and Tom Kite, who in turn boost sales to weekend hackers.
More than a year ago Rife, which has never sponsored players, stopped paying industry-standard performance bonuses to pros scoring well with its clubs.
"We can't play that game well," says president Matt Molloy, 34. "We have to choose our own path and stick with it."
Rife focused on marketing, building stronger connections with retailers instead of relying on a late-night infomercial, which once drew 80% of sales. Now retail outlets such as Golfsmith and Golf Galaxy account for 60% of sales, up from 40% in 2006.
In the past year Rife has doubled its market share to 4.6%, putting it in fifth place, according to research firm Golf Datatech, and Rife projects $10 million in revenue for 2008, tripling the figure for 2005. 
-
Arson. Scrappers. Blackouts. It's part of business for the last tenant in Detroit's Packard Plant. More -
Inventing is the easy part. Marketing? Trickier. Experts tell how they'd advertise 5 hard-to-tout products. More -
Every restaurateur knows about Cursed Locations, the addresses where no venture survives. More -
Detroit's churches are plowing millions into redeveloping local housing and businesses. More -
Winepod attracted a wait list of eager buyers and millions from investors. Then came the recession. More
We've run a dinner theater for three decades. We've been operating at a loss for the last couple of years, and are unable to get a loan. We even closed for two months this summer to save money. We don't know what to do. More
Here are the 5 metro areas where the average American family can afford to purchase a median-priced home -- and the 5 where they can't. More
In March, CNNMoney profiled people making personal sacrifices to help others during the recession. Did their efforts pay off? CNNMoney checks in. More
An early peek at holiday ad circulars shows that post-Thanksgiving shoppers can score crazy deals -- like an LCD HDTV for half price, or a Nikon camera marked down 40%. More
More Small Business
