Previous Case Study Next Case Study

50% Cost-Savings via Retainer

www.appfolio.com

Founded: 2006

Partners Since: 2018

Locations: Santa Barbara (HQ), Dallas, TX

California-based SaaS company AppFolio (NASDAQ: APPF) provides cloud-based end-to-end business management software utilized mainly by Property Management companies. AppFolio’s platform is easy to use with holistic management capabilities that enable customers to scale and save money by switching from multiple vendors to a single solution.

The Need

AppFolio’s 30% YoY profitability via new market entry and strategic acquisitions meant they were headed for massive growth. As a company that typically promotes from within, AppFolio needed sales and marketing pros with expertise in new markets, next-gen tactics and fresh perspectives that could diversify these core teams. The talent had to relocate to the niche tech pockets of Santa Barbara and Dallas. AppFolio needed a strategic recruiting partner with a knack for breaking into national markets heavily dominated by tech giants. Enter: Digital Knack.

The Knack

Digital Knack (DK) built a new talent framework for AppFolio’s recruitment efforts. One that tapped into national tech hubs, established immediate and evergreen talent streams, and increased the interview to hire conversions for Sales, Customer Management and Marketing divisions.

Within 15 months, DK placed 20 new AppFolians across Sales, Product Marketing, Digital Marketing and Event Marketing (Entry to Director level). DK created candidate personas, assessed talent gaps and identified core culture criteria (what makes people stick) early on - thereby, providing the groundwork to build teams that thrive cross-functionally while bringing unique expertise and value-add to the organization. Via a Retained Partnership, DK stayed in cadence with AppFolio and navigated new talent needs hand in hand.

DK and AppFolio co-developed interview challenges and experiences, enhancing AppFolio’s candidate assessment toolkit and enabling decision-makers to discover expertise otherwise uncovered in verbal conversations.

The Impact

Savings

Decreased cost per hire by 50% via Retained Search vs. Contingency Search
Scaled

Scaled revenue driving teams and culture. 100% retention with positive performance & peer ratings for every hire.
Relocated

Successful relo from top tech hubs for: Dallas, TX & Santa Barbara, CA
Co-created a process

Adapted our interview tactics to bolster in-house approach.

Straight from the Source

As a hiring manager looking to quickly grow my organization with a number of specialized roles, Digital Knack has been integral in partnering to find the best talent. They listen to our needs and understand our business objectives which result in greater efficiency throughout the entire hiring process. I often hear from candidates and new hires how much they truly appreciated the experience DK provided them through their responsiveness, clear communication, and personalized approach.

-Alexis Hammond, Director, Marketing Strategy & Programs,

In 15+ years as a hiring manager, I have not had a recruiting partner more aligned with my goals and approach than Digital Knack. Their discovery process allowed us to quickly narrow and refine the focus to the most critical hiring criteria. Once the search was underway, DK worked with me to clarify some of the more subjective qualifications and in some cases to pivot in order to achieve better results. Their unique and innovative search techniques uncovered candidates we would never have found, including our eventual hire, who wasn’t currently in the market for a new position. DK's deep research and preparation saved me many hours of my time and made for extremely productive interviews. They were determined to find someone who could not only excel in the role but also fit well within our team. The ultimate result was that we hired a rockstar employee months sooner than expected who has had a major impact on our team and is a stellar cultural fit.

-Matt Earls, Director, Online Marketing

Looking To Grow
Your Team?

We build teams by aligning our talent expertise with
client business objectives.

Let's Talk

50% Cost-Savings via Retainer

The Need

The Knack

The Impact

Savings

Scaled

Relocated

Co-created a process

Straight from the Source

Looking To Grow Your Team?

Looking To Grow
Your Team?