I gave input to your original topic, but you seem to have run out of steam. The video thing is a good idea, but you've mentioned it several times now. Keeping spare equipment around such as a mask isn't new or innovative and you've mentioned it a couple of times. Teaching someone to use a camera and hoping they buy one isn't new either. Like the rest of us, you don't seem to have any new input. I guess that would be a sign that this thread has pretty much run it's course...interesting thread though..
Make Good Money as a Scuba Instructor
- Thread starter captdave
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A little clarification before I go on. Jay was concerned that when we traveled for fun we threw out the buddy system. This is not true. The facts are that once you become a divermaster and instructor you are liable for everything. If you go diving with an advanced diver and you are a dive master or instructor and that diver gets hurt you will be sued. Thats just the way it is. Of course if someone was in need of our help we would help out and have done so but we still keep our little secret about our certification level. This is why all professional levels should have insurance. I know many dive masters who do not think this important. Well it is if you want to keep your house. We are all insured but a lawsuit is time consuming and a real pain in the butt so we avoid these as much as possible when diving for fun.
About your competition. An earlier post talked about how nice they get along with their competition and they all bid in the same scenario. Wow that is not a competitor but an associate. A competitor will steal your client list and screw up your database so you cant mail or call them. A competitor will steel all of your training aids and copy all of your training videos that you spent thousands of dollars acquiring. A competitor will spread lies and gossip about you and slander you to every diver they can. A competitor will steal your girl friend and sabotage your dive boat. A competitor will tell a scuba manufacturer that if they sell to your shop they will drop their line and effectively keep you from being able to handle a line of equipment you wanted to offer your students. Have you ever wondered why different shops sell different equipment? It is not a preference it is the way the Manufacturers divide up the territory and if your sales go down you can loose your equipment line to a competitor. One earlier post mentioned that he trained a lady who later stole his job. Wake up and smell the coffee about your competitor. Havent any of you doubters seen the godfather? This is WAR. You are in a very glamorous profession Most people have no idea how much work it really takes and will do anything to have your life style. They will try to steal your staff and ruin you so they can have what you have. I have had all of these things perpetrated on me. I just let karma takes its time and as always revenge is a dish best served up cold.
I am currently training two rather great gentlemen to assist me on my future seminars and adventures. These guys will be a real asset to our operation and I am looking forward to getting them trained the correct way.
In answer to those of you who think I disrespect my clients you couldnt be more wrong. I have found a niche in the market place. I train the dont wanders. I train those nerd types and tech heads that arent good-looking or physically endowed. They have less than perfect motor skills and have been rejected in a lot of areas of their lives. Have you noticed there is always one shop that has all of the beautiful people in town? Hell anybody can train a highly physical independent type personality. They mostly train them selves but it takes a real pro to take an average guy to top scuba diver. Ill even go one step further. My nerd type divers are a lot better divers after their training with me than those jock types. They can dive circles around them and I am proud to have been the one who brought them to that level of diving excellence. They all did it themselves. I just guided them. These guys are the smartest brains on the planet for Christ sake these are the guys who built the Internet and make software programs that I wonder how they ever thought of all those things. These are the engineers that can make things happen that really matter. Frankly I am in awe of these types and enjoy associating with them a whole lot more than the dead head jocks with quick and perfect motor skills.
For those of you who think I have nothing more to add this couldn't be the furthest from the truth. In my next post I will show you how to put on a 12-16 beginning diver open water course that produces highly skilled divers.
Should I continue?
As someone new to SCUBA and just joined Scubaboard, I read the whole thread with great interest and would like to comment on some isues:
Basically, Captain Daves aproach, from the positive side, boils down to:
1.- niche market to affluent customers
2.- Loyalty to dive shop through a commercial relationship
3.- Work on a continuos loyalty customer base to maintain and increase revenue stream
4.- Make it a lot of fun with a lot preparation, exotic locales, and present it as a bundled offer (all-encompassing)
5.- Be always prepared to avoid and rapidly resolve any little intereference on making it a lot of fun
(1) can be done. There are customers who do not care how much they pay, and also it has to do with the perception of the value of the offering, not the real value. However, there are very important hurdles to muster: it is difficult to attract them and direct mailings might not be the best way (response rates are very low), and it takes a lot of time to build the clientele.
(2) this is interesting, however, most people would want an unbiased opinion but a compromise might be arranged without ever putting anyone at risk nor selling low-qualilty gear.
(3) this is the big issue. this is customer service, this is relationship, this is upgrading and cross-selling, this takes a lot of effort, a lot of attention to details, and be able to take the plunge once in a while to keep a customer satisfied. Everyone in business knows this needs to be done, only very few do it right.
(4) cool, I see a lot of people wanting something like this, having slides, having videos, having a complete diving experience
(5) very important to keep everyone happy and not make fuss of little things that can go wrong, and turn it into positives.
I think these things that Captain Dave has raise are very interesting. Too bad that some other ideas do not seem to have too much business sense and raises some ethical questions. But then again, no business plan is perfect.
But the major hurdle was capt. dave's presentations skills. Capt. Dave wanted to sell his idea of making a good living out of this; but managed to put everyone in the defensive, did not present his ideas in an orderly fashion and basically lost his audience discussing petty details for the lack of an appropriate framework and delivery.
Just my 2 cents,
Guillermo
Basically, Captain Daves aproach, from the positive side, boils down to:
1.- niche market to affluent customers
2.- Loyalty to dive shop through a commercial relationship
3.- Work on a continuos loyalty customer base to maintain and increase revenue stream
4.- Make it a lot of fun with a lot preparation, exotic locales, and present it as a bundled offer (all-encompassing)
5.- Be always prepared to avoid and rapidly resolve any little intereference on making it a lot of fun
(1) can be done. There are customers who do not care how much they pay, and also it has to do with the perception of the value of the offering, not the real value. However, there are very important hurdles to muster: it is difficult to attract them and direct mailings might not be the best way (response rates are very low), and it takes a lot of time to build the clientele.
(2) this is interesting, however, most people would want an unbiased opinion but a compromise might be arranged without ever putting anyone at risk nor selling low-qualilty gear.
(3) this is the big issue. this is customer service, this is relationship, this is upgrading and cross-selling, this takes a lot of effort, a lot of attention to details, and be able to take the plunge once in a while to keep a customer satisfied. Everyone in business knows this needs to be done, only very few do it right.
(4) cool, I see a lot of people wanting something like this, having slides, having videos, having a complete diving experience
(5) very important to keep everyone happy and not make fuss of little things that can go wrong, and turn it into positives.
I think these things that Captain Dave has raise are very interesting. Too bad that some other ideas do not seem to have too much business sense and raises some ethical questions. But then again, no business plan is perfect.
But the major hurdle was capt. dave's presentations skills. Capt. Dave wanted to sell his idea of making a good living out of this; but managed to put everyone in the defensive, did not present his ideas in an orderly fashion and basically lost his audience discussing petty details for the lack of an appropriate framework and delivery.
Just my 2 cents,
Guillermo
Manogr
Guest
I read the whole thread and keep the best ideas from everybody.
I am a person that tries to get the best of everyone and I believe that every view can be rewarding for an individual...
:bolt: Since Captain Dave started this thread and is the main person of discussion here I think that he should prove his legitimacy !! He should prove that he is doing all that he describes and answer some questions raised before !
CaptainDave.....Do that now and give us photographs from your organized adventures, seminars etc etc That way you can prove that you practicing what are you talking about.
Moreover you should answer the question of WHY are you sharing those "secrets" with us ? You will ask for money later to reveal more or you just want to create a name in the boards ?
Do that now, prove to us that you are really doing all those and keep up the thread...it is interesting...
Manogr from :sunny: Greece
I am a person that tries to get the best of everyone and I believe that every view can be rewarding for an individual...
:bolt: Since Captain Dave started this thread and is the main person of discussion here I think that he should prove his legitimacy !! He should prove that he is doing all that he describes and answer some questions raised before !
CaptainDave.....Do that now and give us photographs from your organized adventures, seminars etc etc That way you can prove that you practicing what are you talking about.
Moreover you should answer the question of WHY are you sharing those "secrets" with us ? You will ask for money later to reveal more or you just want to create a name in the boards ?
Do that now, prove to us that you are really doing all those and keep up the thread...it is interesting...
Manogr from :sunny: Greece
Natasha
Contributor
I also have been following this thread. I have to say I haven't learned one thing. Nope not one.
I guess if I had to say I got anything at all out of this, it is that people write they way they talk in real life. I bet you must put people down in real life also. You seem to talk down to everyone, and are fast to criticize. I don't know how you can be successful with this way of working.
I make money selling scuba trips. I have been in business for 9 years. I was just wondering if you're a member of Dema, Clia, Icta, or Iatan? I am a member of all of them. Do you carry a million dollar insurance policy, like I do to sell travel? Oh I'm sure you carry it to certify divers, but do you have it to sell travel? If not, you will be sorry one day. The waivers you have people sign are very hard to hold up in court. Several things need to be done, such as have a witness sign them and date them. And if there is any stress when the diver signing them does, the judge will throw them out. You better have insurance to back yourself up, or the 100,000 a year you are making will be gone fast.
Also I was wondering.. how can you be on line and post so much, over a post a day, according to your stats, and still make so much money? I post a post a day also, but I personally don't make 100,000 a year.
Oh don't mind me, I'm just a travel agent. And on page 6 I think it was, you put down travel agents and said we are "Notoriously terrible".
:sunny:
I guess if I had to say I got anything at all out of this, it is that people write they way they talk in real life. I bet you must put people down in real life also. You seem to talk down to everyone, and are fast to criticize. I don't know how you can be successful with this way of working.
I make money selling scuba trips. I have been in business for 9 years. I was just wondering if you're a member of Dema, Clia, Icta, or Iatan? I am a member of all of them. Do you carry a million dollar insurance policy, like I do to sell travel? Oh I'm sure you carry it to certify divers, but do you have it to sell travel? If not, you will be sorry one day. The waivers you have people sign are very hard to hold up in court. Several things need to be done, such as have a witness sign them and date them. And if there is any stress when the diver signing them does, the judge will throw them out. You better have insurance to back yourself up, or the 100,000 a year you are making will be gone fast.
Also I was wondering.. how can you be on line and post so much, over a post a day, according to your stats, and still make so much money? I post a post a day also, but I personally don't make 100,000 a year.
Oh don't mind me, I'm just a travel agent. And on page 6 I think it was, you put down travel agents and said we are "Notoriously terrible".
:sunny:
Come on Natasha, this could be his slow year. Maybe he has spent more time on delusions of grandeur than actually performing.
I think he has avoided answering many questions because he doesn't have the answers. I think he is getting this info from somewhere else and is spewing it as his own.
I could be wrong, but it seems to me he gets a might tad upset when anyone questions his motive or for details.
Which is why I suspect what I say above.
And I reiterate that there are several good ideas woven into his posts between idiots, morons and communists that I would certainly think could be beneficial if I was to take the route that lead me to be an Instructor.
So I anxiously await the next verbal thrashing or subtle hints to our collective ineptitude.
I think he has avoided answering many questions because he doesn't have the answers. I think he is getting this info from somewhere else and is spewing it as his own.
I could be wrong, but it seems to me he gets a might tad upset when anyone questions his motive or for details.
Which is why I suspect what I say above.
And I reiterate that there are several good ideas woven into his posts between idiots, morons and communists that I would certainly think could be beneficial if I was to take the route that lead me to be an Instructor.
So I anxiously await the next verbal thrashing or subtle hints to our collective ineptitude.
NJDiver_34
Guest
Personally I think Captdave should continue!! If for nothing else I think this thread has provided some interesting thoughts on the dive industry. Sometimes you have to spit out the bones when your eating fish!!
NJDiver_34
NJDiver_34
Natasha,
The actual quote was "notoriously tearable", i.e., they can be torn easily. So, we might say for, e.g., "I easily tore my travel agent," or, using the p.p., " I have easily torn my travel agent."
Joewr...wondering, "What the h_ll am I doing here?
The actual quote was "notoriously tearable", i.e., they can be torn easily. So, we might say for, e.g., "I easily tore my travel agent," or, using the p.p., " I have easily torn my travel agent."
Joewr...wondering, "What the h_ll am I doing here?
Syruss,
What do you think happens when you dive this thread? You just have to get out before it gets you...hence, you sometimes miss the stop...........
Joewr...who thought "deco" meant decolatage and brought some paste, magazines.on a dive...and used his dive knife to decorate a tank during a recent deco stop.
What do you think happens when you dive this thread? You just have to get out before it gets you...hence, you sometimes miss the stop...........
Joewr...who thought "deco" meant decolatage and brought some paste, magazines.on a dive...and used his dive knife to decorate a tank during a recent deco stop.
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