What can or does your LDS need to do to EARN your business?

[Jorgy]

Track online pricing and adjust your store prices accordingly......

An LDS does offer more than an online dealer so you can command a premium but not 2X.........

I mix my buying deals online when I find them and stuff from my LDS when I feel like I am treated fairly......

To the credit of my LDS I get great treatment and warm welcome every time I walk in.......

Whenever I can I recommend my LDS to my co-workers and friends..........

M

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Don't tell me that I don't need this or that. My first LDS that I was DM'ing for lost my business to Leisure Pro, Tech Diving ltd, Dive Right In Scuba, Dive Sports, and Scubatoys because he pissed around when I wanted a 7 ft hose for my primary, tried to talk me into waiting for a line of gear that wasn't even out yet when I went BPW, and did not want me talking about tech diving or tech configurations. Screw that! It;s still diving. And what I dive is my business when it comes to gear. Don;t try to talk me into a bc that has pockets designed for a contortionist, no or way too many poorly placed drings, and is overpriced. Maybe I want to at least see the $250 bc before even thinking about the $600 one with the AIR 2. That as a new diver by the way I have never trained with. If you sell me one are you going to give me a free pool session or two and maybe an OW dive to make sure I even like the thing? And will you show me other lines and give me honest reviews and try to sell to me based on my needs, wants, interest, and means to pay for it before thinking about the profit margin or the manufacturers quota? Better or you can be sure once I find out what else was out there and if I even think I got hosed you'll never see me again.

As for service are the techs taking the regs that they just serviced for me and diving them to be sure everything is good? Even if it's just in the pool. And let me be there when they do. Will they let me watch them service my reg? If not why. It;s not like it's going on a lift that I could get crushed under. It;s why I do my own. I know what was done, what parts got replaced, and what the numbers are.

 

[NC Wreck Diver]

i ask this as a lds. With so many people shoping at the on-line stores, how can one compete. We are an aqualung dealer as well as many other brands and we stock all of the new and current product offering. Having a well stocked and fairly price innventory doesn't appear to matter to the buying public. Having master techs on staff to service your regualtors doesn't matter.

What matters i ask? How can we earn your business?

I do appreciate all answers and a constructive discussion.

Thanks

service

 

[Zen1300]

Establish a relationship. Treat me like I will never walk in your shop again will ensure that I won't.

Show me that I matter. I do t want to be treated as a king and catered to, but I don't want to be treated as that odd uncle you don't want at the BBQ either.

Don't fluff the sales pitch with crap. Ask me what I'm looking for, the type of dives and give me the options. If your opinions always point to higher priced items I will become wary.

Communication is important. From the moment I walk through the door to weeks after my first purchase. The LDS I took my OW with is terrible at communicating. They asked me to email dates I'm available for training and never respond. At this point consider it business lost.

Prices matter, but so does the relationship. If you can't price match, offer something to offset that doesn't hurt your bottom line - free tank fills, etc.


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[Nitrodiverrr]

Being an aqualung dealer is going to make it difficult to compete price wise with other brands and also with online sales from "unautorized dealers". I would also carry another brand that doesn't have the same anticompetitive pricing policies(if aqualung allows it). It would be to your advantage to pick up some sales that might have lower margins rather than having your customer buying on line.

Have a good training staff that can teach whatever your customers desire. You need a service tech that can provide quick turnaround times. Customers often wait till the last minute to have svc done to maintain warranties or wait untill they are going on a trip. If your customer can get a one week turnaround time via the mail why would they put up with your svc. tech taking a month ?

Teach and sell nitrox. This provides additional revenue on the training side and nitrox is probably more profitable than selling air fills.

Carry equipment that has a range of price/quality from entry level to Highly rated/ boutique. I was told by a shop owner that he only stocks midpriced regs., because that is all his customers want to buy. I am of the opinion that some people want to have the best rated equipment either for peace of mind, as a status symbol, or due to a physical need. Don't leave on display merchandise that is old dead stock that hasn't sold since being put on display many years prior. Liquidate dead stock via ebay which is outside your normal customer base. Don't tie up much if any of your inventory investment in colors that will only sell to one gender. Anybody might buy a yellow, black, green, or blue snorkel. But, What percentage of your customers will buy a pink one even if it is the only color that you have left in stock ?

Set hours that allow people to stop in after work and on weekends. Even if you have reduced winter hours try to be open when customers can come into your shop. HAVE YOUR SHOP STAFFED DURING YOUR POSTED HOURS OF OPERATION. I stoped in to a lds last week that is only open 4 days per week, on a day that according to their web site and window sign was at a time that they were suppose to be open and they were not. The week before I stoped by a diffrent lds on a Friday afternoon when they were suppose to be open, a sign on the door said "closed till Monday due to training dives at Dutch Springs".

If there is a local dive club help support it and promote it. Try not to get to directly involved in it due to the time that it would take from your other shop duties. If there isn't a local club, try to get some of your customers to form one. The clubs keep people diving even if the shop isn't making a profit from their activities. The larger the diver base in your area the better your shop will profit. As you are aware, there is high attrition rate of divers who complete OW training.

Charge a fitting fee to your customers who want to try on wetsuits or drysuits. Give the customer a 150% refund of the fee when they buy a suit off the rack or thru your shop via special order. If the customer does the fitting at your shop and buys on line at least you are collecting a fee for having to carry the cost of suit inventory.

END OF RANT

 

[ianr33]

Remember my name if I have been in the shop every weekend for the last 10 weeks.

If you sell me a fill card try and actually turn the compressor on once in a while.

Dont get snotty about viz stickers from another shop.

I really don't ask for much. Obviously too much though for "Austins premier Dive Shop"

 

[ptyx]

+1 to attitude, friendliness, respect, service, etc...

Also:

Accept that your customers will get their gear from a number of dealers - online, competing shops, ebay... Loosing a single deal to the competition isn't a good reason to chase the customer away.

 

[Shinsen]

I was driving home from Dallas when I saw a diver down flag flying over a building in Temple,TX right on the frontage road. I stopped in to take a quick look. Didn't really need anything. When I entered, the owner(?) was helping someone but he said he'd be with me soon. I told him I was from out of town and just looking around so take your time. When he finished with his customer, he came out on to the sales floor to meet me. Again, I told him I was from S.A. and basically just killing some time. He gave me space to do so. When I saw something that sparked a question (a retractor) he was right there to help me. I told him I recently bought a used Cobra2 and wasn't sure how to best attach it to my BC. He opened up the package and demonstrated some options with a BC and a Cobra. We talked about his training classes and methodology. Asked where I had been diving. Gave some ideas of where to go next. Seemed like a great guy. I thinked him for his time and as he was putting the items back, I noticed the Cobra he was using had a rubber plug where the QD hose attaches. I asked if it was important since my used one didn't come with it. He said "wait here", went in the back and returned with a couple plugs and said "here ya go". It's a shame I live 3 hours away or I would absolutely take a class or two from him
and give them first shot at any future equipment needs.

 

[EODiver]

I want to be treated like my time is as valuable to you as it is to me. Don't look at me as dollar signs. I have no problem with someone making a profit, but you don't have to your entire months profit on me.

I also hate being lied to, and if I find that you lied to me, I will never be back again. I don't appreciate when a service like maintenance is scheduled to be done on a date and I show up to pick up my article and get told its not going to be ready for another week, month, or when(ever) we get parts in. Tell me in advance that you have to order parts first, or that you are doing all of your rental regs before a class starts, I will understand.

Another thing that will drive me away is to talk down to me when I ask questions that may seem silly or unusual. I probably have a reason for the question. Don't take shots at people, LDS's, internet vendors or competitive operations, just because they do differently or have a different business model. They may be a friend or someone that I also do business with because of product lines or services.

I know that this sounds like a tirade, but I don't mean it that way. It seems that you are really interested in improving your business, and I wish you all the best in that endevour.

 

[jagfish]

...some great input here...I've enjoyed reading...

One point I have not seen emphasized a lot is to put the "L" in LDS. Being a local expert on diving has to count for something. Run trips, host social gatherings at the shop, or nearby, or beach BBQs.

It's amazing how popular our dive outings became when we started having a BBQ at every one. I bought a portable Weber grill and bring it to all outings, with a cooler of burgers, dogs, steaks, seafood, etc.

Education. Annually, we provide some free, or near-free educational seminars, often coupled with dive events; air management, equipment maintenance, photo stuff, drysuit maintenance/repair, DIR, etc.

Specialty courses. We try to annually offer courses that might not be possible through other shops. I now the states is tight with liability, but a regulator service course is a nice offer. Hosting this kind of thing would be valuable for some of your divers, but might cut into your business if you host reg or tank inspection courses. You''d have to look at that balance.

Bring in guest instructors for DAN courses, PSI, tech, photography, etc.

Our population is really transient (expat) so in that case, we need to always be attracting or creating new divers. For this reason, in our context, I see OW as a vital course. It keeps the life blood of new divers coming into our group, and hopefully they'd been trained right and are oriented to some of the equipment/procedures we favor. I pay special attention to OW students and look at them as our future core.

Dive travel. I've taken a break from this for the last year, but annual trips to tropical locations can be a good draw and contributes to the cohesion of your core group. If you are too busy, you can send a DM on a free trip if you have enough folks. I'm sure you've cultivated contacts with dive ops in resort regions...