Need tips on how to be a perfect "hostess"

Hi to all

I'm going to work this summer again in a dive center, but this time I'll get paid (the other times, I just got to do one dive per day)...

PLUS...

1 euro per dive I sell...

I know I'm good at giving people good info, make kids and elderly confidents, make the parents laugh etc etc...

But what, in your opinion, is the most important when you ask for info to that girl in the shop...

Smile ? Technical info ? Do you like her to tell you EVERYTHING you'll get to see on the dive ? Do you prefer that she just gives the minimum info and let you discover ?

Any comments will be greatly appreciated. My personal trick, was, so far, to make them laugh... It worked quite well... But is it anough ?

Amanda once bubbled...
Hi to all

I'm going to work this summer again in a dive center, but this time I'll get paid (the other times, I just got to do one dive per day)...

PLUS...

1 euro per dive I sell...

I know I'm good at giving people good info, make kids and elderly confidents, make the parents laugh etc etc...

But what, in your opinion, is the most important when you ask for info to that girl in the shop...

Smile ? Technical info ? Do you like her to tell you EVERYTHING you'll get to see on the dive ? Do you prefer that she just gives the minimum info and let you discover ?

Any comments will be greatly appreciated. My personal trick, was, so far, to make them laugh... It worked quite well... But is it anough ?

Click to expand...

Flirt with them.....it works every time.

Chad

You don't want to be looked down on because your appealing to certain mindset. Be yourself, smile and joke when appropriate and give good information and help when the time is right.

I think with any job a sense of humor is VERY important and can make the day and situation much better. But sometimes it can be carried to far and may hinder your goals.

Overall, it seems your instincts are good and you would make any shop a valued asset. (just a perception)

Come on, I already have 3 men and 4 women tied to my toes everywhere I go...



*edit = yep, I already have good reputation in Corsica... I was really a mascotte... But now I want to SELL !! LOL *

If the seas are snotty that day, tell them so. Don't let them find 8 foot seas when you said it was a beautiful day.

WW

hi !

i do DM work in summer, i do it for fun, no €uros..!
when i`m in the shop i don`t worry about hard-selling anything...
i just do what i love most...talk about diving!
i mean, thats what i love most when I´m NOT diving!

tell your customers about the dive sites in the area, capture the beauty of each and every dive and share it with your customers in a passionate but honest way...
make them feel like that just have to do that dive!
but be honest, tell the people what you feel when you do those dives, what you have seen (or not...), what they can find in a certain dive, give details, tell them about the beauty of it with the same smile on your face as if you were coming to surface at the end of the dive...

don`t give them false expectations, just the plain truth, passionate but just the truth!

try to find what the customer want and lead them to the dive sites that you know will deliever their expectation...
if you know that what they want they will no get, tell them that and present the benefits of a dive that maybe they could b intersted about...maybe they will give it a try, at least they have an option and its up to them to decide...

be cool, be patient, talk the talk and be what you would like to find in a dive shop...

be aware of "really hot shot experienced divers" sometimes the "i know it all" atitude is a killer for your nerves...

make sure that people perceive you as an expert in the area (a lot of "homework" here for you, know the dives as you know your house...), make people feel good in the shop and that means entertain them, talk about diving, ask where have they been diving lately, share your own stories, etc...
most customers see in the DM someone with a life style they would like to have but they can only dream about, let them taste a bit of that dream!

if you also guide dives, make sure that people respect you in land or they may not feel good going in to the water with the shop "entertainer"...when it comes to the real thing people get serious and they think safe not entertainment...
many divers told me about how my face changes in the water when i`m leadind a dive, i switch to serious-mode, what ever joke-face i have in the shop stays in the shop...

take a good look at them whilst diving, if theres room for improvement tell them that nicely in a post-dive briefing, maybe some opportunity shows up for the shop to sell them further training...(just don`t push it, only if they need it...)...

be yourself and share your passion with everyone around the shop...i ended up seling an OWD course to the owner of a bar next door...too much time spent there at the end of the day

have fun, thats importante too!

bye! rusky

ASK what they want to do...
ASK what their level of certification is...
ASK what experience they have...
ASK if all this applies to their dive buddies as well...

SUGGEST the closest dive to what these indicators are...
SUGGEST the need (if needed) for any additional certifications...

ALWAYS be honest and forthright (see WW's comment)...
ALWAYS be enthusiastic about the dives...
ALWAYS be positive about your personell...

BE YOUR SHOP'S BIGGEST CRITIC... BUT NEVER IN FRONT OF CLIENTS!!!
Tell them what is working
Tell them what is NOT working
Report to your boss any complaints IMMEDIATELY (if not sooner) and what you did to accommodate the customer. S/he should always follow up on these. You should have the power to deal with unhappy customers.

Sales always involves determining the customer's need, meeting that need and then following through with it all.

Something that's often overlooked is that much of the diving industry is really a hospitality service. Like a Hotel, or ski resort, or restaraunt.

Doesn't really matter what you're specifically "selling", the big thing is to try to anticipate the needs of the customer.

You're going to have some real S*&theads. They won't be nice, they'll be hard ot deal with, and no matter what you do, you won't de able to please them. Just don't forget that as long as you do everything you can to try to make it a good experience for them, soem people just can't be pleased.

Remember after the midpoint of the season when you're getting tired, and it's become a "job", that the guests (and that's the way you ALWAYS need to think of them) are excited, and are going to have high expectations of what they're going to get. The hardest thing in any resort or hospitality setting ii to keep that mindset so that the guest always feels "special".

Just remember that you are really a "Guest Service Representative" all the time when you're in front of the "guests"

I used to work in the Ski industry, in hotel & restaurant management. Keeping people "fresh" is a chore.

Just stay focused on the "guest service", and the rest will work out.

Oh, and it's always OK to say "I don't know, but I'll find out". Stay honest, and don't try to overdo things.

Good Luck.

Don't tell US tourists how much you hate them.

Bonjour Amanda (yes, I can speak French as fluently as English, remember, I live in a francophone area),

I tried to determine whether you're French or just living in France, couldn't come up with a convincing answer

Whatever, you should know French divers are a very special bunch of people, easily complaining and difficult about what they want, diving is no exception and I suppose that although Corsica attracts many other Europeans and possibly some non-Europeans as well, the majority must be from the Hexagone.

All the advice above seems very sound, I would also add a couple of dive-sites maps in order for them to have an idea of what they will be seeing.

If you need any extra advice, I would go and have a look at the French board http://www.leplongeur.com, not as active as here, but they do have interesting things from time to time.