I think I'll quote Net Doc on my website.
Not a prob!
Scuba instruction has been a loss leader for a lot of shops for a long time and it's my opinion that this has hurt the entire industry. The internet eviscerated the gear sales cash cow that a lot of these shops relied upon to make ends meet. Now, they have to rethink how to survive and prosper with lower mark-ups and fewer sales or go under. Some see Groupon as a way of creating much needed traffic and hopefully some cash flow. In reality, they often get quite busy for a short time, but it's an empty busy with very little cash flow to make up for the extra work. It's frustrating to work longer and harder only to come up with far less cash than you needed to make it work. That frustration is bound to slip out from time to time and could very well become endemic to the shop. That's really bad when it starts to chase off your current customer base.
Every shop that I have personally known to try Groupon has been disappointed with the results. The average Groupon buyer resists add-on sales with a vengeance which is what most shops are counting on to make it work. Read
ghazifarooq's post and you'll see the quintessential attitude of the average Groupon buyer. No, there's nothing wrong or insidious with that attitude, but it's not a shop's target market. In fact, it's the very attitude that most shops need and want to avoid. Scuba is not a poor man's sport. It takes a commitment of time, money and energy to make it work and have fun with it. Marketing Scuba on price alone is a fool's errand and that's what Groupon is all about. I would suggest that there are far more effective and lucrative ways to get butts in your door if you'll only start thinking outside of the box. Here's a few ideas just off the top of my head:
- Market to the youth! Sponsor a BSA Venture Crew through your shop. You'll gain instant penetration into the local high schools and access the moms and dads through their kids.
- Start getting social with your media! There are a lot of shops misusing ScubaBoard and Facebook. Get some training on how to cash in without looking like this guy => Increase your Twitter followers by eleventy-billion in seconds
- Market to/through popular local radio stations. Sponsor/train a local DJ or even TV celebrity.
There are a ton of fun ways to increase traffic to your store that do not require you to give it all away at the same time. Fun is our best marketing tool. If you're only selling Scuba and not selling the fun of Scuba then your results will be weak. It's all about features and benefits. If you don't understand the difference go to the most successful shop (not scuba) in your area and ask them to explain how they market themselves. Scuba is a feature, while fun is the benefit. Until you can fully understand and embrace that concept, you just won't be able to market Scuba effectively.
For those considering how to dive, the converse is true. Go with the shop that's selling you on the fun of Scuba. If the main selling point is low cost, you are not going to have nearly the fun you should have. Be real. You're investing a lot in terms of time, effort and money already and for what? To have the maximum amount of fun possible. Go with the shop centered on having fun and you'll get more than your money's worth. Yes, expect to pay more and possibly significantly more because they won't cut corners to make it cheap, but be prepared to have your socks knocked off with the fun that is Scuba.