My latest ramblings.... Deep 6

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cerich

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Scuba Instructor
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Location
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I have always believed that there was a market for a transparent business that prized honesty and integrity over everything else. Over the years many MBA holders and suchlike have told me that the public isn't ready for that, admitting to errors will lose more customers than it gains and so on and so on.

What it all comes down to is not trusting the customer. If you believe that your customers are a bunch of uneducated, easily-misled sheep who will run hither and yon to any new shiny thing, then doing business like Chris is would be suicidal. Then you would HAVE to have 6 different models of everything to cater for the stupid whims, instead of building one good thing and trusting that people will buy it because it's good.

OR.....you can have faith in people, faith in yourself and put out the best thing you can. And tell people when it goes wrong. And trust that they will have your back. I believe that trust will be rewarded, and Chris is setting the bar for a whole new way of doing business in this screwed up industry.

Im really impressed so far, my big box of regs and fins will be arriving tomorrow morning and I cant wait.
 
Deep thoughts by Jack Handy :)

Yep, that was a refreshing read!
 
What it all comes down to is not trusting the customer. If you believe that your customers are a bunch of uneducated, easily-misled sheep who will run hither and yon to any new shiny thing, then doing business like Chris is would be suicidal. Then you would HAVE to have 6 different models of everything to cater for the stupid whims, instead of building one good thing and trusting that people will buy it because it's good.

OR.....you can have faith in people, faith in yourself and put out the best thing you can. And tell people when it goes wrong. And trust that they will have your back. I believe that trust will be rewarded, and Chris is setting the bar for a whole new way of doing business in this screwed up industry.
.

Shortly after I started working in the dive industry I worked at Divers Supply in Grand Cayman, equipment repair and sales of gear. The entire sales staff were dive instructors, and we generally thought that we knew best. this was back in the mid 90's when Cayman was less cruise ship and FAR more shall we say "exclusive".

The boss was also a dive instructor... then we got a new boss. He was a sales and retail professional with decades of experience and NOT even a diver. The general consensus was the world was falling.

I talked him into letting me certify him, during the course one day while riding the boat back in he asked me if I knew the biggest problem he saw on the sales floor. I threw out a few gripes and so forth..and then he told me what he saw as the problem, in particular for the less performing on the sales side.

"You guys are all instructors, you know the gear and you think you know what's best for the customer. In fact, you guys tend to think the customer is stupid. Because of that there isn't enough listening to the customer. This is the Cayman Islands, our customers are paying $400 a night to stay at a resort and another few hundred a day in food and drink. How do you think the majority of them got that money? It isn't being stupid. Most of our customers are very successful, educated professionals. You guys aren't. Your sales will increase when you understand that and treat them that way, as smart people, not stupid new divers."

I was the top sales guy before that, under him I stayed the top sales person and I also more than doubled my sales. It was commission as well. In truth, it made it so some of my fellow instructor co-workers hate my guts. The customers loved me however.

Maybe I learned a lesson somewhere in that.
 
As the student mentioned in the post, and fellow busy entrepreneur I have to say Chris, don't sweat it man!

For my part, I got to learn from you and Edd Sorrensen at the same time which is more experience in the realm of caving instruction than most people could dream of. Especially for cavern/intro.

Also I got a shiny pair of the new softer eddy fins in 2xl big boy size (which are awesome) so who am I to complain.

Honestly, and this is not lip service. I deeply respect your commitment to this industry and those who choose to participate in it. If there were more people with your level of passion in the industry we would all be better served.

Now real talk, can we pick the type of unexploded goat we receive? Dibs on fainting pigmy goat.

 
Any chance of another sale some time soon? Would love to order a set of sidemount regs but due to ****** Australian dollar and the shipping cost it's just a lot of money to spend on something I don't particularly need :p
 
Any chance of another sale some time soon? Would love to order a set of sidemount regs but due to ****** Australian dollar and the shipping cost it's just a lot of money to spend on something I don't particularly need :p
I'm keen as well, looking between these or the Apeks sidemount set, just need bar gauges! I'm sure in two years I can come drop in and do a service course.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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