Tarnished by an image that’s become associated with the high-pressure techniques of a used-car sales-person or the indifference of a poorly trained ‘phone-blower’, selling is often considered to be nothing more than a stop-gap vocation for people who happen to be between ‘real’ jobs.
Like all growth industries, recreational and technical diving depends on sales. And whether or not we choose to think so, all of us are, in some way, involved in selling: We sell ourselves to our employers; we ‘sell’ our thoughts and ideas to those we seek to influence; we sell our products, goods and services to our customers, and we sell diving to the non-diving public. Without those sales, recreational diving would stagnate and wither.
While a majority of dive retailers and operators pay lip service to the need for a professional approach towards sales training, only a relatively small number bother to put into practice the proven techniques that will help boost bottom line profits. And of those that do, an even smaller number think to include their Instructional staff in the training programmes.
More often than not this is the fault of the Instructors themselves, many of whom regard themselves as ‘diving educators’ rather than sales people; a mind-set that’s tolerated by a handful of dive store owners and believed by even more. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Rightly or wrongly, Instructors and Divemasters are among the most influential figures in diving – particularly where new divers are concerned: Their knowledge and opinions are seldom questioned, their equipment choices seldom faulted – and often copied; and for many impressionable and less experienced divers they occasionally become role models. In many instances they also represent the public face of a dive operation. In brief, they are – or should be – front line sales people.
All too often, however, they regard the business of teaching diving as their sole function, physically cringing when it’s suggested that they also ‘sell’ equipment, merchandise, courses or other services that the dive store offers.
Many dive facilities accept this attitude, rationalising it by saying, “They’re very good Instructors.” They might be, but the fact is that if they’re not actively selling – or using – the product lines carried by that dive business, or promoting other courses and services, then they become an impediment to future business growth. (Imagine how successful a Ford car salesperson would be if they insisted on driving a Toyota.) Diving is no different.
Unless Instructional staff believe in the training programmes that they teach and the equipment that they use, then they will be unable to inspire trust in those who rely on their expertise.
A good Instructor should also be a good salesperson. Those dive facilities that appreciate this fact are the ones that will prosper. The time taken to educate and train Instructional staff in successful selling techniques and strategies is not wasted. It’s an investment in recreational diving’s future growth.
—ENDS–
Categories: General
NEKTONIX 