I have no doubt about your business acumen and I understand what you are getting at.Because money doesn't grow on trees the last time I checked, unless you're dive instructor apparently!
All joking aside, we're all trying to make our greenbacks go farther, I'll continue to support an op who works with me on price and gives me a good value and a good class rather than the cheapest class around, but it's a two way street!
A discount doesn't necessarily mean lesser training. Take it this way, would you rather sell AOW for $350 and EANx for $100 or and AOW/EANx combo for $400? I'd be willing to bet that the costumer would probably end up spending the extra $50 with the op anyway. We both win me thinks! Wiz
What I do is the following: I sell AOW for 350 Euros. I sell EANx for 100 Euros without dives and EANx for 180 Euros with 2 dives included. Now when we do the dives we talk through the planning the procedure, depths, NDLs, gas management, what might have to be taken into consideration in an OOG situation where the buddy is on 21% O2, setting and using the computer adequately and so on.
If I had a student who wanted a "combo" (we are getting dangerously into fast food talk again, yuck) He/she would do the EANx and then his/her adventure dives on Nitrox. We would talk about gas management and PPO2 and so on probably for Deep and Multilevel. So far this has cost the student 450. Now why would I give a discount of 50 just because he/she is doing them together? It's the discount mentality that's destroying the profession and it's reputation.
Just to give you some whacky outside the box examples for other professions:
1. Lawyers: $50,000 for filing Chapter 11. 50% discount on your divorce if done simultaneously.
2. Dentists: $3,000 for an orthodoncy and cap. 50% discount on your cavities if done at the same time.
3. Skydiving Instructor: $2,000 to teach you how to freefall. 50% discount on the class where we show you how to pull, open the chute and steer back to the LZ and maybe get back alive. The class where we teach you to cutaway is extra!
Teaching is a profession that requires time. When you pay me to teach you, there should be no time constraints. I have to cope with the fact that some people will get it faster and others need longer. No sweat. Why save $50 on a $100 C-Card that allows you to use EANx up to 40% but not really understand the advantages, disadvantages and dangers of using it?
If you are working at an LDS by all means give customers discounts on equipment sales for large purchases. NEVER discount your time.
NB: This is just my own very personal opinion. Y'all can do with your time and money whatever you choose.