How Low Can You Go?

[RJP]

How many students do you suppose they'll need to sign up before they can afford to go out of business?

 

[TSandM]

Underwater Sports routinely has a $99 special for an OW class. Of course, it doesn't include materials or the PIC, and then there are bunch of other charges that end up with the class costing just about as much as anybody else charges. But they get the students signed up because people can't resist what they see as a screaming deal. I always tell people to make sure they are comparing apples to apples, but few make the effort.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

They'll do it with a TV or new fridge though. Go figure.

 

[Hawkwood]

Underwater Sports routinely has a $99 special for an OW class. Of course, it doesn't include materials or the PIC, and then there are bunch of other charges that end up with the class costing just about as much as anybody else charges. But they get the students signed up because people can't resist what they see as a screaming deal. I always tell people to make sure they are comparing apples to apples, but few make the effort.

"Tuition" was my clue that the $129 was likely just the "class", i.e., face time with the Instructor, nothing else included.

 

[SeaCobra]

What does the $129 include? They can do a lot of these if they also sell some nice gear, charge a pool fee, gear fee, open water fee, instructor fee, etc.....

 

[clint@uniquescuba.com]

I've done $99 tuition before and it worked for those promotions. The entire class was not $99 though.

 

[scubastevecolorado]

There's a lot we don't know from the OP - they could be using it as a loss leader to sell boats or hooking with the low initial price and then up-selling later (as previously noted). The larger question IMO is how, as an industry and individual operators/owners, do we minimize or eliminate selling on price in the first place. Diving is a really cool sport with a significant equipment investment that is often marketed with low cost instead of value and customer service based promotions. It's not really a mystery that so many people know how to make a million dollars with SCUBA... start with two million.

 

[Octopusprime]

I just got back from Chicago's Our World Underwater and have to say this is a great topic after it. I sat through multiple Dive Pro Business workshops and meet some great people but all of them stressed pricing.

There were 2 speakers that stood out to me Dave Ochs an independent with NAUI and Annie Crawley with Dive Into Your Imagination. Both have been hugely successful have found a nitch and done it well. Dave charges almost $2k per diver for OW and Annie teaches 8-16 year olds OW in Dry suits focusing on diving as a family sport.

They both mentioned in their presentations price and if your running to the bottom on price and making $50 per head on OW after expenses that is not a profession. OW should not be any less than $500-600.

---------- Post added March 2nd, 2015 at 08:45 PM ----------

ScubaSteve... It starts with Valuing your time. Too many instructors see instructing as a away to go diving more and are willing to do it if they cover gas and lunch.

You have to ask yourself ig you are going to spend 16+ hours of pool classroom and 16+ hours in open water what are you worth? 32 Hr at $8 per hour is $256. So at Minimum wage the instructor after costs should have a profit of $300 then add materials, pool time, entry, travel costs, food etc. There is no way a OW should be less than $500.

There will always be some one willing to do it for less. but we need to stand up and say for $50 I'd rather just go diving.

Then Every Dive pro needs to take classes or read about sales. selling is not order taking it is a process of showing value and overcoming objections.