What can or does your LDS need to do to EARN your business?

[Kingpatzer]

Oh do you have CHAIRS in your dive shop. I stop by to get 6 fills and end up walking around for 30 minutes while the fills get done. Now it's great that they can usually fill tanks when I come in, but maybe a place to sit would be nice.

Take it further --- do you have beverages? clean, accessible toilets? reading materials? Do customers have a "space" in your shop to hang out, be they waiting on something or just stopping in to talk diving with fellow divers? Don't model it after the used car shop's waiting area, model it after the local small cafe. It doesn't have to be a big space. It has to be comfortable and inviting.

 

[vondo]

Another small but stupid thing: my favorite shop always has classic rock playing. My least favorite is like a library. The music makes it a much more informal, fun, and pleasant atmosphere. There is a reason all major retailers have music playing at all times.

Ah, and the shop I was in yesterday had hard rock playing so loud that I had to step outside into the traffic noise to make a phone call. There is a happy medium, but I'd suggest loud hard rock is not it.

 

[vondo]

Here's one I haven't seen mentioned in the first 40 posts. Answer your e-mail. If you have an e-mail address, you have to answer it promptly (a day or two). This goes for any business.

Example: I was looking for a dive operator in the Red Sea. I surfed around, collected about 15 e-mail addresses and wrote a nice long e-mail with several questions about how they conducted dives, etc. I got 4 responses. 11 businesses never had a shot at me simply because they didn't take 5 minutes to answer an e-mail. Had the same experience with a dive shop/charter operator in the Midwest.

If you tell someone you will call them back, do it.

Edit: Guess I needed to read a few more posts.

 

[Rhone Man]

My LDS is great; I could list all the reasons individually, but I suspect that the main one is: I really like the people there, and that makes it a pleasurable experience to interact with them. People always prefer to deal with people they consider friends.

 

[Rhone Man]

Here's one I haven't seen mentioned in the first 40 posts. Answer your e-mail. If you have an e-mail address, you have to answer it promptly (a day or two). This goes for any business.

Reminds me of when I had a business trip to Cyprus. I sent e-mails to 6 operators. I ended up diving with the only one who responded. They were great, and I would dive with them again if I ever go back.

 

[colo_diver]

Thanks to all for your input and please keep it coming. Let me attempt to recap the last few hours of my morning as I have been reading all of this and open the shop.

1st- GREET YOU when you walk into the shop (be friendly of course)
2nd- know my product and ask you questions about what type of diving you want or plan on doing
3rd- treat you with respect and offer golden customer service
4th- an online store (been working on that)
5th- used/consignment- we used to have consignment and I got to say not one of you would have wanted 25 year old gear, but we do offer trade in and we do offer that after service for sale.
6th- local diving and local knowledge
7th- something different in your classes
8th -FOLLOW UP and DO WHAT WE PROMISE

My wife and I have had this shop for almost 2 years now and we thank all of you for your support and answers. I feel we are on the right track and we will continue to try and stay on that track. Last month we hosted the rep from Sea Life and Sea and Sea to bring their new cameras and let our divers play with them in the pool. On Labor Day at our local dive where we had 14 people I had my slingshot fins and the X23 from TUSA for anyone to dive with. This winter I am thinking about a basic regualtor seminar. Where our master service tech would be in the shop all day to teak your regulators or to walk through the inter workings of one.

What other things would you like to see or what would get you to come back to the shop?

 

[colo_diver]

we play island music but in the back ground

 

[colo_diver]

My first post in this thread was as a diver. Now from the perspective of the independent instructor. The shop I work with - not for - has 6 instructors from 3 diffewrent agencies. We all bring in students that the shop otherwise may have never seen. My class runs 6-8 weeks. That is 6-8 times that we come down to use the pool that the owner - who is not an instructor - has an opportunity to sell gear. In exchange we get keyman deals, real discounts on our own gear, and free air. The quarry I bring my students to for checkouts has a shop onsite and does not charge me for air. If I were to move to Colorado where my nephew lives would you allow me to teach through your shop? Or will you insist I cross over to XYZ agency and only get students through you? If so I will recommend they buy wherever they can get the best price. If you accept me as a "partner" in the business and don't try to screw my people over I will recommend they give you the opportunity to sell to them. You must understand that I will not push gear based on anything other than my students best interests. That always comes first. I will not push AIR2's on $600 bcs because they are not necessary and I personally don't care for them. I will not push the deal gear you got at DEMA if it is not in the best interests of my people.

We are happy to work with all instructors, even if it is just filling tanks and renting them gear to use in their classes

 

[colo_diver]

The main reason you can't earn my business is the current dive agency / LDS business model is out of touch with economic reality of the average person / family.

What is your input in attempting to improve the model?

 

[natew]

Take it further --- do you have beverages? clean, accessible toilets? reading materials? Do customers have a "space" in your shop to hang out, be they waiting on something or just stopping in to talk diving with fellow divers? Don't model it after the used car shop's waiting area, model it after the local small cafe. It doesn't have to be a big space. It has to be comfortable and inviting.

For sure! Coffee and a tank fill sounds like a great idea!

Another thing, sort of related, put some work into finding people buddies and providing info about local dive sites. Actually a great idea for an LDS might be a posted monthly calendar where customers can come in and write their name on a date they have available for diving and a phone number or something, other customers can then come in an do the same or just grab a phone number and make a call.

This would bring foot traffic into the store as well as keep people diving more which ultimately results in more tank fills, more gear repairs, more gear purchases etc etc.