If I ran a Dive Shop, I would....

[Pez7378]

Calvin started a thread about LDS Customer Service, and it got me to thinking.

If I ran a dive shop, I would ensure that all my customers were treated like gold (Even Joe!). We all know that customer service is key. But I think that many business owners don't really know what that means. Help me out, if you ran a dive shop, what would you do, to attract, and retain the business of the customers you are there to serve?

If I ran a dive shop, I would:

Be honest with my customers, and make sure they have all the tools they need to make the right gear purchases the first time. And I would make that gear available for them to see, try and purchase, before, during and after their training.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:

Make damn sure I had a user friendly website, that was frequently updated, easy to navigate and allows the customer to see the equipment, training, and dive trips available to them. Online sales would be an option, as well as the ability to inquire, or sign up and pay for classes, charters etc.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:

Carry the largest, most diverse selection of scuba gear in the area from rec to tech. provided I could work it out with the Sales reps and the manufacturers.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:

Make sure that I provided the best quality Gas for everyone including Air, Nitrox, O2, Helium and Argon. (did I forget anything?) Customers would get the Gas they ordered, when they ordered it. I'll work overtime to make sure that if you need a certain mix on a certain date, that you get it.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:

Hold onto the idea that the customer is always right, and ensure that they leave the shop knowing that I did everything I could to ensure that their money was well spent. Sometimes that's going to cost the business some coin, but it comes back to you tenfold.

So these are just some of my ideas. If YOU ran a dive shop, what would you do?

[Mattleycrue76]

If I ran a dive shop, I would:

Pay my salespeople and Instructors enough to ensure that I had the best crew in town bar none.

[CaptnJack]

Avoid pushing tomorrow's customer's away because of a some sort of political agenda. Offer people gear, training, and fills. If they go to your competitor once or twice you should redouble your efforts to win them back as a customer (ask them what it would take even!). Getting pissed that they bought something elsewhere and telling them their money is no longer welcome is shortsighted.

[Sockmonkey]

Good one pez...

I recognize that most of these aren't really possible given the economy.... and given how hard it is to stock a dive shop and keep it running.... but here are my fantasy not based in reality "Ifs"

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Spend as much time on scuba forums as possible socializing and getting to know my customers and letting them get to know me.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Specialize in used gear in my shop and on the internet. Embrace the online classified not consider them an evil adversary.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Keep up with internet pricing as much as possible.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Organize clubs and club dives that do not require a membership fee (as most do here in Hawaii) only to obtain discounts.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Sponsor work parties and cleanup efforts for local dive sites.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Offer classes on shore diving specific to your area or a particular dive site.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Have a movie night.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Be open on Sundays.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Create a space people would want to hang out in. Couches, wifi and an espresso maker?

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Stay open late.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Charge the same price for 32 and 21.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Have an endless supply of puppies for people to hold.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Hire service minded people who can admit they don't know something or when they're wrong.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Bring in guest speakers on interesting scuba or ocean related subjects.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Keep a locker with a combo outside my shop so regulars can drop of tanks to be filled when I'm not open.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Not preach or push.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Try and get together with other dive shop owners (formally or informally) to discuss the local industry. It's always better to have peers.

I'm sure I could think of many more... but I've got to get ready for work.

-Eric

[Sounder]

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Welcome competition and beat them on strategy and service, not BS and petty politics.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Hire ONLY the best instructors and refuse to sell sub-standard training to people who don't know better. No zero-to-hero instructors, no instructors who have less than very advanced skills, no instructors whom I don't look up to. If I'm paying an instructor, they'd better be able to offer something to the student that I can't. I would demand excellence.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Sell back plates and wings, and I would encourage all my students to learn in a Hogarthian gear configuration after explaining the benefits. Hey, this is if I ran a dive shop, so I can sell anything I want.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Have a strong internet business.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Have a tank pick-up locker for trusted customers to drop off and pick up tanks after hours.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Approach the business with a strategic business plan, and not as a diver.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Be real and honest with all my customers so they're not left "hearing stuff" away from the shop (see my first entry on this post).

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Hire a few quality employees instead of a bunch of kids, and I would pay them well.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Build loyalty around positive experiences and bend over backward to correct any problems.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Always have a fresh keg of Mac & Jack's and a fresh keg of Snoqualmie Brewery rootbeer on tap.

[defied]

Sounds like Tacoma Scuba.... Was that too blatant? 0]

But really, it does.

D(B)

[sunnydude]

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Have an endless supply of puppies for people to hold.

My kids would make me frequent your shop Eric!

One thing I like is to have an ample selection. UWS has a few items but a lot of empty space. I lose my kids at Lighthouse Diving due to all of their inventory. Inventory is good...tough to front the money hoping it will sell though.

[Grateful Diver]

If I ran a dive shop I'd have to start out knowing that I could afford to lose a lot of money.

Those are all great ideas, but the reality is that the shops I know who tried to implement some of all of them lost money and mostly went out of business.

Premium training comes at a premium price ... because it involves time, effort, and significant pool time. And the vast majority of potential customers are looking for the cheapest, quickest training they can find. Those people would not be my customers, because I wouldn't want to offer the type of training they're looking for.

Inventory can be an issue ... especially with the mainstream product lines. Most major manufacturers require their dealers to purchase large quantities of gear up-front, which is a huge burden on a small business. It then becomes a race against the clock to sell it to establish enough of a cash flow to keep your business viable. Large inventory can kill you right quick-like ... so there's a lot of pressure to sell. In order to be sustainable you must either push a lot of inventory or push your profit margins up pretty high. That's the "Catch 22" that most dive shops find themselves in. To make matters worse, manufacturers "tier" how much they charge you for product based on how much you sell. So the trick is to keep your prices low enough in the beginning to establish a broad customer base and therefore get the best prices from the manufacturer. An internet presence could be helpful here ... but some of the most significant manufacturers out there won't allow internet sales of their products.

The customer is always right ... except when he's wrong. And no matter how reasonable you try to be there will always be a certain percentage of people who want to take advantage of you, see how far they can push you, and see how much they can get out of you for nothing. There will come a time when you either draw a line and protect your business or let those people leave their footprints all over your back ... and the latter can be bad for your business too. There's a fine line between wanting to take care of your customers and letting them take advantage of you ... and it's a balancing act that many dive shop owners simply aren't prepared to deal with.

I guess what I'm saying is that we all want the perfect shop. Sometimes we're lucky enough to find one that comes close. But let's not be too hard on these owners who don't ... or simply can't ... because they have to pay their bills and make a living too. To run the perfect dive shop would involve making relationships with both consumers and suppliers that sometimes are impossible to make. The "stars" will align just right for some ... but not for the majority ... even if you try doing everything right.

If I owned a dive shop I'd mostly want to educate consumers to make intelligent choices. Sometimes it would work out to my advantage and sometimes it wouldn't. And if I did it for a living, I can see that over time it'd probably burn me out, turn me into even more of a cynical SOB than I already am, and probably make it so I couldn't even enjoy diving anymore.

For that reason I probably won't ever own a dive shop ... and although I will sometimes bitch about the shortcoming of those who do, I respect the fact that they're trying to make a living in a really hard business ... and I'm glad they do.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Sockmonkey]

.... but here are my fantasy not based in reality "Ifs"

[dwashbur]

If I ran a dive shop, I would

Probably go broke really quick because I'd fall for every sob story that came through the door and give away far too much inventory just to get people in the water.

That's just me...........

[Tangfish]

Avoid pushing tomorrow's customer's away because of a some sort of political agenda. Offer people gear, training, and fills. If they go to your competitor once or twice you should redouble your efforts to win them back as a customer (ask them what it would take even!). Getting pissed that they bought something elsewhere and telling them their money is no longer welcome is shortsighted.

Amen dat, bruvva.

I like Eric's whole list - despite his slipper abusing ways.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Welcome competition and beat them on strategy and service, not BS and petty politics.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Have a strong internet business.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Have a tank pick-up locker for trusted customers to drop off and pick up tanks after hours.

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Approach the business with a strategic business plan, and not as a diver.

Good ones!

If I ran a dive shop, I would

Probably go broke really quick

In all likelihood, yes.

Bob's got some good points too. Dive shops are not easy businesses. But, I do think that there's an anti-competitive, subversive, short-sighted way to go about it and a transparent, change-welcoming, friendly way to go about it. Unfortunately, having a high throughput of OW students is one of the most sustainable revenue streams for a dive shop, from what I gather. But, whether a shop chooses to also earn those folks' business for the long-term is the difference between bait and switch and teach to keep.

If I had a dive shop, I'd want old farts like John Rawlings coming by to tell newbie divers old tales of when they used to dive with wooden tanks.

[Kalatin]

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Have an indoor pool of my very own for classes and for folks to try out gear. The best thing about the shop where I got my C card (in Virginia) was that they had a pool as a part of the shop. If you needed more pool time during class, hop right in. If you want to try out a piece of gear, hop right it. The pool would also have a big ol' mirror so students could see themselves underwater and figure out what trim looks and feels like from the start.

Have a fridge stocked with beer. Wally won my business with spot-on fills and great customer service, but he sold me more gear when I had a few too many out of his fridge.

Give simple lessons on common scuba stuff without making customers feel foolish for not knowing something. Want to know what a tank valve looks like taken apart? Want to know the best ways to find and fix a drysuit leak? I learned a ton of stuff just from the guys at the shop showing me what they were doing and answering questions. Little free mini-classes rock.

[Pez7378]

I have no doubt that running a shop is much more difficult than talking about running a shop. But since we are the ones giving the LDS our money, they should hear from us. Think of this as a local customer survey. This is an opportunity for us to give some of the local shop owners an idea of what we as consumers want from them. Amy is right, we need to let the shops know what we want, as customers. In my mind, I'd run the perfect shop. In reality, I'd probably get broke trying to run the perfect shop.

But, if I ran a dive shop, I would:

Pay a premium to have Bob Bailey come down to give a Gas Management Presentation from time to time, and ask Valerie Lyttle to offer DAN classes as often as she could. I'd ask Dan Warter to do classes on equipment repair and maintenence and Janna Nichols to come up for Critter ID classes.

[Sockmonkey]

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Approach the business with a strategic business plan, and not as a diver.

Future MBA alert!

The next thing you know he'll be leveraging synergies with his value added partnerships.

-Eric

[Grateful Diver]

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Approach the business with a strategic business plan, and not as a diver.

Future MBA alert!

The next thing you know he'll be leveraging synergies with his value added partnerships.

-Eric

He'd better not ... the dude's a husband and a father ...

... Bob(Grateful Diver)

[John Rawlings]

If I had a dive shop, I'd want old farts like John Rawlings coming by to tell newbie divers old tales of when they used to dive with wooden tanks.

Calvin....I don't know HOW many times I have to explain it to you....so listen up this time: We did NOT use wooden tanks! That was SO East coast! Here in the PNW we used pounded red cedar bark held together with huckleberry juice to make our tanks!

Sheesh!

- John

[Burntchef]

Avoid pushing tomorrow's customer's away because of a some sort of political agenda. Offer people gear, training, and fills. If they go to your competitor once or twice you should redouble your efforts to win them back as a customer (ask them what it would take even!). Getting pissed that they bought something elsewhere and telling them their money is no longer welcome is shortsighted.

gotta give this one a WOOt!!!! couldnt of said or spelled it better.

[Sounder]

If I ran a dive shop, I would:
Approach the business with a strategic business plan, and not as a diver.

Future MBA alert!

The next thing you know he'll be leveraging synergies with his value added partnerships.

-Eric

Who, me?

[Grateful Diver]

One of the things that most impressed me about Chris Jacobson (the former owner of NWSD) was that the first few numbers on his speed dial were other local dive shops. On more than one occasion when someone was looking for something specific he didn't carry, he'd call the other shops till he found out where the customer could buy it. I never once saw Chris get upset with someone for buying something somewhere else. His attitude was that the dive shops weren't competing against each other ... they were competing against all the other recreational activities that people could be spending their money on. He viewed the other local shops as "business partners".

On the other hand, he ended up having to sell the shop ... so although his approach offered great customer service, I'm not so sure it was a good business strategy ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Pez7378]

Avoid pushing tomorrow's customer's away because of a some sort of political agenda. Offer people gear, training, and fills. If they go to your competitor once or twice you should redouble your efforts to win them back as a customer (ask them what it would take even!). Getting pissed that they bought something elsewhere and telling them their money is no longer welcome is shortsighted.

gotta give this one a WOOt!!!! couldnt of said or spelled it better.

Hear! Hear!

[Tom Nic]

Have a fridge stocked with beer. Wally won my business with spot-on fills and great customer service, but he sold me more gear when I had a few too many out of his fridge.

Now THERE'S a business plan! Our slogan - "Inebriated customers buy more stuff!"

[Grateful Diver]

Have a fridge stocked with beer. Wally won my business with spot-on fills and great customer service, but he sold me more gear when I had a few too many out of his fridge.

Now THERE'S a business plan! Our slogan - "Inebriated customers buy more stuff!"

Wally would probably put it more colorfully, but yeah ... it's a pretty good business strategy ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[wallyc72]

Our business plan is simply. Don't screw the customer's over !!! Bad news thought... the fridge broke.... Good news will put the new one in in a couple of weeks...

[Sounder]

Bad news thought... the fridge broke...

No beer? Oh, hell no. :angry:

[wallyc72]

It's in the Ice chest!!