Always Promote Local Diving
There is a story about a dive retailer in the Chicago area who, when customers would ask “Where do you go diving around
here?” would invariably reply, “I go to O’Hare.” Not surprisingly, his store went out of business.
The fact is, if you don’t promote local diving, you are just shooting yourself in the foot.
Here are some of the things that can happen if your customers get the idea there is no place in the local area that justifies getting wet:
- Believing they will only use it on their once-a-year dive vacation, customers are less likely to buy equipment.
- Customers may take your advice and participate in continuing education, but they will do it at some dive resort, and not locally with you. (Because, after all, local diving sucks…right?)
- They may be less likely to recruit friends and family members to join them in diving. (Who wants to subject their loved ones to what you characterized as “cold water with no visibility?”
- When they arrive at their resort destination, they will be an embarrassment to themselves and to you, and have a much less enjoyable time. Why? You didn’t encourage them to make warm-up dives locally before leaving.
We all too often forget the fact people find diving fun, no matter where they do it. Why tell them they are wrong?
Our sample website has an extensive section on local diving and local dive sites (see example). It’s part of a More News and Information section with “How To” articles on a variety of topics designed to keep visitors on the site longer, and shape attitudes in ways that benefit the store.
Okay, we know what you’re thinking: We’re in north-central Florida. How could the local diving not be great? In that case, it might interest you to see how Cleveland-area store Just Add Water promotes quarry diving in northern Ohio. If they can do it, you can, too.
::: TOP ::: SUBSCRIBE ::: CONTACT US ::: ABOUT US :::
