Help your LDS

[plot]

Originally Posted by snagel

But, it was also a place to get information and chum around with others that dive. You don't get this with on-line shops.

I've met more like minded dive buddies through this online shop than I ever have at my LDS... gotten alot more information here too, more large organized dives, etc.

I've even offered to give my LDS first shot to compare to prices online, they'd rather have no sale than discounted. They're afraid if they give one person a price break, everyone will hear about it and want the same price break... like they wouldn't hear about me buying it online for 20% off anyways.

As for AIR, thats only an issue if you want to go diving in a farm pond. Any dive destination will have air, there's always a marina on major divable lakes that have air, and if you're a serious diver and really in the sticks... chances are dive buddies will somehow come up with their own air compressor and all the necessary equipment.

I've got an awesome relationship with my shop, the main worker is a very good buddy and I dive with him often, but if they don't want to compete... that's not my problem.

[plot]

Originally Posted by boates

All I'm saying is to try to support your local business. I was in the service industry ( had a hair salon ), and even though I bent over backwards to please clients, they would always look at media specials. Granted, those weren't the clients I wanted. I'm just saying, that, there are alot of small businesses out there trying to please customers. Everyone has a choice........choose wisely

i felt bad for my barber when I started to get my hair cut onlin... wait, what?

if you have a service business, you arn't in the business of doing whatever service you might provide. yes, you're in the customer service industry, but that's something your employee's gotta worry about. what YOU, the business owner, true business is, is MARKETING. You gotta recognize your market, find it, create it, and advertise to them. Your goal is to let people know you exist, what services you do provide, and get them to come to your place instead of your competition's. Word of mouth isn't going to do this.

Look at some of scubatoys marketing techniques. They hit up other forums before this one was in existance and always gave solid neutral advice without pushing their own stuff.

To get people here, they offered incentives in the form of gift certificates for having a certain amount of posts. I'm sure they advertise locally too in the form of coupons, group rates for training, etc.

They routinely send out mailers to existing customers to remind them that scuba diving is still around, and that hey, they should come back and see what's knew and exciting, or what needs services.

They routinely send out e-mails advertising sales, specials, whatever. they HAVE sales, specials, closeouts, etc. to get people into the door or onto the site.

They give out free magazine subscriptions so everytime you're on the throne looking for something to read, you see "FROM SCUBATOYS" right before you launch into some scubadiving reading, forming a link between the two in your mind.

The key is, they hit you repeatedly with marketing throughout the year so whenever that time DOES come that you think "hrm, i need something scuba related", you automatically think "oh yea, scubatoys!"

even on larry's paintball business, he mentioned he went for group parties, corperate events, etc... i'm sure he accomplishes this by cold calling, direct marketing campaigns, sending in people to businesses to hand out cards, industry rags on teambuilding, sunday paper advertisements, flyers, billboards, whatever other creative ways he can think of.

when a business is successfull, it doesn't happen by accident. nobody has ever opened up their doors and just started selling stuff without ever having to lure any customers into their doors in the first place. takes marketing dollars... and lots of them. scubatoys realizes this, they put it to good use, and bam. the business keeps flowing in.

whats my LDS doing? whats your LDS doing? do they realize it's not effective and try to do something else?

[Splitlip]

Ok. Here I come. A carbon based life form.

Anybody remember a "service station", where you gassed up, shot the **** with Gomer and you wrenched on your yor ride? Now you got to the conveneince store to fill up. Are you getting by? sure. Is it best for all? If I have to explain you would not understand.

Can we buy **** for this activity off line? Sure. However, most of you will never know what you are missing or have missed.

Sure, I'm a dinosaur. Will, I continue to dive? Absolutely. But buisiness models being what they are I suppose that LDS's will be gone soon.

Can I convince you that anything but instant gratification (saved $20.00!!!) is something to be embraced?. No.

[bmp51]

Scuba Toys is my LDS!!, better service, better price. of the 19 or so dive shops in Las Vegas maybe two are “good” shops.

[Draq]

I find this whole "be true to your school" mentality concerning dive shops to be a bit bizarre. I owe it to some guy running a dive shop to keep him in business? I think I owe it to my family to not spend more on my hobby than is reasonably necessary. They matter more to me than some dive shop owner who can't figure out how to compete in business.

Geez, I am in business too, and my customers don't owe me anything except payment for the services or products I provide to them. If I spend a bunch of time talking to a prospective customer I am not trying out for sainthood, I am marketing and providing service that I hope will bring me business. If they go elsewhere, so be it. I'll gripe about it privately and get on with life. I owe my clients the kind of prices, service and support that will keep them coming back to me. If I can't compete, then I fail. That's capitalism, and I am okay with it.

But hey, if you want to throw money away at some dive shop because they are the "local LDS' and "deserve support," then go for it, and who am I to criticize. But, you are thwarting Darwinism and might be better off to let the weakest ones die off so the stronger will take their place. If there is truly a need for a local LDS, eventually someone with business sense will step into that void and you are slowing down the process by keeping the stragglers alive.

[ReefHound]

Originally Posted by Splitlip

Anybody remember a "service station", where you gassed up, shot the **** with Gomer and you wrenched on your yor ride? Now you got to the conveneince store to fill up. Are you getting by? sure. Is it best for all? If I have to explain you would not understand.

It's certainly best for me. I remember those days of the full service station with attached greasy garage. If you needed gas late at night or anytime on Sunday you were just SOL. Good riddance.

[TJDiver]

Originally Posted by Splitlip

Ok. Here I come. A carbon based life form.

Anybody remember a "service station", where you gassed up, shot the **** with Gomer and you wrenched on your yor ride? Now you got to the conveneince store to fill up. Are you getting by? sure. Is it best for all? If I have to explain you would not understand.

Can we buy **** for this activity off line? Sure. However, most of you will never know what you are missing or have missed.

Sure, I'm a dinosaur. Will, I continue to dive? Absolutely. But buisiness models being what they are I suppose that LDS's will be gone soon.

Can I convince you that anything but instant gratification (saved $20.00!!!) is something to be embraced?. No.

I guess we're both dinosaurs, SL. Hey, I'm the guy that still takes a drive during lunch once a month to pay my mortgage payment in person.

[Splitlip]

Originally Posted by ReefHound

It's certainly best for me. I remember those days of the full service station with attached greasy garage. If you needed gas late at night or anytime on Sunday you were just SOL. Good riddance.

Never a problem for me. I plan my drives and always drive my plan.
As for the greasy Garage? They were called "service stations" after all. At least my Mom could get her fluids checked, tire pressure checked, a tire plugged, etc. while somebody else got smelly pumping the fuel.

Not every diver is as self sufficient as you and I.

[Splitlip]

Originally Posted by TJDiver

I guess we're both dinosaurs, SL. Hey, I'm the guy that still takes a drive during lunch once a month to pay my mortgage payment in person.

LOL. I am not that much of a Dinosaur. I pay my bills on line.

[Draq]

That was Goober at the gas station, I believe, at least in later years. And, now that you mention it, I think a dive shop near me is run by Goober and Gomer. I am pretty sure one of their instructors is Ernest T. Bass.