3rd Quarter 2009
i n t e r n a t i o n a l Implementing Your Selling Advantage pg. 18
business resources Improving Profitability pg. 10
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Maui Dive Shop is your one-stop-shop for ALL your water and beach activities and gear. We offer you the largest selection of Snorkeling and Diving equipment in the state with a fleet of boats to take you to the top snorkel and dive destinations from Maui to Lanai.
Scuba dives to Molokini Crater or Lanai Cathedrals! Daily snorkel trips to Molokini and Turtle Town! Scuba dives to Molokini Crater or Lanai Cathedrals! “Try Scuba� a great way for beginners to try diving! Scuba dives to Molokini Crater or Lanai Cathedrals! Certification -Open Water to Instructor levels. Your complete source for all Island activities! Eight convenient store locations on Maui! Call us for all your lodging & Jeep rentals!
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Visit us online at www.MauiDiveShop.com
i n t e r n a t i o n a l
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Dive Business 3rd Quar ter 2009
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In the case of products, the “Selling Advantage” your dive center should enjoy is based on the customer experience itself.
Cover Story Implementing Your Selling Advantage by Doug McNeese. ................................................................. 18 Cover Concept and Design by Lori Evans
DBI News From the SSI Family ................................................................ 2 Mailbag . ..................................................................................... 3 International News . ................................................................. 5 Headquarters News . ................................................................. 7 Conference 2010 . ...................................................................... 9 Resort Update ......................................................................... 16 Product News . ........................................................................ 24 Referral Network .................................................................... 27 New SSI Resorts . .................................................................... 27 Directory of SSI Services . ..................................................... 28
3rd Quarter 2009
Education Features Dive Leader Resources Selling Advanced Training.............................................. 14 by Jim Ikerd
How to Feel Good.............................................................. 15 by Stacey Minton
Medical Update Faking Underwater Navigation...................................... 22 by Timothy Jones
Business Resources Business Support Improving Profitability..................................................... 10 by Ed Salamone
Selling Scuba The Importance of Employee Training.......................... 12 by Adrienne Zoble
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from the ssi family
Dive Business International 2619 Canton Court • Fort Collins, CO 80525 -4498 phone 970.482.0883 • fax 970.482.6157 dbi@ssiusa.com • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
3rd Quarter 2009 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Suzanne Fletcher
Contributors
What’s Your
Selling AdvantagE?
W
hat is a “Selling Advantage?” Do you have one or know what one is? Or maybe you don’t even care to know. If you do care, let’s talk about your advantage. At one end of the spectrum there are retail businesses that carry a wide array of readily available products. My definition of this kind of business is “productbased.” These businesses — Sam’s Club, for example — generally engage in the sale of products and have a completely different focus from that of a service-based business. At Sam’s Club, consumers don’t expect personal service as part of their buying experience. They just want their box of Tide, garden accessory or case of water. On the other end of the spectrum are specialized retailers that seize each and every opportunity in the customer experience. Operate anywhere in the middle, and you run the risk of being just another retailer. Now, let’s relate this spectrum to diving. This idea suggests that the “Selling Advantage” is giving your customers the ultimate scuba experience: time, attention, comfort and ability underwater. If you give them these things, I’ll promise you one thing. Your financial outcome will be a lot different from those who do not. Here’s what one retailer had to say about his results for creating a “Selling Advantage.” “Year to date, our class revenue and trip revenue are both off 24 percent. I believe this is in line with the general level of downturn in the economy. We are not responsible for creating general consumer 2
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confidence. We are, however, responsible for making the most of the opportunity we have when a customer calls or comes through our door,” stated Steve Newman, President, Choo Choo Dive & Travel. Newman continued, “Our scuba equipment sales through May are up 55 percent, and our snorkel systems sales are up 21 percent over the same period last year! I can attribute a large degree of this success directly to the mentoring you (SSI) have provided and the inspiration and techniques you have provided during Scuba U, and at the other times we have been together. It’s nice to know that we have someone with your experience and enthusiasm in our corner. More than that, I appreciate the fact that you truly take pride in building an effective network of dealers and working to make them the best in the industry. Thanks for all that you do.” You can stand by and blame sales on the economy, or you can do something about it. If you’re willing to change your approach, you can change your outcome! For more on what you can do, give your area Business Consultant a call. Good Luck!
Shannon Bryner Jim Ikerd Timothy Jones Doug McNeese Stacey Minton Ed Salamone Richard Woulfe Adrienne Zoble
Editing Consultation Services Tiger Enterprises
Production Staff
Lori Evans, Graphic Designer Jennifer Silos, Graphic Designer
ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Suzanne Fletcher
Advertisers AirTech/Gypsy Diver...................17 Aqua Lung.................................IBC Bonne Terre/Maya Palms.............25 Career Institute at Hall’s...............26 Cayman Islands..........................BC Dive Newswire...........................17 DiveTech.....................................20 Kona Honu.................................17 MDC .........................................13 Maui Dive Shop......................... IFC Marty Snyderman.......................26 Online Training.............................6 Platinum Pro...............................28 Sea Bees Diving..........................21 Utila Ventures............................IBC Referral Network Advertisers Abyss Dive Center.......................27 Quiescence Diving Services, Inc.....27 © 2009, by Concept Systems Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission from the publisher. SSI Dive Business International is published four times a year by Concept Systems Inc., 2619 Canton Court, Fort Collins, CO. 80525 - 4498, (970) 482 - 0883. Publication of any article or advertisement should not be deemed an endorsement of the opinions expressed or products advertised. Subscriptions are available for $10 for a year in the U.S., $20 in the Caribbean and $15 for all other countries. CPM#40065056
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mail bag
Congratulations — Sal Zammitti! SSI is proud to announce that Sal Zammitti of Bamboo Reef Dive Stores was honored with the 2009 California Scuba Service Award at last month’s Long Beach Scuba Show. This award was established in 1989 by Saint Brendan Corp. (parent company of California Diving News and the SCUBA Show) to recognize those who have made significant and long-lasting contributions to the California diving community. Sal was originally certified as a NAUI instructor in 1961 and has personally certified over 1,500 divers. Throughout the 1960s, Sal helped open branches of New England Divers in Los Angeles and San Diego, Calif.; Miami, Fla.; and Seattle, Wash. In 1970, Sal moved to San Francisco, Calif. and purchased the original Bamboo Reef. Today Sal and his partners own and operate four SSI stores in the Northern California area: Bamboo Reef in San Francisco and Monterey; Marin Bamboo Reef in Marin; and Sonoma Coast Bamboo Reef in Sonoma. Sal has been a long-standing and valuable member of SSI, and we are both proud and honored to be associated with him and his fine organization. In 1993, Sal was in the first class of inductees to the SSI Platinum Pro 5000 Divers. This honor for Sal’s many years of achievement and commitment to the diving industry is well deserved. BRAVO, Sal!
Thank You Spruce Creek! My wife and I just finished up our open water training course a few short hours ago at Devil’s Den. We had a great time. It was a very informative and stress free learning experience. We could not have had better instructors. Dawn and Orie are very capable instructors and very well mannered in the handling of students. They helped everyone find their way and also paced the class so everyone could learn the skills without leaving anyone behind. My wife Julie has leukemia, and she had decided she wanted to learn to 3rd Quarter 2009
dive. Everyone at the shop helped her realize that goal, and I am grateful for that. Dawn and Orie were very attentive to her needs as well as the needs of the rest of the class. I can’t thank everyone enough for helping us learn these skills and for helping my wife make her goal a reality. In these tough times, it makes me happy to see her happy. Again, I can’t thank everyone enough. Please tell everyone at the shop thank you for my wife and me. Thank you so much, Shane Schlack
Pirates Prepare for Trip to Caymans Pirates are the first tourist group to travel to the Brac since Hurricane Paloma Nov 8th Neither a massive hurricane nor the current recession could hold back the Dive Pirates foundation (DPF), now gearing up for its largest trip to date with 12 recentlytrained adaptive scuba divers, 2 returning adaptive divers, along with other certified divers as diving buddies, family members and supporters. Once a year the non-profit organization of scuba diving enthusiasts sponsors those with disabilities with training, gear, and a paid trip to Cayman Brac to complete their certification. This year will feature 63 travelers including the recipients, their support teams and Dive Pirates enthusiasts. The recipients include those who have suffered combat injuries, car accidents or illness: Stanley Vigil – paraplegic – Albuquerque, NM Traci Bryan (quadriplegic) – Dallas, TX Juana Flores (quadriplegic) – Dallas, TX Alan Bailey (quadriplegic) – Houston, TX Jake Hipps (paraplegic – Vietnam veteran) – Buffalo, NY Latseen Benson (double leg amputee – Iraq veteran) – Houston, TX Dan Gade (leg amputee – Iraq veteran) – Athens, GA
Bonnie Brawner (leg amputee) – San Antonio, TX Becca Lockhart (incompletely formed hands and feet) – St Petersburg, FL Albert Garcia (arm amputee) – San Antonio, TX Alex Nicholl (leg amputee – Iraq veteran) – Louisville, KY Other adaptive divers who are returning for their love of the program and diving include: Eric Alva (leg amputee – Iraq veteran) – San Antonio, TX Nathan Gonzalez (quadriplegic – USMC veteran) - San Antonio, TX “We were devastated after the hurricane, and feared we could not accommodate the foundation, which has become part of the Brac family,” said Mary Tibbetts Brandes, owner of the Brac Reef Beach Resort that in the past retrofitted some of its rooms to accommodate disabled guests. “Though we are on the mend we are very excited to say we will be co-hosting the adaptive divers this year with The Breaker’s Condos and the new The Alexander Hotel, and the divers will continue to use Reef Divers II with its staff of speciallytrained dive masters.” “We can’t say thank you enough for the Brac business community pulling together to make this year’s travel event possible,” continued Sophie Wimberley, DPF co-founder. “And we in turn want to continue to come here with adaptive divers as Reef Divers II is now a universal referral destination for adaptive dive training.” This year’s trip, coined “Out Brac — Pirates Down Under” with an uniquely designed t-shirt by artist Rogest, is possible due to generous donations of those attending the 5th Annual Pirates Ball, the foundations’ key fundraiser, and a generous grant from ABB. Also very important to the trip this year is the continued support of SSI and the newly formed chapters across the country. Fundraisers in Dallas, Texas (Adventure Scuba), Corpus Christi, Texas (Ascuba Venture Scuba), Albuquerque, and New Mexico (New Mexico Scuba Center) have also contributed to this year’s recipients making the expansion of Dive Pirates across the country possible. For more information about the foundation or the trip to Cayman Brac go to www.divepirates.org.
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Underwater Schools of America Providing Great Experiences I just wanted to write SSI and give my gratitude for the awesome scuba classes and very friendly people I have met. I have been through PADI and met people through this organization, and I must say that I was not very pleased! SSI, I feel, is a much better place to learn, and what a great job these people have done putting it all together. Also, I want to say that I have many local dive shops in my area, and none stands out like Underwater Schools of America in Oceanside, Calif.! I have recently posted this on many dive forums in my area: Spear fishing with a few people from USA. We all jumped in the owner’s boat and headed out! Viz was down around 10 ft or so, but that did not stop the owner from spearing not once, but twice, and manhandling a huge Halibut! What a sight to see! I had a blast this weekend, and I owe it all to USA! Just a little insight on this family-owned shop in Oceanside: Underwater Schools of America. The owner and family have dedicated their lives to this shop. With over 10,000 logged dives, the owner has not only taught me everything I know, but also still teaches his experience to everyone that wants to learn. His wife is a worldclass cook who is simply amazing! The shop carries awesome dive gear and has enough banks of air to sink a battle ship, including Nitrox. I can’t say and thank these people enough for the downright awesome times I have had there. If you have never been there, go check it out. You won’t regret it! Great job SSI!!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!! Jeff from Oceanside, California
Ocean Sports Dive Shop Exceeding Expectations I recently began my scuba certification class with Ocean Sports Dive Shop in Dunedin, Fla. I wanted to let you know about my experience as a student. My instructor’s name is Jo Ann Sawyer, and she is OUTSTANDING! Jo Ann has gone above and beyond my expectations from day one. I work 4
Important Recall Notice! SI TECH DRY SUIT INFLATION HOSE SUBJECT TO RECALL FOR SUBSTITUTION OF BLACK AND BLUE PLASTIC FLOW RESTRICTING INSERT!
in the income tax field, so as you can imagine, I work very long hours six days a week during tax season. With my extremely busy work schedule, I knew that it was going to be very difficult for me to work around a traditional certification class. This has not been the case. Jo Ann has been so wonderful working around my schedule. I am very thankful for that. I was also very excited to see the amount of enthusiasm that Jo Ann had towards the sport as well as the SSI brand. She was able to get us pumped up about diving and pumped up about the experiences that we would have being a part of SSI. She informed us about the advantages of learning from an SSI class as opposed to the competitor’s courses. It just reassured me that we made the right decision taking this course. Jo Ann did a wonderful job leading this class! She insured that we were very comfortable moving forward in the classroom activities as well as the pool skills. I have not yet finished my certification dives, but I am sure that we will feel very comfortable in the open water with Jo Ann by our side. She has instilled the knowledge and confidence in us, and we are ready to take on the challenge! This weekend we are going to Biscayne Bay and will complete our SSI scuba certification. We are very excited! I just wanted SSI to know the outstanding experience that I have received taking your course. SSI is very lucky to have Jo Ann Sawyer as an instructor!!! She has definitely created a raving fan out of me! I will be sure to tell everyone about my experience with Jo Ann and recommend SSI to anyone thinking of becoming certified.
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Sincerely, Joe Lloyd
• DO NOT dive with a hose subject to this recall (or any other equipment that has been connected to such a hose) until the insert has been exchanged (replaced with a green insert) by knowledgeable service personnel. Name of product: SI TECH dry suit lowpressure inflation hose manufactured between August 2006 and February 2009. Manufacturer: SI TECH AB, Lysekil, Sweden Hazard: The hose contains a black or a blue plastic flow-restricting insert. Reports of an indicated malfunction of the flowrestricting insert in the hose for the suit have been submitted to SI TECH. The insert may malfunction by dislodgement from the connection valve. Purchase point: The hose most likely is sold with your dry suit. It may also have been sold separately at a local dive retailer or a diving equipment distributor. Recommended action: SI TECH has called for a total stop of distribution and sales of the product. Please contact your point of purchase or local diving equipment retailer for further information regarding substitution of the black or blue plastic flow restriction insert with a green plastic insert. Affected batches and instructions due to the recall for substitution can be found at the company web site, see below. CONSULT THE COMPANY WEB SITE IF YOU OWN OR POSSESS AN SI TECH LOW PRESSURE HOSE: www.sitech.se The recall for substitution has been submitted to the requisite government agencies in the EU and the US on the 17th of March. Letters Policy: SSI encourages readers to write in with their comments. Based on space availability not all letters will be printed in their entirety. The letters printed here and in other issues do not represent SSI’s opinions or views on any matter, they are simply letters we wanted to share with our readers. SSI Dive Business International
international news AUSTRALIA
Cairns Marine Tourism Identity and AMPTO Executive Director Receives National Recognition Award Mr. Col McKenzie, AMPTO’s Executive Director won the recreational dive industry’s highest award last weekend at the biannual Australasian Diving Technologies Conference (OZTeK). “Although the Industry Recognition Award is intended to recognize those people who have made a significant contribution to the development and advancement of diving within the Asia Pacific region, the individual efforts of these people have often had a farreaching impact throughout the world. Mr. McKenzie is a person whose contribution to diving within the Asia Pacific region has had a profound impact on the development and growth of the activity,” said Mr. David Strike, the OZTeK Conference Convener. Mr. McKenzie has worked with the industry and government improving diving workplace health and safety standards and successfully lobbied the federal government for the following: a. Removal of the GST on the Environmental Management Charge, saving the industry millions of dollars in back taxes and around a $1 million each year. b. The $0.38 per litre fuel rebate all dive and marine tourism operators can obtain. c. A reduction in the unimproved valuations of the GBR islands from a 300 percent increase to a 25 percent increase, saving the tourism islands hundreds of thousands of dollars. 3rd Quarter 2009
d. The $200 million committed to the GBR Water Quality Protection Plan. e. The increase in protection of the GBR from 4.7 percent to 33 percent. “Mr. McKenzie is a deserving recipient with a passion for saving the GBR, advancing the marine tourism industry and improving safety. His achievements are not generally known because of his quiet work behind the scenes, but those people that have worked with him know just how hard he has worked,” said Mr. Tony Baker, AMPTO’s Chairman. “Col McKenzie has worked tirelessly for the industry for more than 20 years. He has been the president of Dive QLD for 3 years, its secretary for 7 years and our workplace health and safety advisor since 1988. Unpaid for all his work and unrecognized until now, Col deserves this award,” said Mr. Peter Boundy, president of Dive QLD.
Organizers included the holiday resorts of ROBINSON CLUB, the diving magazine “Unterwasser” and SSI. SCUBAPRO/ UWATEC, SEEMANN, Chris Benz and Monte Mare acted as sponsors. DIVE TROPHY is THE motivating force for diving because divers of all training agencies are invited to participate in a fair challenge that takes place throughout the year. Divers can enter anytime during the year and collect points for any activity related to diving. The goal is to be a part of the Top 100 to qualify for the semifinals. Divers who don’t make it to the Top 100 still have an opportunity to win a variety of special prizes. At the semifinals, participants start at zero, so each has a fair chance to become the highest scorer. Then the Top 10 from the semifinals qualify for the finals held at a ROBINSON CLUB resort. We are currently at the beginning of DIVE TROPHY 2009 and encourage divers to take part in this amazing competition. It’s a chance to have a lot of fun and possibly win some great prizes with a total value over $20,000! For more information visit the official DIVE TROPHY web site www.dive-trophy.com.
Asia Pacific Show 2009 During the most recent show in Taipei, Taiwan, SSI Thailand was honored with the award “The Best Dive Training Organization.” The consumers give this award, and they voted that SSI had the best dive training system available on the market today. Congratulations!
ESC SSI Continues Success Story — DIVE TROPHY
Dutch Royal Rewarded Platinum Pro 5000
DIVE TROPHY 2008 was a sensational success. It has been dubbed the best-known event within the German diving industry. Through the event, more than 4.500 divers completed more than 1 million ‘dive’ points. More than 140 Dive Centers participated, and fun was had by all. The entire event was organized by numerous key players in the industry.
During the annual Dutch diving show, Pieter van Vollenhoven — brother-in-law of Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands — received the special Platinum Pro 5000 Diver award from Edwin Sap, SSI Area Manager for the Benelux, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. The Platinum Pro 5000 is an award honoring those persons who make a substantial contribution to the sport of diving.
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Pieter Van Vollenhoven, an SSI Master Instructor, holds the dive sport very dear to his heart, and manages to ensure that the sport of diving is portrayed in a positive light in the media. He is a great promoter of diving with the disabled and children. The Platinum Pro 5000 was also awarded to René Huisman, co-owner of Elite Dive Center and previously the driving force behind SSI Benelux. For years, René has invested his unbridled energy in SSI, in particular the Scuba Rangers children’s program. He is responsible for the success of this program in the Netherlands.
Successful Instructor Trainer Seminar The SSI European Service Center has organized another successful Instructor Trainer Seminar, from 02.03.2009 till 12.03.09, at the EXTRA DIVERS Dive Center Ras Nasrani in Egypt. The seminar was very international with candidates from Sweden, Kuwait, Lebanon, Russia, Germany and Switzerland participating in the program. The seminar was organized and held by Ronny Kain — Training Manager, SSI European Service Center — and the entire team of the EXTRA DIVERS. Ras Nasrani was there for support. By adding the new Instructor Trainers, SSI is improving the international Instructor Trainer Network. This improvement will enable new Dive Leaders to take programs in more languages and in more places and to pass those successfully in their mother language.
Indonesia
SSI Indonesia Growing
SSI Indonesia has become firmly established with a rapidly expanding market share supported by their full range of SSI Indonesian language training materials. The new SSI office is located within the only and very popular diving-themed restaurant and bar named D’corner (Diver’s Hangout). The new location is proving to be a great meeting and social area for many of Bali’s very active dive stores and instructors, with their custom designed office and friendly staff providing a convenient and welcome service to the many Indonesian based Dive Centers. Under its new ownership, SSI Indonesia is working hard to fully support a fast-growing membership base by providing the best industry service and support, while expanding their presence with quality SSI Dive Centers throughout the region. Within just the last 12 months, operating from their new offices, SSI Indonesia has been able to welcome to the SSI Dive Center family many of Indonesia’s largest and most respected diver-training operations. “With well established SSI Dive Centers in Bali, Lombok, Gili Islands, Jakarta and Manado now enjoying the excellent products and services offered through SSI, we are focusing on expanding our market share while maintaining our quality and localized services to our existing membership base,” says John Shepherd SSI Indonesia Managing Director. Indonesia boasts some of the best and profuse tropical diving locations in the world. With the new offices based in Bali, the tourist hub of Indonesia, SSI is very well positioned to continue its expansion into this fastgrowing diving region.
United Kingdom
New Official SSI Representation in the United Kingdom The new SSI office will be responsible for the growth of the SSI brand in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta and Gozo. Two new partners, who share SSI’s vision and business strategies, have come on board. Stefan Andras has a solid business background and Gyorgy Molnar has been a key player in the diving scene for SSI for many years. They have created an alliance with the SSI European Service Center to combine synergies in all facets of our industry: training, retail, travel and business support. Contact information: SSI UK, Ireland, Malta and Gozo 41 King Street Luton Beds, LU1 2DW, UK Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3287 3988 skype: ssi_uk Email: info@divessi.co.uk Web Site: ww.diveSSI.com Stefan Andras Mobile: +44 (0) 759 571 6551 Email: astefan@divessi.co.uk Gyorgy Molnar Mobile: +44 (0) 789 444 8151 Email: gmolnar@divessi.co.uk We are sure that the staff will provide you with top service and will do everything possible to take care of your needs. We are very excited about the future of SSI in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta and Gozo because there are a lot of things we have planned. All we can say is this: Prepare to be amazed! ♦
Check Out SSI’s Online Training Program Today! SSI’s Online Training is another tool for acquiring new divers and will provide your customers with a whole new element of convenience at no additional cost. Benefits include: Flexible format, Can be integrated with traditional training, Reaches a new target audience, Doesn’t affect your revenue.
Visit www.diveSSI.com and click the online training link. 6
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headquarters news
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
SSI and Dive Rescue International Announce Strategic Partnership Dive Rescue International is the most respected and widely known national and international name in Public Safety Diver training. Dive Rescue International has been setting the Public Safety Diving standard since 1977. They are the industry leader in preparing public safety professionals for incidents on and under the water, with an extensive list of programs covering all aspects of aquatic rescue, recovery and underwater investigation. “When we were looking to enter this market, our research brought up anyone and everyone who is someone in this field. And no matter how much research we did, it all kept leading back to the most respected and wellknown company in this field: Dive Rescue International. After 32 years, they provide the most sought after training for police, fire and rescue teams. What they do would take us years to learn. So it only made sense for us to remain focused on our strengths and let them focus on theirs. After all, they are the gold standard, “the experts in their field,” stated Doug McNeese, SSI President and CEO. McNeese continued, “Dive Rescue International actually started at SSI headquarters in 1977. Even though the training is specialized, it was set up in SSI’s format. They are still located in Fort Collins, so it’s more like just being together again. It will be an exclusive arrangement between SSI and Dive Rescue International. We are excited that they will be our exclusive Public Safety trainers.” Dive Rescue International’s training system is unique in that it draws on the expertise of an extensive network of public safety professionals. All instructors are affiliated with law enforcement, fire, rescue or volunteer dive teams so they can “walk the walk” and “talk the talk” with real life experiences in the public safety community. They know how to process crime scenes, conduct investigations and make 3rd Quarter 2009
rescues because, in most instances, they do those jobs full time. Pete Gannon, president of Dive Rescue International, stated, “While city and county governments are cutting back, accidents are still taking place, and dive teams still need training, equipment and support. This is an incredible opportunity for SSI Dive Centers to play a responsible and important role in their local communities.” “Our goals are to create awareness of PSD in the recreational sector and create a pipeline of new Public Safety candidates, even if on a volunteer basis. Like SSI, Dive Rescue International only works with dive centers and the public safety agencies needing support. We are very excited to be working directly with SSI again,” continued Gannon. He added, “This strategic alliance will not only give SSI Dive Centers visibility and sales in this sector, they will also share in the profit of training without the expense and time of going through another instructor course and buying the specialized Public Safety training equipment for instructors and rental.” Public Safety diving is not for everyone and should not be taken lightly. It takes a special individual and training to dive in black water to recover victims and evidence. For more information visit www.DiveRescueIntl.com.
You said you wanted more students … well, here they come! “Thank you SSI! How much easier could it be than to have customers walking in ready to BUY!” Surveys say that 24 percent of Americans would like to try diving. SSI’s Online Training is a FREE marketing tool designed to help acquire people who would like to learn more about becoming a diver before they buy. Here’s what just a few Dive Centers are telling us.
“We put the free online training button on our web site on a Friday evening. On Monday morning a customer walked in and said, ‘I just finished my online training, and I want to sign up for scuba class and get my personal equipment,’” said John Izler, Capital City Scuba, Lansing, MI. He continued. “After week two, the customer decided to go ahead and get his own personally fitted, high quality Total Diving System. Obviously, this new acquisition tool not only works, the customer knew exactly what was required of him. We love it! Thank you SSI, how much easier could it be than to have customers walking in ready to buy.” Jerry Holland, Planet Ocean, Columbus, GA, had this to say: “In this economy, this marketing tool is just what the doctor ordered. Now it’s easy for customers to make a nonthreatening and intelligent decision to get started in scuba diving. Now, when a customer calls, we simply say, ‘Do you have access to the Internet? When they say yes, we say, ‘Would you like to get started today?’” “SSI did it right by creating a FREE marketing tool for acquiring new entry level students,” Holland added. “My customers like the quality and ease of the course, and they come into my store enthusiastic about getting started and buying equipment. It has been an incredible acquisition tool. Thank you SSI for your forward thinking and more importantly caring about me and my business!” From Scott Hotchkiss, Lynnhaven Dive Center, came this message. “With SSI’s online OWD program, potential students can be converted to actual students almost immediately. Being able to start the academics without delay helps LDC register new students while offering that instant gratification and flexibility. That’s so important with today’s consumer,” Hotchkiss said “Besides the obvious, the real difference is the SSI Online Training Supplement,” Hotchkiss added. “Since the students do everything online, they don’t necessarily need an OWD manual. So, SSI created a review manual with interactive workshops to add more fun and sales opportunities to our classes, while teaching the vital and important information that creates life-long divers. The Supplement also makes it possible to integrate our online students with our traditional home study customers, so scheduling is a breeze. Thank you SSI, what other surprises do we have to look forward to?”
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Jeff Davis, Aqua Hut, Toledo, OH, stated, “This is the most powerful program I’ve ever seen come out of the diving industry. We have one couple where the husband lives four hours away during the week, and the wife lives in Toledo. They told us, ‘Without being able to try it in the convenience of our own home, we wouldn’t have taken up scuba. Now, we love diving and can’t wait to go to the ocean!’” “This program is limitless,” Davis added. “We are now working with the Toledo Department of Education to offer online training as part of their academics this coming fall. The advantage is it’s FREE and a fun way for the school to teach pressure/volume relationships, physics and physiology. We will offer the students who complete the program an introductory dive for a small fee. Just imagine, if you have a pool at your store or the school has a pool, you could easily offer small groups to Try Scuba for just $10 per child (ten in each group) and have just five groups each Friday. That’s $500 every Friday during the winter months, not counting any conversions to OWD or equipment sales. If the program weren’t FREE, we couldn’t be so creative. This program has so much acquisition potential, and I am going to explore all the possibilities. This is just the kind of innovation we expect from SSI.”
pricing, they even plan to offer further discounts for no losses, long tenure and sound risk management. To put it bluntly, John Witherspoon and his staff CARE.” McNeese added, “I’ll make one prediction: you’ll enjoy each and every experience with Witherspoon & Associates. Quality customer service is not just a slogan with them; it’s a promise! So, if you want to save money for the upcoming insurance season, give them a call (866) 577-DIVE (3483).” Witherspoon & Associates prides itself on having the most comprehensive coverage, competitive pricing and the best risk management and legal team in the industry. McNeese added, “Our own risk management and legal team will remain in the accomplished hands of Donna Albert and Craig Jenni. Both Donna and Craig are very familiar with SSI and the depth of John Witherspoon’s experience.” Witherspoon & Associates has once again delivered on its company’s promise by REDUCING premiums across the board while broadening coverage. They have also DOUBLED their customer service staff and invested in state-of-the-art computer systems for faster processing. They are also in the process of developing a web-based risk management system that will be the FIRST in the industry. Applications for coverage are available at www.scubains.com under Applications. For more information contact Witherspoon & Associates at (866) 577-DIVE (3483).
SSI Announces Insurance Alliance with Witherspoon & Associates Announcing a 2009/2010 insurance program that provides better coverage and competitive pricing for both professional and business liability insurance. “We chose Witherspoon & Associates because their knowledge and expertise in the recreational sport diving and technical diving arenas allow them to negotiate the very best coverage for the very best price,” stated Doug McNeese, SSI President and CEO. “Besides better coverage and competitive 8
Maldives Aggressor Arrives — Introductory Price Announced Aggressor Fleet, the world’s largest fleet of franchise live-aboards, has added the exotic island chain of the Maldives to its long list of exciting dive destinations. This beautiful 20-passenger yacht offers Sunday-to-Sunday
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scuba charters departing from Male. To kick off the newest destination, Aggressor Fleet is offering an introductory rate of only $1,835 per person for deluxe accommodations, or $1,635 per person for twin accommodations. This is an $800 per person savings. This 25th Anniversary special applies to charters starting July 5, 2009, and ending August 23, 2009. The Maldives offer endless mazes of soft coral reefs brimming with large schools of blacktail barracuda and batfish. Along deep channel passages, divers can explore caverns and caves that are home to unimaginably large schools of jacks, parrotfish and sweetlips. Just a short distance from the reefs, Maldives Aggressor divers may encounter some of the island chain’s signature pelagics, including manta rays, hammerhead sharks, eagle rays, grey reef sharks, Napoleon wrasses and whale sharks. Even the most seasoned divers will be amazed at the sheer number of fish schooling in and around the Aggressor dive sites. The Maldives’ countless atolls and channels make it a destination tailor-made for live-aboard diving. Week-long itineraries depart from Male, exploring either the vast Ari Atoll or South Male Atoll, Felidhe Atoll and northern portions of the Mulaku Atoll. Guests cruise the atolls in legendary Aggressor style, enjoying fine cuisine and pampered service from a professional and well-seasoned Aggressor crew. CEO Wayne Brown has just returned from an exploratory photography trip to the Maldives. “I was constantly challenged prior to each dive on whether to choose wide angle or macro. Every dive offered so many opportunities that it was difficult to decide which lens was best. I will be returning for the GATESFEST with the owner of Gates Underwater Housings, John Ellerbrock, who will be on board sharing multiple systems for everyone to try and offering tips and tricks to improve (or start) your underwater video productions. Visit www.aggressor.com for more information.” In addition to the Maldives, Aggressor Fleet has the ultimate in live-aboard dive yachts in Belize, Cayman, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Galapagos (2 yachts), Hawaii, Palau, Turks and Caicos and Utila. Make your reservations online at www. aggressor.com, email info@aggressor.com, or call (800) 348-2628, +1-985-348-2628 ♦ SSI Dive Business International
Conference2010 What makes you or your business different than anyone else out there? Attendees will tackle the issues of VALUE vs. THE PERCEIVED COST of doing business with you. You will learn techniques to getting ‘internal’ and ‘external’ clients to buy, as well as how to see the world through their eyes-from their perspective!
Your Facilitator — Jeff Tobe
2010 SSI International Dealer Conference — a time to “Innovate and Create!”
Hyatt Regency Alhambra Coral Gables, FL February 18 – 21, 2010 Dive Centers and Resorts can expect two days filled with valuable presentations and hands-on workshops that will keep their businesses moving in the right direction. A total of three workshops, 3 hours each, will be available for attendees. Everyone will have an opportunity to experience each workshop over the 2 days.
Jeff is one of only 400 speakers in the world to have earned the designation of Certified Speaking Professional, the highest accreditation of the National Speakers Association. He was also recently chosen by readers of Conventions and Meetings Magazine as “one of the top 15 motivational speakers in North America.” Jeff will make sure you learn a lot and have some fun while you’re doing it!
Adrienne is the author of “The Do-able Marketing Plan” workbook, a “10-MinuteMarketing Plan” program, her “Marketing Myth” emails and several marketing e-books on her web site; Adrienne has been extolling common sense marketing for over 31 years. No wonder audiences and clients alike speak so enthusiastically of her. You’ll love her, too.
Workshop 3
SSI’s Blueprint for Success This workshop will give you the information you need to put business on track and teach you the tools to keep it there. You will learn how to establish, develop and implement: The seven crucial store policies; a store budget and business plan; importance of an employee manual; Phone etiquette, orientation and acquisition.
Workshop 2
Your Facilitator — Doug McNeese
Jeff Tobe’s credentials are impressive. As one of the most sought after consultants in Corporate America, Tobe has earned this title through his trademark presentations, Coloring Outside the Lines™. His client list is a who’s, who that includes IBM International, Nestle USA, ReMax International, Ethicon Pharmaceuticals and now SSI. Jeff’s background as an award-winning sales and marketing entrepreneur has made him the leading authority in creativity-in-business.
Do-Able Market Planning Most business owners know they need Marketing Plans, but that doesn’t mean they have them. Why? Because they perceive market planning to require “a long, uninterrupted block of time.” Marketing consultant Adrienne Zoble will help you prepare an effective, “do-able” plan in a matter of hours, spending only 10 minutes at a time. With a Do-Able Plan you can: Market consistently but inexpensively; Increase sales; Shorten your sales cycle; Turn price into a virtual non-issue; Position yourselves away from the competition; Save 85% on your marketing costs; Acquire greater numbers of referrals; Generate additional business from existing customers; Conquer the “all-ornothing” mind-set; Get your employees on the company Marketing Team.
Doug McNeese is the President and CEO of Scuba Schools International, as well as the owner of 4 retail dive stores. He began his diving career 40 years ago, when he started working in his father’s dive store, ‘The Dive Shop’ located in Memphis, TN. In 1982, Doug purchased the store and soon thereafter expanded to his current 4 locations. In 1993 Doug purchased NASDS and in late 1998 merged with SSI. Ten years following the merger, Doug is a driving force in the promotion of SSI Worldwide and strengthening its growth through retailers and manufacturers. Doug strongly believes that the doorway to diving is the retailer. His passion is to go beyond what has been done, bring more people into the sport and to make scuba diving a lifetime activity. ♦
Workshop 1
Your Facilitator — Adrienne Zoble
Book your space today! Contact Susan DeVore 970.482.0883 ext.144 or sdevore@diveSSI.com
Opening Address — Jeff Tobe
Coloring Outside the Lines Innovative and Creative Problem Solving – This is a high-energy, participatory workshop that will challenge you to step outside your comfort zone in positioning your product, your service or yourself more creatively than ever before. You will acquire the insight necessary to give yourself the ‘competitive edge,’ which we all strive for in any profession. 3rd Quarter 2009
Adrienne Zoble is a national speaker and consultant. She has helped tens of thousands of business owners understand the significance of consistent marketing and how easy it is to achieve. She “tells it like it is” and speaks from experience as a business owner and avid networker. Adrienne extols practical and doable marketing. One of her favorite sayings is, “in marketing, it’s not what you spend, but how you spend it.”
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business support only bring in 25 cents of profit, rather than the dollar realized by cutting expenses.
Example 2: Business Year 2006 any Dive Store
Improving
Profitability
by Ed Salamone, SSI Western Region Business Consultant • email: edsalamone@mindspring.com
I
know you’ve heard all of this before! It is a basic business management technique, and you have been in business since Jacques Cousteau wore “floaties”! Wait a minute! When was the last time you closely studied your P&L Balance Sheet? We are in a very disturbing time in our business lives, and if you haven’t looked at your P&L in the last thirty days, it’s long overdue. Take another look. Today! Two years ago at the SSI Intl. Dealer Conference in Denver, CO, SSI hired a business consultant to conduct a workshop on improving profitability in their dive stores. The primary point of the workshop was that there are only three main ways for you to increase your business’s profitability: ♦ Decrease operating expense ♦ Decrease your cost of goods ♦ Increase your sales Let’s use the numbers below as a starting point for this article. These percentages closely represent those of the average dive store according to the SSI Cost of Doing Business analysis.
Example 1: Business Year 2005 any Dive Store
$375,000 – Net Sales -$187,500 – 50% COGS -$180,000 – 48% Overhead + $7,500.00 – Pre-Tax Profit In the above example the dive store realized a $7,500 profit in 2005 and then had the privilege of paying taxes on that profit. Just under a 2 percent return! Notice that the store’s operating expenses are 48 percent of the gross sales. Astounding, but true!
Addition by Subtraction — Decreasing Your Operating Expenses Let’s talk about decreasing your store’s operating expenses for a moment. The biggest advantage realized from controlling your store’s operational expense is that the expense cuts will have a direct impact on the bottom line of your store. In other words, for every dollar you save by eliminating an expense, you earn an extra dollar of profit. Of course, increasing sales is another way to increase profit (some assumptions will be made here), but any increase has only a fraction of the effect of reducing operating expenses. Increasing sales will also increase your store’s profits, but an extra dollar in sales may
$500,000 – Gross Sales -$125,000 – Travel
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$500,000 – Gross Sales -$125,000 – Travel $375,000 – Net Sales -$187,500 – 50% COGS -$171,000 – 43% Overhead + $16,500.00 – Pre-Tax Profit That’s right a $9,000.00 increase in profit in 2006 by reducing operating expenses by 5 percent, approximately a 3.5 percent return. Is that possible in your business? No? Then figure out what saving just 3 percent would do. Of course, there is a big difference between reducing the expense of your phone bill by switching to a company with a lower cost (but comparable quality service), versus reducing the cost of your phone bill by switching to a supplier that offers lower cost and lower quality service. Cutting expenses that result in disgruntled customers will do more harm than good to your business’ long-run profitability. You must be thoughtful about where and how to reduce your expenses. Consider all the effects of cost cutting, not just the shortterm bottom-line effects. Although operating a lean business is the goal, make sure it doesn’t impact customer satisfaction and sales. Once you make the commitment to maximize your store’s profitability, the “controlling your expenses” option should always be the first place you turn during tough economic times. Everything you do in the process of controlling expenses will have a direct — and immediate — impact on your earnings. The following are a couple of specific cost-controlling measures, intended not only to give you specific ideas, but also to help get you started getting specific on all your operating expenses: ♦ Unnecessary bank charges. Don’t pay them! Shop around if your bank is charging for services that you think you shouldn’t have to pay for or that should cost less. ♦ Shop your services every year or so. ♦ Telephone service: When is the last time you did this on you land lines? It seems that everyone is discounting telephone services as technology has changed. SSI Dive Business International
Prices of new plans today are much more competitive, especially if you are willing to use more than one business feature. Insurance: ♦ Ask for price quotes before you obligate yourself to services. Often the quotes won’t hold up, but they will give you a basis on which to negotiate subsequent charges. Also, always ask for itemized invoices. ♦ If you have employees, review your experience ratio with your insurance agent. Your experience ratio is the factor that determines your worker’s compensation payment. Remember that effective expense control is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing occurrence, and its success or failure lies entirely in your hands.
The Magic of Increasing Margins
Gross margin represents the difference between the selling price and the cost of the product or service in question. Increasing your retail sale price is one way to increase your margin of profit; decreasing your cost of goods will have the same effect.
Increasing margins by increasing prices:
If your product sells for $100 and the cost of that product is $50, then your gross margin is 50 percent (the $50 in margin divided by the $100 retail sales price) and your gross margin dollars are $50.00. In the example above, if the sales price of the product is raised to $105, the margin jumps from 50 percent to 52.4 percent, and the gross margin dollars increase from $50 to $52. As in Example 2 above (decreasing expenses), the magic of increasing margins is that every dollar of income you gain from the margin increase (assuming no reduction in sales) ends up as profit on the bottom line. Because it costs little to increase prices, the entire $2 of the price increase will be realized as profit. If you pay commissions for sales, they will rise, but that is a pay raise for your staff — a good thing! Typically the retailer in today’s world cuts the retail sales price when business gets tough (the easy way out??). It is nearly impossible to make up the discount because of the increase in sales required to realize the same profit. “When in doubt raise prices!” These words might be a good adage in these difficult times. Of course, following this advice is difficult when we have abused the one proprietary
3rd Quarter 2009
product that we the dive retailers have: diver training! That is another article altogether. The tolerance of your customers to accept price increases will depend on many issues such as competition, availability of alternative products, and most of all, the customer relationships you maintain. Consider these carefully. Every dive store owner (any small-business owner for that matter) should review the margins on every product or service at least twice a year and check the margins on their P&L Balance Sheet monthly. Mark a date on your calendar and analyze your retail prices and calculate an acceptable percentage of price increase on each individual item in your inventory. Don’t simply increase prices using an acrossthe-board percentage increase; look at each item individually. Also be sure to aim for higher margins on the lower priced items and on those products that do not need to be as competitively priced, such as spontaneous and impulse items, like mask defogger and mask straps.
A startling increase in profit of $18,375.00 by reducing operating expenses and reducing cost of goods alone.
Increasing Margins by Cutting Cost of Goods
This whole issue of the DBI could be spent on techniques of cutting cost of goods from your suppliers. Some of you have made it an art. Others of you allow your suppliers to dictate the way business will be. I will briefly outline some ideas of cutting costs for you here. Discuss these and other ideas with your SSI Business Consultant and consider attending the next International Dealer Conference. ♦ Purchasing Basics — take advantage of suppliers’ discounts and buying programs. ♦ Narrow and Deep Philosophy — focus your sales efforts on specific items within your suppliers’ lines and develop a sales strategy for those items by integrating education and sales. ♦ Merchandising Policy — your staff must be wearing what you want to sell. Consider this the instructor’s store uniform! ♦ Training and Rental Equipment — it must support your package selling
concept and reinforce your narrow and deep philosophy.
Example 3: Business Year 2007 any Dive Store
$500,000 – Gross Sales -$125,000 – Travel $375,000 – Net Sales -$178,125 – 55% COGS -$180,000 – 48% Overhead + $16,875.00 – Pre-Tax Profit 2007 That’s right a $9,375.00 increase in profit (from Example 1) by reducing cost of goods (COGs) by 5 percent (about a 3.4 percent return). Can you decrease your cost of goods by 5 percent? How about 3 percent? In Example 4 below, let’s look at the net effect of decreasing your operating expenses by 5 percent and reducing the COG by 5 percent. Notice that we have not increased sales in any of the examples.
Example 4: Business Year 2007 any Dive Store
$500,000 – Gross Sales -$125,000 – Travel $375,000 – Net Sales -$178,125 – 55% COGS -$171,000 – 43% Overhead + $25,875.00 – Pre-Tax Profit 2007 I told you it was magic! A startling increase in profit of $18,375.00 by reducing operating expenses and reducing cost of goods alone (better than a 5 percent return and an increase of profit by 71 percent on your bottom line). Imagine what would have happened if we had increased the retail sales prices and increased the number of sales?
Increasing Profits by Increasing Sales
After your expenses have been trimmed and margins have been increased, it is time to do what every entrepreneur worth his weight loves to do: Increase sales! We will talk about increasing sales in upcoming articles. In the meantime, schedule a face-to-face visit with your CPA and your P&L Balance Sheet and start cutting expenses and increasing margins. Decreasing operational expenses, increasing margins of profit and increasing sales all at the same time by just a couple of percentage points will have an astounding effect on your bottom line.
Make it a great season! ♦
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selling scuba was do what he said he was going to do — no more — and he and your business received a “Wow!” But there’s yet another benefit: he created two interactions with your customer instead of just one. Do your employees call customers when requested items come in, or do they simply ask people to “call on Thursday,” to see if the item has arrived?
Marketing Rule #1:
Make it fantastically easy and totally enjoyable for people to do business with you. DO NOT ask them to do extra work!
Marketing Rule #2:
The Importance
Employee Training
of
by Adrienne Zoble, Adrienne Zoble Associates, Inc. • email: azobleassoc.com
R
ecently I’ve been working with a retail client (in a different industry) who employs 300 people, half of them part time. The client carries terrific and varied merchandise; yet sales are way off. No, the cause isn’t the economy. The cause is that what the client calls “employee training,” I would call a joke.
First mistake:
They provide no customer service training, only sales training. Without customer service training, the salespeople don’t encourage special orders. And if there is a special order, they seem to forget to call when the merchandise arrives. Offer to send the goods to their most convenient location for the customer? Not in our lifetimes! This client had been denying how much business they were losing. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when one of the employees told a customer who had just spent $80.00 that she couldn’t keep the hanger on which the garment had been displayed! The customer raised a ruckus and said they could keep the item. That’s when they called me in.
Second mistake:
They differentiate substantially between full-time and part-time employees, and then they complain that there’s a revolving door 12
with the part-timers. If you were treated as a second-class citizen, how long would you stay at a job? All employees must be trained and engaged in the excitement of the business so they go home at night feeling they’ve truly served people and made them happy.
Third mistake:
They spend a great deal in media advertising, but it’s purely about products (sell, sell, sell). This company does trunk sales, offers myriad classes, provides demonstrations. Now these events will begin to appear in their ads. Employee training will take it from there. You see, while product knowledge is important, customer service skills are even more so. A salesperson who lacks product knowledge, but who has the right attitude, is the employee of choice any day. Example: a customer asks a question, to which your employee doesn’t know the answer. Instead of replying with, “I don’t know; I just started working here last week” — a response that burdens customers with information they don’t need to know — the employee could respond as follows: “That’s a good question. I don’t know, but I’ll find out. How can I reach you, when I call tomorrow with your answer?” The customer is probably thinking, “I’ll never hear from him again.” When he actually calls, the employee gets a “Wow!” All he did
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The more you give, the more you get in return (probably even more than you gave). Learn the names of your customers and acknowledge them when they walk in. Position your employees as “The Experts”. While price is more important than ever, you can still get customers to return. They’ll tell their friends and colleagues, “I know I’m not paying the lowest possible price, but they take great care of me!”
Marketing Rule #3:
Don’t accept the line that they’ll go elsewhere where it’s less expensive. Approximately 75-85 percent of the time, when people say it’s price, it actually isn’t. It might be a lack of chemistry with your staffer. Your salespeople might not be enthusiastic. You might not carry a specific brand they’re looking for, and your salesperson hasn’t been trained to show something comparable. Your class times might be inconvenient. There are all sorts of reasons why customers don’t buy, and the greatest is lack of priority. How can you plan events to make customers look forward to going to your shop and meeting enthusiastic fellow divers? How comfortable do you make your customers’ shopping experiences? How much do you and your people stress features (facts), when you should be extolling benefits (the WII-FMs: what’s in it for me)? Marketing isn’t logical; it’s emotional. When people really want something, they’ll pay for it. When people have fun shopping with the assistance of a knowledgeable salesperson, they respect that value. Yes, there are price-shoppers; but people don’t always choose a self-service store selling cheaper goods. They want to be hand-held. How can you make it fantastically easy and totally enjoyable for people to do business with you? Those are your selling advantages! ♦ SSI Dive Business International
Introducing the
SSI MASTER DIVER
CHALLENGE a great way to keep people diving! Get customers excited about what they can accomplish, then recognize their efforts with Milestone Rewards from SSI at no charge to you!
milestone 1: Advanced Open Water Diver (Specialty Diver Rating + 2 more specialties + 12 more dives) This rating stands alone in the industry with the highest combination of diving knowledge and experience. No other agency’s advanced diver level compares!
Prizes include a Cayman Dive Trip†, Honduras Dive Trip††, t-shirts, patches and personalized diplomas! Get involved! 1. Sign-up by calling 1.800.821.4319, 1.800.892.2707, or fax to 970.482.6157.
2. Once you’ve signed up, SSI will send you a start-up package that includes 2 staff buttons, and 25 decals. A variety of marketing and program management materials will also be available to you via the Dive Center Download area on ODiN in a folder titled “Master Diver Challenge 2009” (if you need any of the items sent to you on a CD contact SSI Headquarters). Downloadable items include: ◆ Program Instructions (PDF) ◆ Course Completion Tracker (PDF) ◆ Commitment Sign-up Sheet (PDF) ◆ Letterhead Template (Word) ◆ Poster (PDF) ◆ Folded Flyer (PDF) ◆ HTML Additional materials available for order from SSI: ◆ Staff Buttons — #SSIBUTTON-MD, $4.00 each ◆ Challenge Decals — #3530MD, $.35 each ◆ 3’x 5’ Full-Color Banner — #SSIBANNER-MD, $149.50 each (Please allow 10 days) ◆ Verification DiveLog Stamp — #STAMP-MD, $9.95 each ◆ Welcome to the Challenge Envelope — #ENV-MD2006, $.20 each 3. Get Started! Have materials produced, train staff, merchandise your store and then promote the Challenge to your customers.
REWARD:
An Advanced Open Water Diver Patch
milestone 2: Master Diver (Advanced Open Water Diver Rating + 1 more specialty* + 26 more dives) *NOTE: If not already taken, Diver Stress & Rescue is required.
Sign-up today! 1.800.821.4319 The Master Diver Challenge Start-Up Package is FREE to Business Support Package (BSP) members. Non-members pay $125.00. D esignated level specialty card must be purchased to qualify for rewards. All items will be sent to SSI Dealer for distribution.
REWARD: A Master Diver Patch,
SSI Congratulatory Diploma, Master Diver T-shirt, and a chance to win a Bahamas dive trip.+
3rd Quarter 2009
Cayman Trip Includes: • 7 nights ocean suite accommodation for 2 (double occupancy) from Divetech at Cobalt Coast Dive Resort, all tax and service charges and round trip airport transfers included, 6 days of 2-tank boat trips, unlimited shore diving and complimentary dive computer rental. †† Honduras Trip Includes: • 7 night / 8 day stay in an A/C Duplex Double cabin compliments of Laguna Beach Resort and Utila Dive Ventures, 6 days of diving, 3 meals daily, 3 boat dives daily, 2 night boat dives per week, unlimited shore diving, unlimited kayaking, bicycles, and horseback riding; and round trip transportation to/from Utila’s airport to the resort. • Not included: Reef tax, international and domestic air fare, bar tabs, gratuities, equipment rentals, Nitrox, and special request expenses. Upgrade to an Individual King is available. Booking must be done through Utila Dive Ventures. †
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Dive LEADERRESOURCES
Selling Advanced Training by Jim Ikerd, SSI Midwest Business Consultant • email: jimikerd@hotmail.com
A
ll of us want to sell more advanced training because, let’s face it, with advanced training, students start to understand the need to make those major equipment purchases. Let’s explore a few ways we can start to guide them towards that end. First: Offer the students an Advanced Buoyancy class at the end of open water dives. There is no cost for the materials, and with RSTC standards allowing three dives per day, all we have to do is set up some hoops or triangles and allow them to have some fun. With a little guidance from us, they become better divers and understand the need for their own personal buoyancy equipment. Also, they have completed their first dive of an advanced specialty. Second: Now we can offer an Advanced class. We first start by offering “four specialties for the price of three” if purchased at the same time with materials. These dives can be completed in one weekend. We all know we need those 24 dives to give them an Advanced Diver card, but we can now give them an Advanced Adventurer card. This card is offered when a student completes five single dives in five specialties. We have the Buoyancy from open water class and now four more during our Advanced dives. The card is easy to build into the cost of the class, and our students get the recognition NOW without having to wait 14
to get all of those 24 dives, which could take them months or longer to get. Trust me. They love the recognition. It is frustrating to them to do all of the work and not get that Advanced Diver card. Third: If you are selling those specialties correctly, doesn’t every specialty need specialty equipment for our divers to learn and be better
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prepared to make them? Navigation dives need compasses and reels. Deep dives need computers. Night dives need multiple lights. Photography classes need cameras. You should be getting the picture by now, and it all started by doing a Buoyancy dive at the end of Open Water Training that was FUN and free for them and free for you. What could be better? So now lets recap. We added an extra fun dive practicing Buoyancy that cost us nothing. We sold four specialties for the price of three, but sold four specialty kits, sold four specialty cards and built the cost of the advanced adventurer card into the specialty dives. We sold some specialty equipment, our students got a great deal and our sale of equipment more than covered any discounts we may have given. One last thought that can add thousands of dollars to your dive centers every year. SSI replaces thousands of lost or misplaced C-cards every year. Ask your divers if they would like duplicate cards for 50 percent off. If you order a second card at the same time you are ordering the first, the dive center is only charged $5. (You just have to check the box saying you would like to add the extra card when processing your order). SSI charges $40 dollars for replacement cards, and irrespective of what you charge, the duplicate card saves your students money and a lot of grief when they are packing for that trip and cannot find that #@%&* card. ♦
Get the Credit You Deserve. Recognition is everything. Introducing SSI’s Newest Dive Leader Diploma Designs Download a Dive Leader Diploma order form from: SSI Forms Dive Leader — File name: Specialty_Instructor_Diploma_Form.pdf and email, fax or mail to SSI Dive Leader Services.
Order Today! 800.892.2702 or 800.821.4319 SSI Dive Business International
How to
Feel Good by Stacey Minton, New Mexico Scuba Center • email: nmscubacenter@qwestoffice.net
A
s we all know, times are a little tough right now, and when times are tough, it is hard to feel good. We all tighten our belts, stay a little closer to home, and pay more attention to what is happening in our communities.
Our Communities, hmm —
“Our Communities” have helped sustain our businesses, they have helped put food on our tables, they have helped keep a roof over our heads, they have helped educate our children, and they have helped protect us. How many of us have said “Thank you” to our communities by giving something back? Well, SSI has a way to help you do just that. By
giving back to your community, you will not only feel good about yourself and business, you will also put dollars on your bottom line. Our gift to the community is called the “Adaptive Scuba Diver Instructor Training Program” a simple training program for Instructors and Dive Control Specialists on how to train those in our communities who have lost the use of their limbs through disease, the misfortunes of war, amputation or paralysis. Once your Instructors and Dive Control Specialists are trained, you can start giving back to those physically challenged people in your community by training them to be scuba divers without the stigma of being handicapped.
The feeling of satisfaction you will have when they complete their training and certification is indescribable. Every Adaptive Scuba Student will have to have a weight integrated Complete Diving System, and most adaptive students need an Adaptive Buddy to train and dive with who will need the same Complete Diving System. And once these students are certified, guess what? They are going to want to travel and dive with you. Now not only have you gained a couple of loyal customers, but I think I heard a Ka-ching! in your cash drawer. But wait! That is not all. These newly certified divers have friends who are both physically challenged and able bodied, and they are going to want to do continuing education training. Oops! I heard Ka-ching! again. The SSI approved Adaptive Scuba Diver Program will help you put dollars to your bottom line, give back to your communities at the same time, and give you indescribable satisfaction. You can even become involved with the Dive Pirates Foundation, the not-for-profit foundation dedicated to helping people who are physically challenged realize that they can participate in the sport of scuba diving just like anyone else. You can contact Barb Thompson at Dive Pirates (www.divepirates.org), get the details on how to become a Dive Pirate Chapter, get all your questions answered, and maybe get a tax write off. Ka-ching! How do you get your Instructors and Dive Control Specialists trained? Contact Stacey Minton at New Mexico Scuba Center, nmscubacenter@qwestoffice.net, and she can answer all your questions. ♦
BECOME AN SSI ADAPTIVE SCUBA INSTRUCTOR
• A Course to provide SSI Instructors/Dive Control Specialists with the specialized knowledge and skills required to teach SCUBA diving to students with physical disabilities.
disabilities at the open water level. Dive Control Specialists will be able to assist instructors, lead diving activities and be able bodied companions.
• Upon completion of the course an instructor will be able to competently teach and certify individuals with physical
• Students will be issued an open water certification and will be able to dive with other able bodied divers.
Contact Stacey Minton, New Mexico Scuba Center, nmscuba@qwest.net, 505.271.0633 3rd Quarter 2009
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resort update
Increase Revenue F ocusing on Group Travel
Your Merchandise & Continuing Education
by
by Richard Woulfe, Travel Marketing Consultant • email: richtravels@cox.net
R
ound trip air from the California to Australia for under $600! San Diego to San Francisco for $29 each way! US transcontinental flights for under $200! Resort deals, hotel deals, car rental deals! By the time this article is printed, these prices will have come and gone, and new ones will be appearing daily. Supply exceeds demand right now in most areas of the travel market.
and evolving period are doing the following five things. 1. They spend ample amounts of time listening to their customers’ wants and needs about travel destinations and dreams. Many have developed a questionnaire, for both their existing and new open water divers, that they use early in the training process.
The best time in decades to travel and plan group travel is NOW.
Here are a few sample questions you might consider asking:
How much time are you spending listening to your customers’ dreams and wants about places to vacation, dive and experience the wonders of water adventure? As I travel around the United States and world (I went to New Zealand and Australia on June 4 for $640 round trip), I am having informative conversations with dive store owners about the success of their businesses. Successful store owners are waking up with a positive attitude every day, seeing the glass half full and, through their enthusiasm, motivating their managers, staff, dive leaders and customers to remain active divers and water adventurers. The majority of those who are surviving and thriving during this rapidly changing 16
♦ What was the best vacation you ever had? ♦ What are your top 5 favorite vacation destinations? ♦ How would you describe your dream vacation? ♦ Where are the places (in order of preference) that you would most like to scuba dive? ♦ What are the most convenient months for your vacation? ♦ What other types of activities do you enjoy while on vacation? ♦ In what types of dive activities would you like to participate? ♦ With whom do you travel? 2. Based on the information they gather from new and existing dive clients,
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they are offering group trips with extraordinary value propositions. In most cases, all-inclusive trips priced under $3000 are selling out. Destinations like Thailand (Phuket and Chalong), Philippines, and Fiji are within reach, and all offer some superb diving. Offthe-beaten path destinations in the Caribbean — Saba, Dominica, Curacao, Little Cayman — are appealing. 3. Successful and thriving stores have increased their social activity calendar with events to entice their customers to remain active. Events like photography seminars, destination presentations, preand post trip parties get people into the store and increase the chances of selling more merchandise. 4. They have increased their outreach to existing customers by making phone calls and engaging in other marketing activities: special sale events, merchandise demos and exclusive offers, among others.
Here is an excerpt from an email from one of my clients:
“This Fiji trip coming up in October was not moving well until I held a Fiji Night at the store. Most of my sales came from that event. We had at least 60 people show because I had marketed the event and made direct phone calls to over 60 customers.” Another store owner described making over 75 phone calls to fill a group trip to the Philippines. He filled it! 5. Thriving and profitable store owners reward and recognize their customers and employees. People love small acts of recognition. (Please send me your suggestions. I plan to focus on this activity in my next article.) In the final analysis, the key to success in challenging times is to remain optimistic, enthusiastic, and to take action to do the things beyond the ordinary. Email me for more information about my “Dive Travel Secrets” seminar. I have presented it at several thriving store events. And be sure to send me your travel success stories, questions and ideas. I will include them in future articles. ♦ SSI Dive Business International
Announcing
Ask the Travel Expert
Each quarter Richard Woulfe, a San Diego-based travel marketing consultant, will write about a dive travel-related topic. Send your stories of success and your questions about any travel topic.
To ensure your success, ask the Travel Expert Send your questions to richtravels@cox.net.
3rd Quarter 2009
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Implementing Your
Selling Advantage by Doug McNeese, President and CEO, SSI USA email: dmcneese@diveSSI.com
I
n the case of products, the “Selling Advantage” your Dive Center should enjoy is based on the customer experience itself. However, since sales are involved, this distinction has to be kept in mind when formulating how long you can expect a merchandising policy (products) to remain unchallenged in a market place. If you start having success, you can bet others will rush to try and break your “monopoly.” Obviously, the first part of implementing your “Selling Advantage” — and the most important — is the customer experience, without which nothing else happens. Let me repeat what I wrote last quarter in the DBI with even more emphasis. Focusing on the customer’s experience is your best opportunity to create differentiation and succeed in today’s competitive marketplace and economy. If you don’t read anything else, write this down and follow this guiding principle: “Customers who receive just an above average experience are more likely to purchase, be loyal, and recommend you to family and friends.” Can you imagine what they would do for an incredible experience? Your job is to make sure that every customer gets that memorable experience. The most important message here is that the actual product or service isn’t the only reason a customer makes a purchase decision. The experience creates an emotional engagement that cannot be distilled down to the core 18
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SSI Dive Business International
product or service. Customer experiences must be memorable and purposeful! The reality is that every customer engagement is an experience — no exceptions! The big question is this: Are you creating your customer experience on purpose, and do your customers feel cared about? Sincere customer experiences are the real deal. And they don’t happen by accident. They happen on purpose. Your real job is to create a powerful Customer Experience that emotionally blows the customer away. You can only do this job with the right people, in the right culture, with the right experience every single time! The second part of implementing and securing your “Selling Advantage” is trust. Trust is more than an emotion; it’s a gift. Once you understand trust as it relates to your “selling advantage,” you will see the power it has in building customer relationships and your future — not just in success, but also in fulfillment. Only then will the hunger for you and your staff to become even more trustworthy and more trust giving become priority one. The third part of implementing your “Selling Advantage” is having an effective and profitable merchandising policy: instructor equipment, training equipment and inventory. What’s the goal? Sales, right? You’ve developed a great experience, and your customers trust you. So what’s left? A Merchandising Policy! Whether in the classroom, pool or showroom floor, part of the experience is not disconnecting the customer sale. Remember, as a retailer you must generate sufficient sales to make a product profitable. In other words, you can’t afford to carry every manufacturer. The carrying cost, the confusion and the lack of your staff’s product knowledge will leave you holding a bunch of inventory that you can’t sell. Most dive stores do not have a merchandising policy. Most stock products they like, products they think their customers will like, and products their instructors or staff like. They even carry products and brands that compete with the lines stocked by other dive stores. Because there is no “merchandising system,” the instructors and staff wear what they want. Overall, there is no structure to what is stocked, and there is no system for how products are sold. As a result, staff and instructors are confused, and everyone recommends something different based on what they like or 3rd Quarter 2009
don’t like, causing not only staff uncertainty, but also a misunderstanding in the customer’s mind. If customers decide that all equipment is essentially the same, they will buy nothing, spend less, buy from a competitor or buy on the Internet. The proper merchandising policy will dramatically increase sales, decrease inventory, and reduce your work load. The easiest way to increase sales is consistency. That is, the equipment the instructor wears, the training equipment and the equipment you sell on the retail floor must be the same. This consistency will give you buying power, and buying power will decrease the cost of goods, allowing better margins. Decreasing the cost of goods will also improve cash flow and operations (inventory control), thereby decreasing operating expense. Now you’re off and running.
If customers decide that all equipment is essentially the same, they will buy nothing, spend less, buy from a competitor or buy on the Internet.
Step 1 The first step of defining a Merchandising Policy is picking a quality manufacturer. Very important in that decision are warranty and customer service. When picking the manufacturer, you need consider only one thing: If it’s not the kind of quality that makes you proud, don’t sell it.
Step 2 Next is determining margin. Being a seasonal business, dive stores have large operating expenses in comparison to volume, which keeps costs high. Therefore, the target margin for a specialty sport retailer is 59 percent. However, you can’t just arbitrarily increase margins. Margin comes from buying power. Buying power comes from a defined list of equipment you want to sell and being important to a manufacturer. Done properly, this loyalty should leave you with a 10 percent to 12 percent pre-tax profit. Important note: These profits can only be achieved by
purchasing narrow and deep and selling total diving systems.
Step 3 Once the manufacturer is determined, the next step is creating the total diving system of choice: the instructor uniform. This uniform is the foundation of everything you buy and sell. All other equipment sold will become fixtures and only sold to be competitive and offer choices in the marketplace.
The Uniform
Instructors are critical in the customer’s decision-making process. They are the authorities. However, most instructors don’t like to sell. Their job is to teach safe scuba and to create need. Therefore, to maximize the potential of every customer, creating need comes from the equipment the instructor wears combined with the desire of the customer. It is essential that this equipment is the equipment of choice. All Staff must be required to use the System of Choice as their in-water uniform, right down to the gauge clips. Color is the only exception. They must know the features and benefits of every component and be able to relate them to the customer.
Separating Training and Rental Equipment
The idea is to separate training and rental equipment. Training equipment is pool equipment only. You do not rent this equipment because it is not the type of equipment customers will see when they travel. Therefore, you would be doing them a disservice. When you start the customers’ training, you should let them know that you teach with state-of-the-sport equipment. You should also tell them that if they have not made the choice to become a diver (purchase their equipment) by the end of the course, they will be faced with using rental equipment for the last pool class and the open water. The reason? Tell them this: “If you make a conscious decision not to buy the equipment at this point, for your safety we need to see you perform the skills in the type of equipment you will be faced with once you leave us.” To make an impression in the customer’s mind that there is a difference between the equipment of choice and rental equipment, you have to train them on the difference. Training equipment is the System of Choice. Once students have used the system of choice,
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they will be comfortable with and understand its benefits. This understanding makes the purchase a simple decision. We do that by teaching them how to use the following: ♦ Safe Seconds (alternate air source) and Inline BC Second Stages (Air 2 type). Once they use the inline second with fewer hoses to contend with, they will like the streamlined equipment. ♦ Weight belts and putting the weights in the BC. Once they do this exercise, they will not want to go back. ♦ Analogue gauges and computers. Analogue is dive tables and tracking everything manually. Computers are fun and easy.
The Safety Card
The customer’s number one concern is safety using life support equipment. The SSI Equipment Service Program (ESP) adds “that” element of safety and makes your program unique. Much like the sticker you have in the upper left hand corner of your windshield to remind you when to get the oil changed, the SSI ESP is consumer driven to bring customers back year after year for service with very little work on your part. Also, does it upset you to have students in your class who purchased equipment elsewhere? The SSI ESP allows you to place safety first and protect your program from foreign equipment. Let customers know on the front end that for their safety, any equipment entering the pool must meet or exceed the standards set forth by SSI and your store — the SSI ESP.
What can you do to keep it consistent? What is the Service Program? ♦ Stickers, Sleeves and Tags ♦ Placement ♦ Consistency ♦ Instructors’ equipment ♦ Training equipment ♦ Rental equipment ♦ New equipment sold
Step 4 Now it’s time to move to the retail floor and set up the Total Diving Systems. Once you have chosen the uniform and training equipment, everything else will be easy. The core of the system remains unchanged. That 20
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is, each system will have the same air delivery system and BC, and everything else is an accessory or option. The logic behind this approach is that scuba equipment is life support equipment. In all other industries where life support equipment is involved, there is one option for each specific objective: the best equipment. The scuba system offered will be complete with everything a diver needs to go scuba diving, including the snorkeling system, air delivery system, computer, buoyancy control, exposure suit and accessories. The variation in cost for different price points comes as a result of putting different computers, wet suits and accessories with the Total Diving System, keeping in mind that the dive computer is the product with the greatest price variance. The difference is the “nice to have” features for which some customers are prepared to pay a premium. This type of approach makes customers feel good about their purchases, irrespective of which system they choose.
Visual Merchandising
Displays that use a mannequin are essential because they show customers all the equipment they will be wearing. Customers can relate to this concept because it is very visual and simple. The top-to-toe approach means no sales opportunity for accessories is missed. Furthermore, the customer can immediately relate to the other components in the system. As a result of implementing this system you will: ♦ Increase sales ♦ Decrease costs of goods ♦ Achieve higher margins ♦ Decrease operating expense ♦ Require less inventory ♦ Benefit from an effective, consistent and simpler system As you can see, implementing the “Selling Advantage” makes it easy for staff and customers. Customers want to buy, but they don’t know how to decide. With a Merchandising Policy customers will trust you and understand the value of and need for the purchase of diving equipment. All that’s left is making sure you provide an incredible experience and the opportunity to go diving! If you ne e d help implement ing a “Selling Advantage,” call your area Business Consultant. ♦ SSI Dive Business International
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3rd Quarter 2009
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medical update Nothing To Do With Aging Eyes
faking Underwater Navigation by Tim Jones, SSI IT #5774 Groundhog Divers, Ontario, Canada email: deco120@gmail.com (copyright © 2008 Timothy Jones)
O
ne fine summer’s morning on the first day of a long weekend of diving, standing in the huge expanse of parking lot adjacent to the shore, I led my AOW students through the compass headings for the square we were about to navigate underwater. The same scenario is played out by SSI professionals the world over, beside similar shorelines, on equally great weekends, but the difference with me this day, and probably with more Instructors than would admit it (and you know who you are), was that I was faking it. Here’s me: “OK, so we’ll take our initial heading for the square out at zero-zero degrees for 25 fin kicks, then come right one-quarter to what? Nine-zero degrees, right. Then we’ll come right another quarter to what heading? Correct, one-eight-zero degrees. Then what’s our final heading? Correct again, two-sevenzero degrees for another 25 fin kicks and back to our starting point.” Why did I choose those particular headings? ‘Cause they’re represented by the largest letters on the compass — the big N-SW-E letters — which, I was starting to find, were a lot easier to read than those teenyweeny little number thingies I used to be so familiar with. Underwater, the sham continued twice. First when I delegated the divers themselves 22
to read the headings, then a second time they switched buddies and roles. And it went even further. When leading a dive off a wreck that weekend, I caught myself saying, “And then we’ll go off the stern following a heading exactly halfway between north and east … um, what’s that heading? Anyone?” Someone piped up with five-zero degrees, and rather than looking at my compass to confirm that (‘cause I couldn’t see the number), I said, “Five-zero degrees. Everyone agree with that? Good, then that’s our first heading …” That was the weekend when I finally had to stop making excuses and blaming the manufacturers for making the numbers so small and say to myself, “Wow! I’ve GOTTA get some glasses!” But what makes you think that you’re the only one having problems reading the compass? We may blame developing buoyancy skills on the students’ erratic headings, but perhaps they can’t see the headings in lower light conditions either and just forgot about adjusting their buoyancy while straining to read. So how can you help your students become more successful at their nav work and help yourself in the process?
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We don’t necessarily have to experience trouble with our eyesight with age, although our vision does deteriorate somewhat with time, and the younger diver may well experience sight difficulties, also. The National Eye Institute in Bethesda, MD., suggests five ways for our divers to protect their eyes and get the most out of their sight. 1. Have your eyes checked every 1 or 2 years by an eye care professional — either an ophthalmologist or optometrist — who will put drops in your eyes (that yellow stuff) to enlarge (dilate) your pupils, which is the only way to find some eye diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, that have no early signs or symptoms. If you wear glasses, they should be checked, too. 2. Find out if you are at high risk for eye disease. If you’re over 65, are of AfricanAmerican heritage and over age 40, or if there’s diabetes or eye disease in your family, you are at risk. 3. Have regular physical exams to check for diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure, which can cause eye problems at any age if not treated. 4. See an eye care professional right away if you suddenly cannot see, or if everything looks dim, or if you see flashes of light. Also, see an eye care professional if you have eye pain, fluid coming from the eye, double vision, redness, or swelling of your eye or eyelid. 5. Wear sunglasses that block ultraviolet (UV) radiation and a hat with a wide brim when outside. Together they will protect your eyes from too much sunlight, which can raise your risk of getting cataracts.
UV Damage
Speaking of sunlight, although you may think you’re protecting yourself with your absolutely unbreakable, scratchproof, shatter resistant, bend ’em any way you want, guaranteed-for-life Polaroid sunglasses, SCUBA professionals have high occupational exposure to UV radiation and should take extra steps to protect themselves. Ultra Violet is a form of energy produced naturally by the sun. Measured in nanometres (nm), its invisible light is absorbed by the body. That light energy, contained in little SSI Dive Business International
“packets” or photons, can cause heat or chemical reactions to occur. This thermal or photochemical response can be toxic and damaging because UV light has more energy per photon than visible light. Invisible UV radiation (UVR) is transmitted on three wavelengths, UV-A (320 to 400 nm), UV-B (290 to 320 nm) and UV-C (10 to 290 nm), all of which do different things to your eyes and skin. UV-A has been recognized as deeper penetrating and reaches the earth in anywhere from 10 to 100 times the density of UVB rays. It is now known to have a much more harmful role than previously suspected. UV-C is extremely dangerous and can burn your eyes and skin very quickly; however — so far — C is presumed to be almost completely blocked by the earth’s (rapidly diminishing) ozone layer that to this point has acted like a giant sponge. UV-B is actually the primary cause of sunburn (erythema), but it also forms a light, natural SPF protection on your skin and promotes additional cell division and a thickening of the outer skin layer (epidermis) to protect the lower layers of skin, which can also add to your natural SPF factor.
Right up there with dumb things to do on the dive site is to nap or fall asleep during lunch facing the sun, which literally fries your eyes like eggs on hot pavement.
Eye Burns
There is no sun block for eyes, and the Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS), the national member association of medical eye doctors, indicates that UV is the sunlight component most responsible for eye damage. Excessive exposure, especially from light reflected from pavement, sand, snow and water, can produce a burn on the surface of the eye. Like skin sunburn, eye surface burns are usually painful, although temporary. Of more concern is the cumulative damage of repeated exposure that can affect not only its surface, but also the internal structures of the eye like the lens and retina. As an example, UV rays can pass through your thin eyelids and temporarily damage the cornea, the clear window in the front of your eye. Right up there with dumb things to do
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on the dive site is to nap or fall asleep during lunch facing the sun, which literally fries your eyes like eggs on hot pavement. The symptoms of sunburned eyes include a salty, burning pain, tearing, a dry eye feeling and sometimes blurred vision. Dive site first aid remedies include cool compresses, cool eye drops or ointment and an analgesic like aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen. If the pain worsens or continues into the next day, see an eye doctor. UV photo-toxicity is also blamed for causing or accelerating the progression of several diseases of the eye or its supporting structures, including the development of cataracts (clouding of the lens), macular degeneration (loss of active photoreceptors in the retina), pterygium (a growth that invades the corner of the eyes), and cancer of the eyelid. And don’t apply sunscreen around your eyes! The chemicals in these products may irritate your eyes, and sunscreen won’t solve the eye sunburn problem. That’s what sunglasses are for.
Fashion is Out
In addition to a wide brimmed hat, the COS recommends that the sunglasses you choose should block all A, B and C rays. Just because the sales tag claims “100% UV Protection” doesn’t mean the glasses block anything more than UV-B. The sunglasses should specify filtration of rays with a wavelength of less than 400 nm. and/or detail the UV A, B and C classifications. If you’re not sure about the sunglasses you have now, most optical stores have a photometer that can determine their UV light transmission. If you really spend a lot of time in the sun, consider starting a new fashion at the dive site with wrap around glasses to prevent the sun from entering your eyes from the sides. And talking about new fashions, more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean more protection. You may get better quality frames with the latest neon colours you can drop tanks on, but if the lenses don’t prevent eye burn, you might as well drop your tanks on them. The colour of the lens doesn’t really matter either, unless you have colour discrimination problems, in which case a neutral gray may work best for you. Photochromic lenses that
change under varying light conditions may pose problems, though, because the UV light that triggers the colour change is absorbed by a car (or boat) windshield. Polarizers that allow you see into water and antireflective coatings are both effective in reducing glare and enhancing contrast. Divers who take photosensitizing drugs such as psoralens (used to treat psoriasis), tetracycline, doxycycline, allopurinol or phothiazine are at greater risk of injury. Remember, too, that blue, green or grey eyes are particularly sensitive.
Focusing On The Dive
So how does all this information help you or your divers see the compass better underwater?
Presuming your divers can avoid washing their contact lenses out of their masks when clearing underwater and want a more permanent solution, optometrists can make a bi- or trifocal prescription lens that glues to the complete inside surface of the mask. Dive suppliers provide small, half-moon shaped mono-focus lenses that attach with water to act as a bi-focal for more accurate instrumentation cluster reading, and some mask manufacturers make complete bifocal lenses that the dealer can switch out at the customer’s will. Most people are now aware that too much sun has been linked to skin cancer, but few are aware that the risks go beyond skin to the eyes. There are sunglasses and then there are sunglasses, but regular eye check-ups are sometimes the only way to determine if it’s a mask problem or an eye problem. As we grow older, modesty can sometimes overtake practicality, but I found, much to my surprise, that when I started wearing glasses, people actually thought I looked smarter! That’s a good thing ‘cause I need all the help I can get, and bringing my vision back to 20-20 not only allows me to clearly see all those little numbers on my compass, but in reverse effect, it also allows me to spot the divers who’re trying to fake it, too. In line with the proven philosophy that if the Instructor wears one, the students will too, now when briefing, I don’t even wait for diver modesty to inhibit their success. Once we start, I slip my glasses on with a cavalier flourish and — in my best John Wayne accent — tell them, “Wear ‘em if ya got ‘em, folks … they’ll make ya smarter.” Safe diving. ♦ For questions contact Tim Jones
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Product news SSI: A Worldwide Presence Unmatched SSI Presents Explosive New, FullColor Materials
Forget black-n-white … SSI brings you a phenomenal line of products complete with manuals that incorporate stunning fullcolor graphics and accompanying DVD’s with spectacular new menus and enhanced usability. That’s not all … to go along with this superior educational selection, SSI offers a corresponding certification card with an eyecatching, graphical depiction of each rating and a stunning presentation box for a luring display. Peak your customers’ interest by driving home the excitement of underwater exploration. SSI’s alluring new, full-color manuals are designed to entice your students and create an undeniable desire to learn the knowledge, skills and equipment necessary for safe scuba adventure. SSI stays abreast of technological trends by offering our dive stores a bold, new look and user-friendly DVD selection. The instructional material contained on the disks has been revamped to allow for easier navigation through the use of interactive menus and helpful hints for an exceptional learning experience. SSI also sheds new light on revenue possibilities by bringing new emphasis to our diver certification program. Our graphics team has developed rating-specific cards complete with graphical representations of the corresponding course. To augment the profit potential, each specialty student kit now includes a full-color postcard encouraging students to purchase a certification card following course completion. All of these educational components, including student manual, DVD and coupon promoting certification cards, come together in our vibrant, new kit box. Titles available to date include Boat Diving, Deep Diving, Equipment Techniques, Dry Suit and Snorkeling. Specialties in the production schedule to look forward to in the late summer/fall months are Navigation and Enriched Air Nitrox. Also, a complete revamp of the Open Water Diver program is slated for 2010! SSI’s focus remains on developing cutting-edge products for our dive stores and continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the industry. 24
Say It with SSI Pride! Stylish, trendy SSI logo items are now available!
We depleted most of our previous stock on promotional items so that we could offer you a fresh selection of today’s hottest promotional products. Choose from a sturdy luggage belt (#SSILUGGAGEBELT) constructed of a black, durable nylon material with the SSI logo printed throughout. Wrap it around the outside of your luggage to assure safe baggage handling and transportation. Or, choose a convenient, neoprene luggage grip (#SSIGRIP) that wraps around most bag handles for easy identification and improved handling of luggage. Pick from (3) neon colors, yellow, green, orange, imprinted with the SSI logo and web address. Next, stay hydrated with 3 “must have” beverage accessories. First, SSI has researched the most popular water bottle sellers from corporate giants like REI and other sports authorities. Our choice is a sleek, 24oz stainless steel bottle, electric blue in color with a catchy SSI logo design. It may cost a little more, but the benefits from the durability and functionality of the bottle far outweigh price. Two more ‘thirst-quenching’ items include a can cooler (or koozie) and bottle opener. Our can cooler, made of neoprene, fits snug around bottles and cans to keep your beverage cool. You can never have too many of these handy, convenient to carry logo items. Our design department is currently working on a custom bottle opener. It’s a super high-quality bottle opener perfect for achievement recognition. The final 3 logo items currently available are an SSI lapel pin, key holder with carabiner and writing pen. The new lapel pin incorporates the globe and is presented on a striking liver die-struck metal surrounded by a rust color enamel fill. The metal is porous and non-corrosive when exposed to water. Each year SSI will unveil a new color so you can add to your collection. These lapel pins add a classy touch to any store uniform. The key holder is made of a super strength nylon strap that connects a useful carabiner on one end and metal key ring on the other. It’s extremely stylish construction lends a black strap with a magenta and gray SSI pattern across it. Don’t get locked out … use the carabiner to clip your keys on your dive
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bag, belt loop or countless other places. Lastly, place a container of our SSI logo writing pens next your point-of-sale for easy transaction completion. Imprinted with the SSI globe logo and web site on the barrel of the pen, the translucent, water-blue color of the pen plus rubber grip make these an irresistible item to keep on hand.
Professionalism with an Outdoor Flair
The new Open Water Instructor kits will now come in a lightweight, versatile backpack that has plenty of room for instructional materials and offers superb comfort. More features include: ♦ Spacious main compartment ♦ Front zip pocket for writing utensils, maps, flashlight, scuba accessories, etc. ♦ Padded laptop sleeve convenient for classroom use, dive site reference and more ♦ Small zip side pockets perfect for cell phones, GPS, hydration containers and countless other uses ♦ Adjustable weight belt ♦ Side compression straps ♦ Padded shoulder straps for comfort This backpack is constructed of rugged Cordura nylon making this the perfect choice to store Instructor materials. It is black with the SSI logo and web site embroidered on the side laptop pocket, the backside of the pack and the front zipper compartment. “Instructor” is embroidered in gray thread on the front below the logo. We will also offer this backpack as an SSI logo item that is the same product minus the “Instructor” embroidery (#SSIBACKPACK). Think that’s exciting? Now for the unveiling of the new Instructor Trainer carry-all … a distinctive, elegant rolling wheel bag. Historically, the IT materials have come in a nylon &/or leather-like briefcase but now are presented to you in a professional, multi-functional wheel tote. It’s sleek, performance profile is designed with plenty of cargo room for SSI Dive Business International
laptops, instructional materials and more. Other features include: ♦ Gusseted, wide zippered opening ideal for carrying a myriad of things ♦ Telescoping, aluminum handle with comfort grip and easy transportation ♦ Inline skate wheels ♦ Spacious main compartment with functional slots and elasticized loops ♦ Durable shoulder strap for alternative carrying method ♦ Constructed of rugged Cordura nylon with superior resistance to tears, abrasion and moisture ♦ Feet for stability and reduced wear This wheel bag is ideal for personal and professional use, plus a countless number of adventures that life throws your way. It is black with the SSI logo and web site embroidered on the side of the bag, the top underneath the handle and the front zip pocket. Also on the front is “Instructor Trainer” embroidered in silver thread. SSI knows the demands of today’s marketplace and with the bags’ intelligent design, we are also offering this wheel bag as an SSI logo item, minus the “IT” embroidery (#SSIWHEELBAG). SSI’s Total DiveLog is also changing. Although not as drastic as some of the instructor products, the new Total DiveLog binder will now be black instead of the traditional royal blue and will be a smaller size. Our graphics department has updated the font style of the embroidery on the front of the binder and added the SSI logo and international dive flag. The SSI web address is also embroidered on the backside. It still contains the same amount of material, but is a smaller, more compact size for convenient carrying. These binders will now fit nicely into an Open Water Diver kit box. That’s not all … both the Dive Control Specialist Instructor binder and the SSI poly log has undergone a few changes as well. The new DCSI binder is a large, zipper binder, built from durable Cordura material. “Dive Professional”, the SSI logo and international dive flag are all embroidered on the front of the binder; meanwhile “Dive Professional” and the SSI logo are embroidered down the binding. It’s a chic binder offering many uses and advantages over a plastic or naugahyde binder used in previous years. The poly binder is the same size and made of the same material, but will now be black with silver imprinting. It is simply a classier look to a more economical option. 3rd Quarter 2009
Noteworthy Scuba Business A Tag That Won’t Tear
After receiving numerous concerns from our dive stores and international partners regarding the material that the Equipment Tag (#1853) was made of … we have taken action. It will now be made of a 13 oz. high gloss, reinforced vinyl banner material. The material has been tested and used by other folks in the industry and it has proven to be successful.
Not Reprinting = Cost-Savings
We are quickly running out of stock of our 100-question answer key (#2105KEY-100Q). We will NOT be reprinting these. Instead, they will be available for download off the SSI web site only. If you are attached to the answer keys with the holes punched out, copy a print out onto a transparency and it has much of the same effect. It works like a gem and is a great, cost effective solution.
Log Insert Additions
In addition to the normal divelog inserts, SSI has created (2) new pages. We have included a medical page at the beginning of the inserts, plus an optional insert titled, “First Time Diver”. This page is awarded to a diver by their instructor upon completion of their first open water dive to commemorate the event. We have also printed extras of the Equipment divelog page.
What’s the Best Advertising? Referrals!
Historically, SSI teamed up with other scuba agencies to produce printed materials for our Universal Referral program. While we still support other agencies, we have created SSI-only URP products that are easily accessible via our web site. Now when you have a referral, log on to the SSI web site and download the necessary forms.
Dive Leader Corner
♦ SSI has completely overhauled the CD containing OWI materials through DCSI materials (previous product #2101XOVER-CD). It will now be referred to as the ‘Digital Instructor Manual’ CD (new #3401CD). It is a visually appealing disk containing printable pdf files of Instructor materials, specialty manuals and outlines and more. It is packaged in a full-color, cardboard case to protect the integrity of the information contained on the disk. Your Education and Business Support Organization
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Successful Increase Sales AND Offer Added Value To Your Students! Your Current Advanced Program (4 Specialties)
+
SSI Perfect Buoyancy Specialty Course
=
Issue the SSI Advanced Adventurer Card immediately after completing the SSI Advanced Program! Benefits 1. Recognize and reward your students immediately for their achievement. 2. Ensure your students’ specialties are registered with SSI. 3. Increase sales per student. 4. Avoid students returning from vacation with a competitor’s advanced card in their wallet. How to Implement 1. Continue to teach your current Advanced Course as you do now using the appropriate student materials. 2. Add the SSI Perfect Buoyancy Specialty to your Advanced Course. 3. Issue the Advanced Adventurer Card immediately after the Advanced Course is completed (6 open water dives).
Why Perfect Buoyancy? 1. By adding Perfect Buoyancy to your Advanced Course you will satisfy the 5 specialty dives required to issue the Advanced Adventurer Card without increasing your overhead (there are no student materials for Perfect Buoyancy). 2. Perfect Buoyancy is an easy to teach, yet very important specialty to increase the comfort and safety of your students. 3. Consider teaching the Perfect Buoyancy Specialty in Open Water Diver classes as a value added feature. 4. Your SSI Dive Leaders are already qualified to teach Perfect Buoyancy. Get Started! 1. Contact your SSI Business Consultant and get your program started!
Underwater Photography Made Easy with Marty Snyderman & SSI
♦ Increase the sales of your Digital Underwater Photography classes
♦ Turn pixels into profits! ♦ Give your customers
something to get excited about!
♦ Two programs in one!
Contact Marty today for more information & to book your in-store event for 2009!
marty@martysnyderman.com
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Your Education and Business Support Organization
SSI Dive Business International
Antigua Ultramarine Antigua 1.268.463.DIVE/3483 www.ultramarinecaribbean.com andrewm@ultramarinecaribbean.com
aruba Private Diving (297) 565.6564 www.private-diving.com Aqua Windies (297) 583 5669 www.aquawindies.com windie@setarnet.aw SE Aruba Fly and Dive (297) 5881150 www.searuba.com searuba.fly.n.dive@setarnet.aw
Bahamas Above and Below Abaco 321.206.9197 www.AboveAndBelowAbaco.com kay@AboveAndBelowAbaco.com Brendal’s Dive Shop Intl. Ltd. Green Turtle Cay • Abaco Island 242.365.4411 www.brendal.com brendal@brendal.com Riding Rock Inn. San Salvador 800.272.492 • 954.359.8353 www.ridingrock.com info@ridingrock.com Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas 800.879.9832 • 954.524.5755 www.stuartcove.com info@stuartcove.com UNEXSO Freeport 800.992.3483 • 561.472.1100 www.unexso.com info@unexso.com
Bonaire Black Durgon Inn +599 (717) 5736 www.blackdurgon.com bonaire@blackdurgon.com Bonaire Dive & Adventure +599 (717) 2227 www. bonairediveandadventure.com staff@bonairediveandadventure.com Buddy Dive Resort +599 (717) 5080 ext 525 www.buddydive.com diveshop@buddydive.com
3rd Quarter 2009
Wannadive +59 (9) 7178884 www.wannadive.com info@wannadive.com Toucan Diving +599 (717) 2500 emilevona@plazaresortbonaire.com www.toucandiving.com
Belize St. George Caye Lodge Belize City 877.517.9365
british virgin isls. BVI Scuba Co. Inner Harbour Marina Road Town Tortola, BVI Phone: 284.540.2222 www.bviscubaco.com info@bviscubaco.com Dive BVI Ltd. P.O. Box 1040 Virgin Gorda British Virgin Islands VG1150 284.495-5513 Toll free: 800-848-7078 info@divebvi.com Dive Tortola British Virgin Islands 800.353.3419 • 284.494.6093 www.DiveTortola.com Jost Van Dyke Scuba Great Harbour, British Virgin Islands 284.495.0271 www.jostvandykescuba.com info@jostvandykescuba.com info@bvi-ecotours.com
Cayman Islands DiveTech and Cobalt Coast Resort Grand Cayman 888.946.5656 • 345.946.5658 www.divetech.com • www.cobaltcoast.com divetech@candw.ky • cobalt@candw.ky Red Sail Sports Grand Cayman 877.733.7245 • 402.537.6803 www.redsailcayman.com infocayman@redsailcayman.com Sunset House Grand Cayman 800.854.4767 • 345.949.7111 www.sunsethouse.com sunsethouse@sunsethouse.com
curacao Caribbean Seasports +599 (9) 4622620 www.caribseasports.com info@caribseasports.com
Get acquainted with these SSI Members for your next referral!
Downtown Diving Curacao info@downtowndiving.com www.downtowndiving.com
DomInica Dive Dominica and Castle Comfort Dive Lodge 1-888-414-7626 646-502-6800 dive@cwdom.dm www.castlecomfortdivelodge.com www.divedominica.com
REFERRAL NETWORK
Partners in Paradise. Support These SSI Resorts!
Dom. Republic Profunda Experiencia Puerta Plata 809.586.1239 www.seaprodivers.com dive.pro@verizon.net.do
Honduras Utila Watersports Utila 1.800.348.2628 011.504.425.3264 www.utilawatersports.com dive@utilawatersports.com
Lanzorte Safari Diving +34 (928) 511992 www.safaridiving.com enquiry@safaridiving.com
Turks & Caicos Dive Provo Box 413, Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands, BWI 649.946.5040 US: 800.234.7768 diveprovo@tciway.tc
Virgin Islands Cane Bay Dive Shop P.O. Box 4510, Kingshill St. Croix, US. Virgin Islands 00851 1.800.338.3843 • 340.773.9913 info@canebayscuba.com www.canebayscuba.com
Your Education and Business Support Organization
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directory of ssi services
Headquarters General
President & CEO ...............................................Doug McNeese, ext. 143 dmcneese@diveSSI.com Executive Director................................................Susan DeVore, ext. 144 sdevore@diveSSI.com
Sales
Inside Sales Manager....................................... Marilyn Pearson, ext. 120 mpearson@diveSSI.com International Support Representative & Dealer Support Representative......................... Julie Danley, ext. 122 orders@diveSSI.com
Business Support Representatives
Northeast........................................................ Daryl Loller, 757.963.0318 d.b@mindspring.com Southeast................................................. Kirk Mortensen, 727.489.5618 kirkmortensen@gmail.com South Central............................................... Eric Peterson, 512.392.0963 seaspete@msn.com Western......................................................... Ed Salamone, 559.225.0665 edslamone@mindspring.com Midwest............................................................... Jim Ikerd, 970.568.9507 jimikerd@hotmail.com
Marketing & Product Development
Product Development/Marketing Manager... Suzanne Fletcher, ext. 130 sfletcher@diveSSI.com Graphic Designer...................................................... Lori Evans, ext. 129 levans@diveSSI.com Graphic Designer................................................. Jennifer Silos, ext. 149 jsilos@diveSSI.com
Accounting Chief Financial Officer................................................ Erin Ross, ext. 121 eross@diveSSI.com
Instructor & Diver Support Director of Education................................... Watson DeVore, ext. 142 Dive Leader Services Representative............. Jerelyn Shelley, ext. 114 Certification Support Representative........... Brianna Coplin, ext. 146 bcoplin@diveSSI.com Certification Support Representative....... Shana McCartney, ext. 112 smccartney@diveSSI.com
Operations & Purchasing Operations Manager....................................... Stephanie Riedel, ext. 123 sriedel@diveSSI.com Purchasing Manager .......................................Shannon Bryner, ext. 127 sbryner@diveSSI.com Shipping & Receiving Rep. Intl......................................Devon Hoffner Shipping & Receiving Rep. Domestic........................ Gary Hadenfeldt Assemblies........................................................................ Betty Murdock Assemblies...................................................................... Pete McDonnell
Resorts ABC’s, Edwin Sap............................................................. 31.26.4455587 Mexico, Frank Palmero...................................................... 772.286.7111 South Pacific, Bruce Jamison......................................... 61.4.17.600056 South Pacific, Riaan Woest...................................................647.5143.50 Eastern Caribbean, Andrew Moleta................................ 268.720.9991 Caribbean, Watson DeVore....................................... 482.0883, ext. 142
Regional Centers & Area Offices For a complete listing, visit www.diveSSI.com
Become One of Diving’s Elite There are moments, ever-so-brief, that express a level of certainty. I’ve had a few of those beautiful moments in my life, they have all been underwater. The recognition from Platinum Pros further encourages me and adds credibility to my goal of educating and exciting the next generation of the importance of good stewardship of the oceans in which we dive in. Thank you for inviting me into this who’s who of my industry, I am truly honored. — Rogest The list of Platinum Pro5000 cardholders is a “who’s who” of diving, containing the world’s most prominent dive leaders, scientists, photographers, manufacturers, retailers and resort operators. Its all about diving. The unsung dive master on any island and Jacques Cousteau earned their cards the same way — by diving 5,000 times, or diving 2,500 times and making a documented/significant contribution to the recreational scuba diving industry. The Platinum Pro5000 card cannot be purchased. Individuals must apply for the award.
Already a Pro? Nominate a friend. Want to be a Pro? Apply today. Don’t Wait! Deadline for 2009 is Tuesday, Sept. 22nd.
For more information contact 970.482.0883 or visit www.divessi.com/platinumpro/ for an application and to check out the list of Pros. This is a non-affiliated award for divers from any agency.
One of the Highest Honors in the Industry. 28
Your Education and Business Support Organization
SSI Dive Business International
1 Flex Joint
WELCOME TO THE
MOVEMENT
The most advanced fin platform on the planet has arrived. Engineered for effortless power and speed, the Slingshot features an innovative mid-foot flex joint to engage your entire leg with every kick, relieving pressure on your foot and propelling you with unmatched acceleration. And the adjustable Power Bands let you fine tune your kick for each dive’s varying conditions. More power, more comfort, less work.
2
Power Bands
3
Gear Shift Mid-Foot Flex Joint
Transfers the power from your entire leg to the blade relieving pressure from your toes and ankles. Power Bands
Releases energy with each stroke, adding power and momentum to your kick with less effort. Three-Speed Gear Shift
Customizes your speed to effort ratio to fit your specific dive conditions.
Slingshot_AD_SSI.indd 1
12/16/08 3:38:42 PM
Laguna Beach Resort
An exclusive diving, fishing, and beach getaway located on Utila, combines elegance, privacy and natural beauty. Utila sits on top of the second largest fringing coral reef in the world, and the outer banks are home to dolphin and whale sharks.
Low season packages starting at $1165 pp/do • High season packages starting at $1465 pp/do Utila, Honduras www.utiladiveventures.com • shara@utiladiveventures.com • 1-623-217-4557 All packages include: 3 boat dives daily and 2 night boat dives a week, 3 meals a day, unlimited shore diving/snorkeling, unlimited horseback riding, kayaking & biking, taxes, and r/t transfers from Utila airport/resort.
Come explore our tropical paradise.