RETAILING How Dive Clubs Can Be a Dive Retailer’s Best Friend – by Gil Zeimer, ScubaStoryteller.com and Zeimer.com, San Rafael, CA
As a PADI Open-Water Diver for nearly 40 years, Gil has published more than 110 articles in over 25 magazines and websites, plus another 170 newsletters about his experiences. He’s also a two-time skin cancer survivor.
Why build a relationship with one cus- tomer when you can grow it exponentially with a whole dive club? After all, a local club of members can earn advanced certifications, buy more gear, and join more of your trips’ My Dive Club’s Group Dives: Most members of my club are avid
about local dive clubs and their monthly activities. 2) Introduce your solo divers to a dive club to find a buddy. 3)Hand out postcards at your shop about dive clubs to build community. 4)Offer to speak at dive clubs annually to showcase the latest gear and innovations. 5) Become a sponsor in dive club newsletters and websites to remind them of your support. 6)Acquaint yourself with local dive clubs at trade shows to set up future liaisons. 7)Host swap meets with dive clubs. 8) Support dive club events like a Frozen Fin or Polar Bear Dive on January 1st.
divers, especially to warm water. In the last few years, groups of 10-20 divers have traveled to Lake Tahoe, Monterey, the Channel Islands, Kona, Mexico (Sea of Cortez, Cozumel, and Cabo Pulmo), the Caribbean (Little Cayman, Roatan,
Bonaire, the Bahamas, the Domini- can Republic), the Maldives, and the Philippines. Many of these trips were booked through a dive shop, a resort, or a liveaboard. Every Shop Should Have a Club Affiliation: In fact, according to Jeff Cinciripino, former owner of Scuba Shack in Rocky Hill, Con- necticut, “Dive clubs are great busi- ness for dive shops because they
9) Host an activity or a dive at least once a month, especially for dive club members. 10) Promote your local, nearby, and tropical trips that dive club members can enjoy. The Bottom Line: Whether you’re a dive shop, liveaboard boat operator, or resort, you should
Marin Scuba Club members in Little Cayman
have numerous dive club affiliations to create more cus- tomers who can earn advanced certifications, go diving more often, and buy the latest gear. Leveraging relationships with dive club members to dive more often is always a win/win scenario.
keep divers diving. In my experience, every shop should have at least one dive club affiliation to keep our customers engaged in this sport. When I owned my shop, we pro- moted a local dive club –– the SECONN Skin Divers –– to our customers, and the club offered a free first-year mem- bership.” Ten Things That Dive Shops Can Do: 1) Tell newly certified divers during their Open Water classes
To discuss how I can help your business attain dive club success, please email me (gil@zeimer.com) or scan the QR Code.
email Gil
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