Written by Michael Richardson, Instructor Development Programs Specialist and Kyle Ingram, Marketing Executive
Why you should always let new divers know that diving opens up career options they may not have considered.
“Whenever someone walks through the door and inquires about doing an Open Water Diver course, we see them as a potential instructor candidate right from the start,” says Tracy Channon, PADI® Course Director at Dive Otago, a PADI Five Star Career Development Center in Dunedin, New Zealand. “We talk to them about options and give them possible career goals. We talk to them about the lifestyle of dive instructing and the jobs they can get.”
PADI Instructor development is the focus of Dive Otago’s business, and they do a great job of attracting and training new dive professionals. But shouldn’t every potential diver learn that diving can become a career in addition to offering amazing adventures in more than 186 countries and territories?
Think back to your first breath underwater. Maybe you knew then that you wanted to do what your instructor was doing. Even if you didn’t, wouldn’t it have been nice to know that becoming a dive pro was an option? Perhaps your journey to PADI Pro would have been accelerated. Maybe your entry-level student divers would plot a direct course toward becoming a PADI Instructor, Assistant Instructor or Divemaster if they knew upfront that they could.
Know Your Market – A Tailored Approach
Instructor candidates come from wide range of backgrounds, and reasons for taking an Instructor Development Course (IDC) are as diverse as the different markets they come from.
There are the “challenge seekers” who move up the continuing education ladder by taking the next logical step in diver training. The IDC is the ultimate challenge.
The “working professionals” are looking to expand their overall skill set, or maybe just looking to teach in their spare time. Some individuals may want to change their life completely, ditching a suit and tie for board shorts and a rash guard. A popular concept, especially with Millennials, is the “side-gig economy” – think Uber or Lyft. Teaching diving is a great way to earn extra income at night and on weekends doing something you love doing.
“Young adventure seekers,” such as backpackers, gap-year students and new graduates, are in transition and exploring opportunities as they prepare for the next step. Taking an IDC can be part of the reason for their travel or the perfect means to strengthen their resumes and check out different career options.
By identifying the specific needs and goals of these diverse markets, and by staying abreast of trends and changes, you can begin to build steady streams of candidates from a wider range of backgrounds. It ’s important to develop a tailored approach to meet the expectations of potential dive pros and to better direct your efforts to gain their business. Earning the trust of your customers is key to earning their business. By helping them justify the training they’ll receive and showing them what they’ll be able to do with it going forward, you’ll solidify your relationship and mutual professional success.
Have a Strong Internal Acquisition Program
It makes sense to expose new divers to your professional-level training program from the very beginning. You do this by creating a culture within your business that makes going pro a clear and desirable choice. And, you support it by offering the full line of courses that allow divers to consistently work their way up.
Even if you aren’t a PADI Instructor Development Center or Career Development Center, you still can be in the business of dive career development by training people to become PADI Divemasters. Remember that PADI IDC Staff Instructors can conduct PADI Assistant Instructor courses at PADI Five Star Dive Centers.
To create a pro development culture within your business, make it a point to have seasoned PADI Divemasters, newly certified divemasters and divemaster candidates assisting with your full line of courses. Having dive pros in various development stages interacting with all of your student divers demonstrates your commitment to pro-level training. It can do more to sell dive careers than almost anything else you do.
However, you should back up your commitment by making sure the entire dive center or resort staff shares the same philosophy and can explain not only the value and benefits of becoming a PADI Pro, but also basic program scheduling and pricing. It also helps to have a marketing strategy and a media plan that focuses on going pro. (More on this later.)
One proven tool is to host a PADI Pro Night. These special evenings have helped many PADI Dive Centers and Resorts generate immediate sales and fill up both diver and pro-level courses. Look for Pro Night marketing materials and ideas on the PADI Pros’ Site and on the pro blog, and discuss ideas with your PADI Regional Manager.
Outshine Your Competition
Because everyone shops around to some extent, you need to find a way that you can differentiate yourself and let potential customers know what’s unique about your business. Sell your pro-level courses, not the courses themselves. What makes your training programs stand out above other training programs? At the end of the day, it’s all about value and supporting that value with the price of your training. It’s important to remember that, for many people, price only becomes an issue in the absence of value.
Here are a few intrinsic selling points to consider when promoting your business:
- Qualifications and Industry Experience – Highlight your business environment – retail, resort, multi-store, liveaboard, cruise line, charter boat, etc. – along with your PADI Membership level and special endorsements like TecRec Center, Freediver Center, Swim School, 100% AWARE, Green Star Award, travel affiliate, etc. Spell out the staff’s cumulative industry experience and professional achievements (Platinum/Gold/Silver Course Directors, Elite
Instructors, PADI AmbassaDivers™, licensed boat captains, marine biologists, etc.)
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Location and Training Environment – Describe your setting and what’s great about the local diving, whether it’s tropical, temperate, salt or freshwater, reef or kelp forests, etc. Also, feature local attractions and cultural activities.
- Facilities and Extras – List the amenities that add value to the whole experience including Wi-Fi, heated pool, comfortable boats, snacks, gear storage, on-site lodging, hyperbaric chamber, aquarium, apprenticeships, etc.
- Schedule Advantages – Explain scheduling options and how you can tailor schedules to make training fit the individual’s needs. Creativity and flexibility allow you to accommodate a variety of courses within a given period.
- Pricing and Packages – To truly differentiate your pro development program, create packages that cover all course components, then offer custom upgrades that include lodging, transportation, food and additional
recreational diving. Don’t forget the personalized extras, such as store or PADI-branded apparel and memory packages like photos/videos.
Offer Career Counseling and Add-Ons
To close the loop, you need to help your developing dive pros plot their career paths. Let them know about employment opportunities within the dive industry and offer services like structured internships, resume writing workshops and job search/placement assistance.
A great approach is to counsel and train candidates as if you were planning to hire them. Not only will this allow you to organically grow your own staff, but it provides experienced based training that better prepares candidates for future employment some where else.
Whether you’re training PADI Divemasters, Assistant Instructors or Instructors, be sure to offer additional career development courses such the PADI Adaptive Techniques Specialty, Emergency First Response Instructor, Emergency Oxygen Provider Instructor, other specialty instructor training and Master Scuba Diver™ Trainer preparatory programs.
Put together career-track packages that include additional training and internship opportunities, for example:
- Dive Center Operations
- Travel Specialist
- Gear Technician
- Boat Operations
- Market Your Pro Training
To really make your cash register ring, marketing is essential. The first step is to keep staff up to date on your Pro program and provide them with talking points, handouts and incentives to sell diving as a career option. The next tasks are to:
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Create a separate Pro/IDC website or a dedicated landing page on your main business site. Use video to improve site session times and reduce text.
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Create a Pro email campaign targeting Rescue Divers and higher. Use a three-attempt structure and automate for efficiency.
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Use social media channels to focus on dive careers and opportunities along with the benefits of your program. Be sure to link back to your new website or dedicated landing page.
Dive professionals are uniquely positioned to be the most effective ambassadors for “selling” the many benefits of a career in diving. Hosting PADI Pro Nights is a proven marketing tactic that you can elevate by inviting your own pro alumni, social influencers, dive celebrities or marine scientists/conservationists and your PADI Regional Manager to come and share their stories while promoting your Pro program.
By tailoring your approach to developing dive professionals, you secure new opportunities to grow your business at all levels. By leveraging the intrinsic selling points and the competitive advantages that are unique to your pro program, you’ll not only open up new doors for budding dive professionals but also expand your business – both of which are extremely rewarding experiences.
A version of the article originally appeared in the 4th Quarter 2019 edition of The Undersea Journal.
