Dive Industry Strategy | Dive Professional Career

Plugging the Hole in the Scuba Industry: The Critical Difference Between Satisfied and Enthusiastic Customers

I once attended a business seminar where the speaker began his presentation with a statement I’ll always remember: “A satisfied customer may tell some of his friends about you, but an unsatisfied customer will tell all of his friends.” It’s hardly a secret that the key to success in any business is how well you treat your customers. However, the hard lesson many in the dive industry are now learning is that simply “satisfying” a customer just isn’t enough.

I embarked on a full-time career in the diving industry back in 1976 and have followed closely how dive consumers have changed. I’ve also watched many of my colleagues either not recognize — or steadfastly refuse to recognize — just how drastic those changes have been. And in analyzing what it takes to succeed in the modern version of the dive industry as it relates to the customer experience, many have also failed to recognize the real challenge we face and exactly how to respond. Today, the mantra of success I hear a lot is “we need to learn how to market diving better.” But to me, basing your future success on “better marketing,” while not recognizing a more fundamental problem, is ignoring yet another adage I’m fond of: “If you don’t plug the hole, it doesn’t matter how hard you bail.” As Blockbuster Video learned, you can’t market your way out of a business model that’s dead, yet that seems to be exactly what we continually try to do in diving.

So, exactly how do we plug the hole?

As I said, a satisfied customer isn’t enough; to plug the hole in our industry the goal must be to take a step further and create enthusiastic customers. While this may appear to be merely a matter of semantics, the difference is actually quite important. The essence of my point can be found in the very meaning of the words at issue. According to Webster, satisfied means: to fulfill the desires, expectations, needs or demands and is derived from the Latin satisfacere, “to make do.” However, enthusiastic means: a source or cause of great excitement or interest and, importantly, is from the Greek enthousiasmos, “to be inspired by a god.” (Keep that word inspired in mind.)

What Makes the Difference?

Like many today I spend more time than I’d like to admit on the Internet. In wandering through cyberspace I often read Trip Advisor™ reviews of dive operators, and I sometimes encounter businesses with virtually 100 percent five-star ratings. Assuming nothing can be perfect I then delve more deeply into the details to assess the reason, and probable validity, of such glowing opinions. I also reflect on reviews of operators who have good but less raving reviews. In my analysis of the two I’ve come to realize that to consistently garner the “good” reviews operators must fulfill two essential criteria. First, customers must feel their experience was safe and, secondly, they must have enjoyed it. Of course, this is hardly surprising as it should be the goal of every dive operation. The more important question is, what’s the difference between those receiving “good” reviews and those who consistently reach the category of “excellent”? What I’ve discovered time and again is there’s a third criteria in addition to safe and fun. I call it connected.

What I mean by connected is that the customer experiences a deep, meaningful and authentic interaction with the environment resulting in an experience that exceeded their expectations. Besides being safe and entertained, they come away with a sense of fulfillment and are inspired to learn and do more to understand and protect the environment they encountered. This is what cultural geographers, social psychologists and sociologists term a “sense of place.” This connected experience is also what creates an enthusiastic customer because you are the one, perhaps for the first time, who made it happen. Furthermore, achieving this level of connection can be as rewarding and inspiring for you as it is for your customers.

So, How Do You Create Enthusiastic Customers?

Unfortunately, I believe the path to creating enthusiastic customers points out a flaw in our industry’s professional development process. Given the exceptional safety record of scuba diving, dive professionals generally do a good job of keeping people from hurting themselves. Likewise, we normally figure out how to ensure our charges have fun. The failure is the third criterion — instilling a sense of connection to the environment.

It’s also notable that this connection cannot take place in a sterile setting like a classroom or even a pool. “Connection” is fundamentally an environmental experience, so it can only occur, as scientists often say, in situ (in place). This makes the front-line troops — those who guide and supervise diving experiences on the reefs and wrecks of the world — the exclusive facilitators of connection.

Learning how to connect customers to the experience begins by understanding what really motivates one to dive. What is it that customers really want to do? Regardless of what your training agency tells you, people don’t become divers because they want to take courses, regardless how short and convenient they are. A C-card is merely a means to an end, not an end unto itself. One dives to experience an environment that’s inaccessible without specialized training. So, one would expect those trained to facilitate the experience of divers would have a very solid background in the environments their customers want to experience. Yet sadly, that’s not the case. The reality is dive professionals are turned out into the industry with woefully little background into what really motivates the divers’ interest — the environment. It’s as though we were training Paris tour guides yet including nothing in the curriculum about either the Eiffel Tower or Louvre! So, until this deficiency is addressed in the training of dive professionals, the onus will remain on them as individuals to acquire the knowledge base necessary to not only better educate but motivate divers in a way that produces enthusiastic customers. The problem is that most don’t take on this task and remain as uninformed about the environment as their customers.

Yet even possessing expert-level knowledge does not necessarily ensure success in making the customer connection. There are countless dive professionals with formal degrees in marine and environmental science who still don’t hit the mark when it comes to creating enthusiastic customers. The reason is that knowledge alone isn’t enough. The key is how the interaction between you and the customer takes place.

The knowledge base to create enthusiastic customers requires more than an extensive repertoire of facts. Of course, facts are important but they’re not sufficient. A full appreciation of what happens in any ecosystem is based on understanding the ecology of that environment, not just the organisms that occupy it. Think of it this way: Ecology is the play and the creatures who live there are actors. Yes, it’s good to know some of the actors, but a deep understanding requires knowing the play — how exactly the actors interact. This is especially true regarding coral reefs because of the vast differences between the “actors” in various parts of the world. (The Indo-Pacific has ten times the coral diversity and at least six times the fish diversity than the Caribbean.) Still, regardless of where you end up in the coral reef world the play is essentially the same; only the actors change. This illustrates lesson number one in creating enthusiastic customers: Emphasize function over form. Divers can learn from any guidebook “who’s who” on the reef; your job should be explaining the how and why.

Yet another reason facts are not sufficient in connecting customers is that facts speak only to the cognitive (thinking) part of the brain. Connection only happens when you can connect with the affective (feeling) part. This brings us to lesson number two: Connect with the heart, not just the head. As someone trying to facilitate a connected diving experience it’s important you understand the distinction between education and interpretation. While these are often assumed to be synonymous, they are anything but. Education deals primarily with the realm of the head while interpretation emphasizes the realm of the heart. The difference is apparent in their respective definitions. Education is defined as “the process of facilitating learning.” By contrast, interpretation is “a means of communicating ideas and feelings which helps people enrich their understanding and appreciation of their world, and their role within it.” Note the highlighted verbs are emotional (affective), appealing to the realm of the heart, which now brings us to lesson number three: Don’t just be an educator, be an interpreter.

Turning Education into Interpretation

Transforming an educational experience into an interpretive one requires recognizing three fundamental factors: 1) the chief goal of interpretation is not instruction nor just answering question; it’s to provoke thought; 2) interpretation is revelation based on information, not information alone; and 3) an interpretive experience must relate what you’re trying to reveal to the customer’s own life experience (which means to do the job you have to get to know your customers). Again, appeal to the heart, not just the head.

While it’s beyond the scope of this article to teach the nuances of environmental interpretation, there is a general template you can use in trying to upgrade your customer interaction from education to interpretation. First, understand that high-quality environmental interpretation is structured around five key considerations: understanding; curiosity; reflection; care about the environment; and care for the environment. In turn, whether your customers come out and say it directly or it’s evident from their facial expressions, any spot-on interpretive experience should elicit the following reactions: 1) “Wow, I didn’t know that” (understanding); 2) “I want to know more” (curiosity); 3) “I never thought of it that way.” (reflection); 4) “Someone should do something about that” (care about the environment); and 5) “I want to help” (care for the environment). Of course, you won’t hit every point every time, but do try to address each point in every opportunity you have to interact with customers.

If you’re still not convinced — or you’re still a bit confused — consider the following two scenarios. The first is, unfortunately, what happens on dive excursions every day: A couple emerges from a dive bursting with enthusiasm after seeing a large school of enormous midnight parrotfish foraging along the reef. They hurriedly stow their gear and rush up to the divemaster exclaiming, “I didn’t know fish ate the reef. What were those big blue ones biting the coral? It was so amazing; you could actually hear the crunch when they took a bite!” Having heard this a hundred times before from countless customers, the divemaster responds emotionlessly, “Oh, those were parrotfish. They weren’t eating the reef, they were eating algae.” Done, nothing more said, and the boat heads back to the dock with the divemaster having done his job — he kept his charges safe and answered their questions. And the divers, having enjoyed the experience so much, are likely to be satisfied customers.

Now, here’s that same scenario but with the divemaster responding with an interpretive approach. (Note how it hits all the five points): “Yes, amazing, wasn’t it? [with enthusiasm] Those were midnight parrotfish. They were scraping algae from the reef, not really eating it, although they do consume some coral in the process. Believe it or not each fish bites the reef tens of thousands of times a day, and the limestone in their poo makes up a good part of the sand on the reef and on the beach. But what they do is even more vital to the health of the reef. Basically, as they eat almost nothing else but algae, they’re the reef’s lawn mowers, and without them the reef would soon be overrun by seaweed (understanding). And you know what else; they change sex as they grow. They start out as female and eventually become males. It’s called sequential hermaphrodism and is common in many reef fish. In fact, unlike parrotfish some fish start as boys but become girls (curiosity). Take the case of Finding Nemo. Poor little Nemo didn’t have to go looking for his mother because, if she left or was eaten, his father would just turn into his new mom (reflection). Unfortunately, local fishermen catch a lot of parrotfish for the market, which is a real problem because soon we may not have enough of them left to keep algae in check (care ABOUT the environment). So, if you do see parrotfish on your restaurant menu tonight, do the reef a favor and please don’t order it (care FOR the resource). In fact, too many nutrients, like fertilizer or run-off from septic tanks and golf courses — even the fertilizer you put on your lawn — can allow the seaweed to go crazy and literally cover over the coral. That’s why it’s important to control nutrient pollution and why our company supports laws and regulations for strong water quality standards.”

Of course, this took a bit more time than the first scenario (about 90 seconds, actually) because it didn’t just answer a question. The interpretive response expanded the conversation explaining the ecological role of parrotfishes and the problems overfishing and nutrient pollution pose to coral reef health. Clearly, this is time well spent when you consider the differing impact the two scenarios are likely to have on the customer experience and achieving the connection to the environment that’s so vital in creating enthusiastic customers.

How to Implement Interpretation

When I make the case for interpretation over education to dive professionals I sometimes hear the objection, “My customers aren’t interested in all that, they just want to go diving.” My response is, you may be right, but you might just as well be missing a significant opportunity. Then, if I still have their attention, I delve into a phenomenon I term the divers’ “environmental mind-set.”

I maintain that divers fall into four categories when it comes to their level of interest in the environment. First, there are the “lookie-loos.” These folks dive only occasionally and are interested solely in relaxing and experiencing the beauty of the underwater environment. They dive to see the “pretty stuff.” Probably, any attempt to provide an in-depth interpretation to this group would fall on deaf ears and may even be considered annoying. Next are the “adrenalin junkies.” These are divers who are only interested in seeing the “big stuff,” and the more dangerous it is the better. This is the shark crowd, and their main objective is to be thrilled not educated. Third, are the more environmentally-attuned “bird watchers.” To them the diving experience is all about fish and other intriguing creatures and they love searching for them — especially the rare ones. Some are even as devoted to the endeavor as their namesakes and go to great lengths and expense to add new species to their life list. They’re often the most devoted photographers. Finally, we come to the “arm-chair ecologists.” These are divers who are genuinely interested in the environment and seek a deep understanding of what they see around them. And, of course, they crave any opportunity to gain a more comprehensive insight into the underwater world.

However, you should be very cautious in assuming divers are so entrenched in their attitudes toward the environment. In many cases their mindset is really a result of ignorance or, more likely, the fact that no one has taken the time — nor had the skill — to change their attitude through proper interpretation. This means that every lookie-loo, adrenalin junkie and bird watcher you encounter could be a potential arm-chair ecologist and enthusiastic customer — if you do your job. So, never assume; always make your pitch. Always be an interpreter.

Preparation is the Key

You may have noticed that nothing I’ve discussed so far takes place in a classroom. That doesn’t mean if you’re an instructor you shouldn’t substantially beef up your lessons on the environment. The standard curriculum in every training agency entry-level program I’m aware of is woefully lacking, so have at it. My point is that no real connection can take place in a classroom. After all, how could it? There’s nothing to connect to but four walls and a video screen. Yet, you might ask not having the controlled environment of a classroom setting, how exactly can you capture a diver’s attention and interest long enough to get a true interpretive message across? The answer is preparation and recognizing when people are truly motivated to learn.

One practical strategy is what I call the “post-briefing.” Here, after the normal pre-dive dive briefing you simply announce, “Okay, for those interested in learning a bit more about what you’ll be seeing today, meet me on the bow in two minutes.” Another approach used by some dive operators is offering informal evening “talks,” ostensibly to discuss tomorrow’s dive, but with the real intent of providing an engaging interpretive presentation. (One operator I know calls these “bio briefs” and offers them nightly at his resort after dinner around the video screen next to the bar.) Still, you won’t capture everyone this way because not everyone is ready to learn when you may be ready to teach them.

So, how do you reach all of your customers?

This is only possible through direct personal interaction with you (or your staff) and how effective you are in recognizing and responding to opportunities. Let’s take the second scenario offered previously as an example. Here, the divemaster didn’t just pull information out of thin air. The response was carefully planned based on an astute read of the situation. In doing so the divemaster called upon two effective interpretive strategies: 1) recognizing a teachable moment; and 2) recalling a micro-message. Let’s look at each of these.

Every successful educator knows that people only learn when they want to and to assume otherwise is to invite frustration and failure. But how do you know when someone is ready to learn? The answer is simple: They often tell you in what can be termed a “teachable moment.” A teachable moment is a spontaneous opportunity that arises where an interpreter has a chance to offer insight. A teachable moment is not something that you can plan for; rather, it is a fleeting opportunity that must be sensed and seized. Teachable moments are most often indicated by questions which indicate, “I’m ready to learn!” But to take advantage of the opportunity you must become an astute listener and, most important, be prepared to respond. Here are a few common examples of questions or comments that are also potential teachable moments and how you might respond as an interpreter.

• “I’ve never seen water so clear!” Explain why the permanent thermocline of tropical water creates stratification preventing nutrient-rich water from upwelling; and ironically how this clear, low-nutrient water enables the reef to function due to the symbiosis between the coral animal and their resident photosynthetic algae (zooxanthellae).
• “My instructor told me that red light disappears at about 15 feet, but I just saw a coral colony that was day-glow red at 80 feet!” This is a great lead-in to biofluorescence and why corals have evolved this capacity. It’s also a good opportunity to explain how exciting it is to see this phenomenon at night using ultraviolet light (and sell your operation’s “fluoro dive”).
• “Did you see that fish with all the spines? It was so ugly it was cute!” or “I could have sworn I was looking at a rock, then all of a sudden, it began swimming!” This is similar to the parrotfish question in the previous scenario. Here you can explain why fish have such different forms and how this drives much of their behavior and feeding preferences.
• “Why is it I see parrotfish chomping the reef all the time but I’ve never seen a grouper feed?” Explain that different families of fishes feed in “guilds” based on the food preference and how the difference in nutritional value drives the behavior of herbivores (algae eaters) versus piscivores (fish eaters).
• “I can’t believe how big that fish was with all the spots! And did you see that tiny little fish biting him on the gills?” Explain “feeding stations,” the various organisms that are cleaners and how this phenomenon contributes to the overall health of the reef.

Next is the issue of micro-messages. If you’ve ever taken any sales training you already know that 80 percent or more of the objections a salesperson encounters from customers are predictable, so successful salespeople are always prepared with a response even before the potential buyer finishes their statement. Interpretation works the same way. The overwhelming majority of the questions you’re likely to hear you will hear time and again. So, like successful salespeople and Boy Scouts, be prepared. This is the role of “micro-messages” or what are sometimes called “elevator talks.” These are concise two- to three-minute informal presentations (although they shouldn’t come off that way) highlighting concepts and phenomena that are vital to understand the ecology of a coral reef (or any other relevant ecosystem). Armed with this memorized repertoire of information you can offer insights anywhere, not just during a dive. Looking back at the parrotfish scenario, the divemaster wasn’t “winging it.” His response was a micro-message he had internalized and refined over time by the many opportunities he had to respond to the same or similar question. Much as an athlete relies on muscle memory from constant practice to perfect his performance, so too an interpreter relies on continual practice to refine a micro-message.

One additional point about micro-messages is setting. Consider that you may be interacting with divers in many different social contexts — at the bar, in the restaurant or during the trip to and from the dive site. In fact, you may spend more time with them in these settings than while actually diving, and with this level of interaction it’s likely the conversation will turn to the environment. So, if you take the time to develop a micro-message repertoire you’ll find yourself launching into one as smoothly and flawlessly as clearing your mask anytime and anywhere an opportunity arises. Here are some examples of micro-messages you might consider and some issues to include in the discussion.

• The role zooxanthellae play in coral biology and what happens when this relationship breaks down (bleaching, climate change, susceptibility to disease).
• The importance of herbivory and why excess nutrients are bad for coral reefs (pollution, poor sewage management and ill-conceived land-use decisions).
• Reef fish behavior may seem chaotic but it’s quite comprehensible if you understand some basics. (Morphology illustrates food preference, herbivory versus carnivory, feeding guild membership).
• Why coral reefs are important to everyone, not just divers (drug development, coastal protection, food security, ecosystem integrity).
• Why coral reefs are in decline (pollution, overfishing, climate change).

It’s abundantly clear that today’s dive consumers want more than to be kept safe and entertained. They want authentic and meaningful experiences that stimulate them both intellectually and spiritually; and transition from a satisfied to enthusiastic customer happens only when this demand is met. And just how we go about it was summed up nicely more than four decades ago by Freeman Tilden, the godfather of interpretation. He said, “The goal of interpretation is not to inform but to inspire!” That, too, must be your goal.

Here are some resources for those who want to learn more about the field of interpretation:

• Beck, L. & Cable, T. (1997). Interpretation for the 21st Century: Fifteen Guiding Principles for Interpreting Nature and Culture. Sagamore Publishing: Champaign.
• Ham, S. (1992). Environmental Interpretation: A Practical Guide for People with Big Ideas and Small Budget. North America Press: Golden, CO.
• Larson, D.L. (ed.). (2003). Meaningful Interpretation: How to Connect Hearts and Minds to Places, Objects and Other Resources.

Want to Learn More About Coral Reefs?

If you found in reading this article that your own knowledge base on the environment may be a bit lacking, take heart. Ocean Education International offers a free online course on coral reef ecology called Cities Under the Sea. You can register and complete the course at your leisure, here.

A Discussion About Interpretation

Hear more about what the author has to say about the role of environmental interpretation in strengthening your customer base, and how it can help dive professionals provide a higher quality of experience to their clients, in a podcast of The Dive Locker with Tec Clark.

About the author: Dr. Alex Brylske is founder and president of Ocean Education International, a consulting company specializing in marine environmental education and professional development for dive professionals. He recently developed and teaches a six-day course on sustainable dive tourism called ECO PRO. One of the course modules, Perfecting the Customer Experience: The Art and Science of Interpreting the Coral Reef, was the basis for this article. Find out more information at: www.oceaneducationinternational.com.

Published in Scubanomics.

Photo by Ralf Schlegel on Unsplash