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Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 08:57:06 -0600
From: Snowbird <snbird@ibm.net>
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Subject: Re: CFI Pay
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Brad Crosier wrote:

> Outstanding.  I see [KnotyEagle] you've gotten several replies 
> wondering how anyone can charge double the going rate and have any 
> customers.  They are still missing your (and would be mine if you > hadn't stated it so well already) that you have to have a
> product that people think is worth more than the average CFI.

> Packaging is very important in getting people to come in the first 
> time, but we don't seem to have gotten that message out in the 
> aviation community.  It is definately NOT a replacement for substance, > but you've got to get people to give you a first look.

Packaging, yep, but also customer service.

How many student pilots/renters have stories of:
	1) walking into an FBO and looking around uncertainly,
only to have all the people who are there continue their conversations
while no one greets the newcomer and answers any questions?
	2) calling an FBO or CFI to enquire about lessons, and
either getting no return call or getting an answer like "well
come on out and we'll get you started with someone" from a busy
staff person who has no time (or sometimes knowledge) to really
answer questions. If the CFI who was called is asked, sometimes 
the response is "well, I was pretty busy".  OK, but how about giving
my name to the chief instructor or to another instructor who has time,
or at least calling to tell me you're too busy for another student?
	3) finishing an intro flight or lesson, and having the
CFI or staff person who takes payment make no effort to encourage
them to schedule a next flight or to discuss further training
	4) showing up for a lesson only to find that the CFI isn't
there (left the FBO, left town, flew somewhere else) and no one
has called or rescheduled
	5) showing up for a lesson or for a plane rental only to
find that the plane is either not back yet, or is down for maintenance,
and no one has called or rescheduled
	6) having the plane or the CFI be more than 20 minutes late,
without apology or explanation

I bet if you took a poll, almost every pilot who took lessons at
an FBO or rented a plane would answer "yes" to at least two questions
and many would answer "yes" to all six.

Other businesses in other fields which have this kind of customer
service and treatment tend to fail.  I certainly tend to conclude
that a business or instructor who treats me this way isn't 
interested in my custom, and I take it elsewhere.

Yet these are SOP for many FBOs I've seen and all too many CFIs from
what I can tell.  So why is it a surprise when they have trouble?

And that's not even getting into techniques for keeping customers.
If I haven't ordered a pizza for a month, the pizza place sends me
a coupon "we miss you" and offering me a discount.  If a student
doesn't show up or fly for a month, how many FBOs or CFIs call and
say "we miss you, what's up, can we schedule you for a flight?"
"how about a special, free instruction for a checkout in our new
turbo C210?"

Pretty packaging doesn't mean squat if customer service sucks.  But
I bet even ritzy customers might find shabby sofas and paint "quaint"
provided they are treated with courtesy and consideration.  Want
$$?  Want professional consideration?  Act professional.

Snowbird

