Sadly, it is a story that happens to too many souls who take the first daring step towards a life of aviation. Anyway, I shall continue.
A bloke walks into a flying school sporting a bank account robust enough to enable him to indulge in a bit of aviation. Bright-eyed and excited, he fronts the counter like a teenager waiting to collect his first driver’s license. Behind the desk is a professional-looking bunch of flying instructors decked out in white shirts with shiny gold stripes looking for all the world like Squadron Leaders.
The bloke asks a question. He gets one-word answers. He gets indefinite promises and lots of bored looks and rustling of the booking sheets. He does not get the feeling that those on the other side of the counter are really concerned with him. Some of the instructors don’t even look up.
He remains at the counter, waiting for some sign that shelling out a lot of money to fly is a good idea. After a few moments he utters some thanks and leaves, and with him goes the robust bank account.
Someone else, at sometime else, will convince him to spend his money on something else … guaranteed. All it would have taken was a touch of enthusiasm on behalf of the instructors and the bloke would have probably committed to at least a TIF right then and there.
This story is not hypothetical; it’s real, and it happened to a real bloke at a real flying school.
Now, I expect that after reading this, CFIs and CEOs all around the country might run to their staff and ask “we don’t do that, do we?” Of course not. Not here. But it does happen and it happens on a regular basis at flying schools all around Australia.
Flying schools, whether they like it or not, have the responsibility to bring new business into aviation. They are the entry point for future pilots and are charged with making aviation’s first impression.
Some are very good at it. They leap on the newbie and answer questions with gusto, they bring in other colleagues and even innocent bystanding PPLs to help infect the newcomer with enthusiasm to fly.
Here’s a pearl of wisdom for you - if you want to get rid of a customer, ignore them, they will go away. And it would be a brave and somewhat foolish commentator to believe that aviation doesn’t need any new money right now.
Why then, when someone comes to the door asking to spend money do we not do our utmost to help them do so? The easiest way to get money is to have someone offer to give it to you.
You might think that this blog is all about kicking young flying instructors – that’s okay, I forgive you. It’s actually anything but.
Your average Grade 3 most likely has the echoes of high school or college still resonating in their heads; they have not long been released into the wider community. They are full bottles on regulations, stalls, methods of teaching and how to dip the avgas. They know nothing of selling or customer service because generally they have not been taught.
Get the idea? That’s right, this blog is about kicking management.
The AOC holders are the ones who have to smarten up their act, and give all instructors (not just the young ‘uns) some guidance on how to infect a newbie with an irresistible urge to fly aeroplanes, to embark on a great journey that will change their lives … and spend their hard earned with you and not on a new motorbike.
Aviation is counting on you guys. Even though the customer is yours, the impression you make on new entries belongs to the whole industry.
Hitch.