PADI, the worlds largest recreational scuba diving certification agency has released an update for future scuba diving instructors with emphasis on selling by expanding their Business of Diving section of their Instructor Development Course. While the Instructor Development Course has always had emphasis on continued education and minor selling techniques it is now being increased considerably with far more attention placed to combat the hardened economy.

Today’s dive professionals must be well versed in both dive instruction and sales techniques in order to succeed; and individuals possessing both strengths are assets to any dive business. Recognizing the need for sales training is now higher than ever, PADI Worldwide has expanded the Business of Diving section in the newly revised Instructor Development Course (IDC). Many PADI Course Directors from around the globe will be reviewing the new sales training section — along with all revised components of the IDC — during the Course Director Update on Monday, 2 November 2009 in Orlando, Florida, USA.

The expanded IDC Business of Diving section focuses on proper sales techniques and reinforces the important role instructors play as members of a dive retail or resort sales team. Bob Coleman, PADI Americas’ Vice President of Sales and the International Resort and Retailer Associations says, “In today’s tough economy, it’s critical for everyone involved in a dive business to consider themselves salespeople. This IDC revision ensures that new PADI Instructors have an even stronger sales foundation and deeper understanding of how their sales role contributes to both their professional success and the success of their dive center or resort employer.”

Application of real world sales techniques is just one of the many benefits participants will receive during the revised IDC. That’s because all candidates will participate in a sales workshop — ideally conducted in a dive center or resort retail area — to hone their skills. Applying tactics learned from their PADI Course Director during the knowledge development portion of the IDC, instructor candidates will develop presentations and role play sales scenarios. Each candidate will act as both salesperson and customer with the PADI Course Director evaluating and coaching sales techniques. Candidates will benefit from the multiple iterations as salesperson, customer and spectator — so they will not only learn from doing, but also from watching their fellow candidates.

“PADI Instructors are known and respected worldwide for their teaching ability,” says James Morgan, PADI Americas’ Vice President of Training and Customer Service. “While PADI has always educated dive professionals about the important role they play in the sales process, the expansion of the Business of Diving section in the IDC curriculum will increase and finely tune new instructors’ sales and business acumen.”

All IDC curriculum changes will be unveiled during the Course Director Update held prior to the DEMA Show 2009 next month. At the update, PADI Course Directors will also learn how to teach and evaluate the new Business of Diving section. For more information on IDC course revisions, email PADI Training and Quality Management or call 800 729 7234 (US and Canada) or +1 949 858 7234, ext. 2540. For information on joining the world’s leading diver training and dive business education organization, email Jeff Nadler, International Resort and Retailer Associations’ Manager at PADI Americas, or call extension 2260.

The origional release can be read here

When you’ve been in the technical dive business as long as TDI™ has, you think you’ve seen everything, but the feedback the agency has been receiving since the launch of its new Advanced Nitrox materials has taken even the most seasoned staff members by surprise.

“I think when we launched the new Advanced Nitrox materials in the spring, it was a low-key affair because there were several other products released around the same time,” Steve Lewis admitted. “But during the past few months, we’ve been getting a steady stream of emails and phone calls from our instructors complimenting us on the quality of the book’s content and design. But the real story is the number of students who have made the effort to tell us how much they’ve enjoyed their course and how easy the book made the learning process for them.”

Lewis, Director Marketing and Corporate Communications for TDI™, said that his collection of positive emails and phone calls is growing daily.

“We produce this textbook in large numbers to begin with – I think we’re already getting into the third print run – because our Advanced Nitrox course is one of the foundation classes for our whole technical program. And it has been a strong program for TDI™ since we started operations in ’94; however, my guess is the number of calls and emails about the new manual and instructor guide outstrips feedback on any other program about two to one… and it’s all positive!”

Lewis said the TDI Advanced Nitrox Student Manual is at the core of the new materials and was completely rewritten and redesigned featuring new photographs and illustrations throughout. He said the contents was reviewed and radically updated for the 2009 copyright version.

“Of course the basic facts are unchanged and TDI™ Advanced Nitrox still covers the full spectrum of mixes up to and including pure oxygen. But the presentation of those facts and of topics such as dive planning, gas management and foundation skills has been changed to reflect the fact that the type of diver entering the technical side of diving today is very different to the person who signed up for a TDI™ class back in the mid-nineties.”

The TDI Advanced Nitrox Student Manual is part of a full library of educational materials from the leading technical dive training agency, Technical Diving International™. For more details about this growing organization, visit the website at www.TDISDI.com To find the nearest Technical Diving International facility, click on this link: TDI International Directory