That was it - the CFI's best opportunity to sell a new student on flying. After weeks of anticipating the experience do you think Wanda was satisfied? After the intro flight as we've just described it, only diehard enthusiasts would call back next week and schedule a lesson. How can we, as instructors, improve our success rate in signing on new customers when they come out to the airport?
When you think about it, we have little excuse for blowing an intro flight. Having gone to the trouble of making an appointment and driving to the airport, we know Wanda's pretty enthused about flying before she arrives. Our mission seems simple enough - translate her enthusiasm into action.
If Wanda enjoys the intro lesson and feels confident about her ability to learn to fly, you've probably won yourself a new student. But if the flight raises questions in her mind, such as "I'm not sure I can do this", "I don't like this outfit", "Is flying safe?" or "This isn't cool," you're probably out of luck. In short, the introductory lesson offers a great opportunity to make - or break - the sale.
Let's start with first impressions. When Wanda arrives at the flight school you must make her feel "This is a great place to learn to fly." Simple as that sounds, we in aviation have a long history of not getting it right. If you're in doubt about how she'll be greeted, you'd better be there to make it happen yourself. Wanda has to feel that "These folks were glad to see me. I'll enjoy working with them, and they'll treat me right."
Perhaps the most important thing to realize about our prospects is that they want to be pilots, not students. During her drive to the airport Wanda fancied herself stepping out of a sleek airplane, the faces of her friends and family filled with admiration. She wasn't thinking of sitting in ground school or scraping ice off the wing.
That's why the intro lesson must be fun, with the promise of further adventure once Wanda earns her certificate. Industry experts tell us competition for flight training dollars comes from other leisure-time activities, not other flight schools. Wanda wants to do something new and exciting. If not flying, it could be boating, golf, snowmobiles, or sports cars.
So our intro lesson mission is to share the adventure - demonstrate why Wanda should become a pilot, with just enough "how," to answer her questions. She'll learn soon enough the trials and tribulations of being a student. Our job now is to wow Wanda with all the neat things she can do as a pilot, every answer illustrated with the most exciting examples you can think of.
What is Wanda looking for at her introductory lesson? And how can we fulfill her expectations? Only Wanda knows the answers. So after we greet her graciously, our first step is to ask questions. The first one is deceptively simple.
"Why are you here?" If you listen carefully, Wanda will tell you exactly what her experience today should be. What are her unique reasons for wanting to fly? Does she love travel? Is there a cabin in the mountains she wants to visit on weekends? Does she aspire to the U.S. Aerobatic Team? The answer is different for everyone, so without knowing what each customer wants, you're just shooting in the dark.
Next, ask Wanda to name three things she plans to do with her pilot certificate. The objective is to learn more about how she sees using her soon-to-be pilot skills. Wait for all three answers, even if it takes awhile - you'll learn a good deal about objectives, schedule, and perhaps even financial parameters.
"By what date would you like to be a pilot?" This will tell you how urgent Wanda's interest is, how often you should recommend she fly, and when she might start. It's your chance to make her dreams come true. If Wanda says, "Well, our family vacation is in June...," you've got the answer. "June is almost five months away. If you're available regularly for lessons, you may well be able to fly your family on vacation!"
Play close attention to every answer, ask follow-up questions as appropriate, and then be prepared to demonstrate, on the ground and in the air, how flying fits Wanda's objectives. Listen carefully, and your prospects will tell you very specifically how to sell them at the intro lesson.
Okay, let's head for the airplane.
Good prospects like Wanda drive to the airport in a nice car, with a leather-lined cockpit and maybe a GPS! That's why intro lessons should be scheduled in the nicest aircraft on the flight line. Your preflight questioning should address what sort of aircraft Wanda would like to take lessons in. We're often conditioned to steer new students to the least expensive aircraft we rent. But many customers can easily afford to fly something classier than a basic training aircraft. So show Wanda what's available, and let her choose the plane for her intro lesson. Of course the aircraft must be clean for the flight - no pop cans or gum wrappers in the seat pockets, please! Not only does a sharp-looking plane convey quality to your customer, but it appears safer and more exciting to fly.
Invest some instructional time on the preflight. "Don't expect to understand everything today," you say, but then proceed to explain a few basics they're sure to understand, like flight controls and the primary instruments. We want to remove a little of the mystery, so Wanda will be confident about her ability to master flying in future lessons. She must feel she can learn to fly an airplane, or she won't be back. An educational intro lesson also conveys accomplishment. Wanda should leave thinking, "I'm already well on my way to becoming a pilot." It's as if she's wasted a lesson if she doesn't go on.
Making first-time flyers feel like pilots is simple enough. Prospects must leave the lesson knowing they personally flew the airplane. How much hands-on flying you allow obviously depends on factors like weather, traffic, and each person's level of confidence, but ideally Wanda should fly enough turns, climbs, and descents so you can "vector" her back to the airport prior to landing. As for adventure, check out a nearby lake, fly over Wanda's home, or view a nearby city from the air. Make this flight really special, and you've just created a budding new pilot. The conversation Wanda has when she gets home after the flight should go something like this.
"Wanda, honey, how was flying?"
"Fantastic! We flew right over the slalom run and watched the skiers skiing. And I actually flew the plane myself for almost the whole lesson. It's surprisingly easy!"
The clincher comes after landing. Wanda needs proof of her accomplishment to take home to friends and family. First, she'll need one of those treasured pilot logbooks with an entry documenting the flight. (She doesn't yet know about our secret logbook weapon: the irresistible urge to fill all blank spaces with entries.) Have the proud new pilot fill in name and address on the spot, to legitimize the entry.
Wanda also needs something to display at home or office, like a really cool first flight certificate. It must be framed, because we want it on the wall where it will be an unavoidable reminder, not forgotten in a drawer.
Finally, keep an instant camera at the airport loaded with film. There must be a picture, taken in front of the airplane, or in the pilot's seat. Mount it in a sleeve in the back of Wanda's logbook, attach it to the first-flight certificate, or install it in a mini-picture frame of its own. But like the certificate, you must make sure it will last, instead of just handing it over with a dose of fingerprints.
The critical final step is to schedule the next lesson before your prospect departs. Wanda came to the airport so you could help her realize her dream of becoming a pilot. Don't let her down!
Answer her remaining questions, present her with those mementos, and agree on a plan for future action. Hopefully that means scheduling a lesson, but at the very least it means establishing a follow-up date. In either case send her a thank-you note, and then phone to answer any lingering questions.
Scheduling Wanda for her next lesson before she leaves is not being pushy. Just remember, you have failed any prospect who leaves the airport without knowing exactly how to continue his or her flying adventure.
"Thanks, Greg, I'll see you on Tuesday for my next lesson."
"Cool, Wanda!"
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