The CFI as a salesperson

When interviewing new flight instructors, you need to inform them you need CFIs not only as instructors but also the sales staff for the company. It is important to establish that expectation at the beginning of the employee/employer relationship. Your new hire orientation not only should include company policies and procedures, syllabus, and flight standardization, but also basic sales technique

The challenge here is that many people do not see themselves as salespersons. The image of the high-pressure salesman is distasteful to many. However, you need to explain to your staff that each of us must present ourselves well and sell ourselves as trusted and competent. We also must put the company we work for in good light or we probably won’t have a long career with the company.

Recognize that everyone is a salesperson at some level. Now we hone those sales skills to keep every flight instructor busy and the business continuing to grow. Your CFI team should be working to bring in more students to keep themselves busy and contribute to flight school business growth. Each instructor should have a company business card with his or her name on it. That makes instructors feel part of the business and encourages them to solicit new business.

The objective is to get more prospective students emotionally involved with the fun of flying. This is the time to share your love and excitement for flying. Find out why your prospective student wants to learn to fly and build on that.

Emphasize that flying is an investment that has numerous rewards as both transportation and a career objective. Avoid the word “cost” because that induces fear in a potential customer. Learning to fly is an investment in yourself is your message.

Point out the quality of your school’s airplanes and training syllabus that guides efficient learning. Always close the introductory flight with a scheduled training flight. You must ask for the next flight, or it won’t happen. Give your prospective students a choice by asking what works best for their schedule—mornings or afternoons, weekdays or the weekend. When it comes to signing the enrollment paperwork it is a “rental agreement,” the word contract is a term that induces fear of commitment. The terms and phrases we use are important to the comfort of our customers.

The CFI staff should ask for and receive referrals from current students. Always be promoting the next rating or certificate. Be proactive; your instructors should be encouraged to do personal networking to find new students. The CFIs are ambassadors for aviation and should be involved in as many extra activities as possible, such as the local EAA chapter, high school aviation programs, career fairs, and any other event they can use to promote aviation. Promoting aviation promotes your business as well as the industry at large. Have your people thinking about making contacts at every opportunity. Your flight instructors are more than just instructors; they are your sales staff. They promote aviation and your business of flight training.