I was at a swimming pool in Nigeria some days ago and I witnessed how ridiculous and unimportant some people think swimming classes are.
This middle aged woman was negotiating a monthly swimming class for her child (a teenager) at the rate of $6/ month with a certain life guard .
Please note that this $6 wasn't for her child's entrance and use of the pool but for her entire training to be able to swim and survive in water for one month.
And I'm like WHAT DA HELL!!!!
How can you decide to pay such a ridiculous amount for the safety, training, well being and development of a child (a teenager for that matter).
Judging by the uniform this child wore, her high school charges nothing less than $250 per term(when converted from Nigerian Naira to USD).
Also judging from her looks and car, she's definitely a person who goes to the mall and dare not negotiate the price of item with a price tag.
This is what made it worse.
She was about leaving with her child since the lifeguard disagreed on the price. I felt it wasn't a bad thing since she obviously didn't know the value of the service she was seeking.
Then to my surprise, this Lifeguard called her back and agreed to their fee and conditions 🤦♂🤦♂🤦♂🤦♂.
Then I realised, the woman wasn't at fault at all. The Lifeguard was.
First mistake he made was the impression he had given to this woman about swimming sessions like its some child's play. He made little emphasis on the fact that her child's life was on the line here and this activity was the only thing that'll ever keep the child safe from drowning and any aquatic accidents.
He also made a mistake of not making his business formal as he addressed the woman with slangs and was trying to create unnecessary familiarities.
Another mistake was placing his price for swimming sessions so low ($15/month) that the woman could think it could be bargained to something lesser than she was told.
Finally, his greatest mistake to me, was calling her back to accept her offer when she was leaving. Right there, I knew this guy was not a business man.
She obviously saw no sensible reason in making her child learn how to swim for a whole month at a price more than $6 which was totally fine. So why call her back to join in her in being delusional. The best thing I think he could've done was to tell her how important and valuable the swimming sessions would be to her and her child.
Then if she still declines it after giving a pretty great offer. Then she should go and search for her $6 /month swimming class. It's that easy.
Not everyone would patronizes your business but the best you can do is letting them know you give a quality and valuable service. That is what's gonna boost your business.
He kept lamenting afterwards though and didn't teach the girl a single thing. What's the sense in that??🤦♂🤷🏻♂