Gerold,
I'm having a go at the pro's letting schools in SA away with an easy ride - something they won't allow any other aspect of African aviation get away with.
However, if you want to quote stuff at me let's have a look at these aspects of your marketing.
"Cape Flying Services initiated the three week Private Pilot License course in South Africa"
That's from the very first page of your website - stop playing with the word guaranteed. Stop dancing around with, 'less than 4 weeks.' That's what the web sites fires straight off with. Three Weeks No if's no buts it says three weeks on the tin.
Next: What type and class of medical are people arriving back in the UK with? Your site glosses over that and we are presently having serious problems with folks arriving back in the UK with class 3 medicals and an ICAO licence. This is not kosher so why isn't your marketing material clear?
RT exam - what exactly are potential customers getting and is it usable in JAA countries?
The licence itself - what is it? Why doesn't it make it clear what the licence is in international law? The pros here have enough troubles with international licences, equivalancies and validations - why can't you tell punters what their licences are in the world generally and within the JAA context particularly? You wouldn't have those foreign based agents if you weren't aiming at foreign customers would you? If you have a UK agent you are selling to the UK. Why no information on what the licence is and what it can be used for in the UK and whether it can be used in Europe or whether it can be used to gain further ratings at home?
Or a JAA CPL.
Or an ATPL.
Or even an Instrument Rating because of our lousy wx.
Pricing? Why no straightforward pricing information - in fact no pricing information at all - not one whit. Is this to ensure force feeding them through the foreign, commission based agents and the territory they cover? In the English speaking world with cheap international calling, the internet and faxes what function do such agents serve? This information is simple, straightforward and basic - surely it is wasting the valuable time of your agents by not having the information on your website. Or is that the most important part of their sales pitch???
Conclusion - if you indeed are amongst the very best in SA but a punter can't get a price, the type of medical they get, the validity of the RT licence they receive, the type of PPL and its limitations in Europe from your marketing what hope is there?
Still, at least they know from the first page they can do a PPL in 3 weeks.
Sir, you and your agent doth protest too much. Course duration, medical, licence, RT licence and pricing - vaque, inaccurate or impossible to determine from your prime marketing material.
Sandy may not be everyone's cup of tea but sometimes it takes a pedantic and obstinate pain in the arse to get a bit of clarity in the seedy world of training because you are all at it.
Here's a marketing first - tell people the truth. Tell them the truth. We got 70+ thousand signed up and just as many independent readers by puncturing the crap. Why don't you take the time to match your personal reputation with what you put on your internet site and advertising. You might find you join the select superschools in the UK and the States whose advertising need only consist of a current phone number. Year after year, whatever the state of the market or exchange rate.
Rob Lloyd