963 Years Of Experience!

[sensei8]

The method of how "Years of Experience" is figured, and then used in various media, is interesting to me. Well, I get a kick out of it myself. Whether a business is a small one or a large one, doesn't really determine how one might describe the experience level to a customer. Or Does it?

Let's say that the local dojo/business has a total of 5 employees, including the Chief Instructor/Owner. The customer, me, for example, sees an ad in the phone book or in the mail or whereever. Somewhere in the ad, a tagline exists that speaks about the instructor and his/her experienced staff. This ad says..."We've got 101 years of experience in Karate to assist you and your needs!". I must admit, that's a lot of experience. Now, how does it read to me, Mr. Consumer? Would it have sounded better if the tagline had said..."We've got 101 years of accumulated experience to assist you and all of your Karate needs!"

Are these two saying the same? OR...Are these two saying something differently? Maybe, their both saying the same thing, but in a different way. Just like I just did. This is only known by how one preceives it.

Is it best to state the individual experience for each of the 5 staff members?

OR

Is it best to state the accumulated experience between the 5 staff members?

OR

Is the ad misleading the consumer to think that with all of that experience, this company will have my interests will be well taken care of?

OR

Is it best that Joe's Karate School says..."Between my staff and I, we've got an accumulated 101 years of Scooby-Doo Karate!" OR...If I'm the Chief Instructor/Owner say..."I've 45 years of experience in Scooby-Doo Karate"

OR

It really doesn't matter one way or another because consumers are smarter than I/We think. Consumers can deduct what's truly being said...

Or...can they?

[Jeffrey]

Well Shaggy,

For a Scooby Snack I think I offer some comment.

I think Consumers are smart enough to figuer this out. People are becoming wiser and will do a little more research when choosing a MA school. There is more information at the tips of ones fingers then there was a few years ago.

I do think this is misleading and not a good way to promote the business. I think listing all instructors and thier years of experience is better. Let the consumer add it up.

Beside, those mendling kids will expose the truth.

[DWx]

If its an ad in the phone book though there's not usually enough letters to be wasted on listing everyone's qualifications. Maybe on a leaflet or on the website you'd expect a little elaboration on the styles and training history of the instructors. I don't think people will really think that 10000 years of training will be down to one individual. I see a lot of stuff that says they have a "combined experience of 100 years". Nothing wrong with that.

[username13768]

I personally feel that if a person doesn't have the common sense to see what's going on in an ad, unless it's outright misinformation, then they deserve what they get. Unfortunately, it's not the seller's responsibility to be totally honest. It's their job to get people in the door. Caveat Emptor.

Let the buyer beware.