I make the point in each On-Campus Workshop that we lead for athletic departments that the entire goal of all of the letters and e-mails a coach writes to a prospect is to get them in front of you for a personal visit.

Whether it's on your campus, or in their home, a personal visit is number one on your prospect's list for determining if your program is the right one for them.  Our national study rates the face-to-face communication you have with a prospect will determine what kind of chances you have at signing them to play at your school.

So, once you get in front of them, what's next?

What do you need to do to prepare for the visit, and make sure that its successful in leading to the athlete committing to your school?

Here's a list of seven things you need to make sure you have as you head to your face-to-face meeting with the prospect you really want to sign:

1. Print out their personal and athletic information that you can impact. Type their name into a Google search and see what comes up (you might be surprised!).  Get all of his or her information in one place - what you've printed from the web, the questionnaire that they filled-out, his transcript...everything.  Go in prepared with everything you can find on them.  These are the pages that frame your ideas for how your your program are best for your prospect.  Use this info to create an individual approach for each prospect. 

2. Be prepared to find out, and talk to, the real decision makers. Just because you're talking to the prospect doesn't mean you are talking to the primary decision maker.  Are you a Division III coach?  I can guarantee you that in most cases, the parents are heavily involved in making the final decision (after all, they are paying for it!).  Are you a Division I coach?  Guess what: The parents are heavily involved in that decision, too.  It might be their dream to have all those travel teams and club practices pay off with a big D1 scholarship.  My point is this: Make sure you get a personal meeting with EVERY decision maker involved.

3. Come up with at least five questions that you don't understand about your prospect.  Be curious, and show them that you're really interested in digging in to what makes them tick.  For example, you might ask "What kind of schedule do you have to keep focused on to earn a 4.2 grade point average?"  Or, "How in the world did you shave five seconds off of your time in just a few months?"  Be amazed in front of them, and make it all about them. This will give you an opportunity to create meaningful dialog with the prospect. This will give you conversation ideas and questions that relate directly to the prospect.

4. Have three killer questions you are CERTAIN your competition is not asking. This will create "buyer engagement" and respect.  Good questions are key to connecting with your prospect and setting you a part of every other coach that is recruiting them. 

5. Have two ideas that the prospect will benefit from. Something that they'll get that's meaningful for them by signing with your program.  If you bring an idea to your meeting, it shows you’ve prepared, and it shows you have genuine interest in helping them.

6. Bring your laptop computer with wireless Internet capability. This gives you the ability to access any information you need in seconds.  Sounds basic, I know, but a laptop computer should be part of your aresenal for any visit.  "But my school doesn't provide me with a free laptop, Dan."  Then plan on purchasing your own.  This is your coaching and recruiting career, and it's your responsibility to give yourself the tools you need to be successful.  If you don't have one already, get a laptop and start using it to help you be a dominant recruiter.

7. Have written or video testimonials to support EVERY claim you make about your program.  Keep those testimonials handy on your laptop, and on a separate DVD if possible. This will enable you to show and PROVE, not just show and tell. And it will enable you to leave a copy of your testimonials with your prospect.  Having other people back-up your claims in their own words.  It's powerful, Coach.

Can I wrap-up this list by telling you what your overall goal should be for a personal visit with your prospect?  Here it is, Coach:  Show them the value in your program, not the sales pitch. Be prepared to show the recruit how they gain and succeed from signing with your school.

For our Premium Members, I'm going to expand on this list later in the week.  But for right now, focus on the goal of the visit: Connecting with your prospect, showing them the value in what your program has to offer, and demonstrating how you will help them achieve their goals at the college level as their coach.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You've written great letters.  You've crafted amazing e-mails.  And the phone calls have been long and fruitful.

The only that's left is the campus visit.  A mere formality, right?  After all, they've basically been sold on your school through all of the stuff that you've sent them, right?

Think again, Coach.

In the vast majority of cases, the decision on whether to attend a school or not comes down to the campus visit.  We go into that in detail in our special report, "Inside the Mind of Your College Prospect", which details the decision making process of today's student-athlete that you are recruiting.

The topic was discussed in detail by Mandy Brettingen, a longtime college soccer coach and the resident sports psychology here at Selling for Coaches.  She helped us put together a list of eight key ingredients to planning and executing a successful campus visit at this past weekend's SFC Recruiting Kick-Off Conference.

1. The Atmosphere: Are You Thriving or Surviving?  In other words, when your prospect gets on to campus, are they going to see a program that is hanging on by a thread in terms of the team interpersonal relationships?  Or, is it a healthy, thriving team that has great team chemistry.  If the answer is anything other than "thriving", you need to begin building team relationships and doing things internally that will improve the atmosphere.
2. Get the Team's Insights.  Many coaches use their team for hosting and interacting with a recruit, but then don't use the team to help assess how well the recruit will mesh with the existing team.  Listening to your team in this way can help you avoid a bad mix of personalities that can damage team chemistry.  Remember...your team's opinion counts when it comes to adding the right new members to the team.
3. Going on the Campus Tour.  How long will the tour be?  Who will host it?  What's the schedule going to look like?  Coach, you need to plan out a campus visit in excrutiating detail.  Leave nothing to chance.  Since it all comes down to a great visit, you need to do whatever you can to ensure that they have a great experience.  And it all starts with a master plan that helps manage the experience your prospect has on campus.
4. Be Careful About the Class They Attend.  Part of a campus visit usually includes having your prospect attend a class at your college.  Here's an important tip: Make sure they go to a class that is discussion based, rather than lecture based.  Why?  Because discussion based classes are usually full of lively talk and opinion, which is something that they don't usually see in their high school.  Most come away with a positive impression with that kind of class, instead of sitting in something that looks and feels just like high school.
5. Let Other Athletes Know You Have a Visitor!  One thing that we discuss in our recruiting guides for coaches is how important it is to have your team, and the other athletes in the department, treat your prospect well.  That's the number one way they determine whether they get a good "feel" about the college.  Here's a suggestion: E-mail your athletes, and others in the department, that you will have a recruit on campus and if they see them with you or their host, that they should come up and say hello.  Sounds simple, i know, but the schools that do it report a really great response from their on-campus visits.
6. Make Sure There's Time to Just Hang Out.  When we interview student-athletes as a part of our On-Campus Workshops, they tell us that sometimes they feel really over-scheduled during trips to visit a campus.  Meeting after meeting, activity after activity...sometimes recruits report that they feel exhausted by the end, and still haven't had a chance to get a "feel" for the campus they are visiting.  What should you do?  Focus more time on just relaxing.  Let them hang out in your host's room.  Let them play games, watch movies, and just be a kid.  That's what they want.

There are actually three or four more tips for hosting incredible campus visits, but we'll save those for a future discussion (and if you're on the list of upcoming On-Campus Workshops we have, we'll go over them in detail with you).

Campus visits are vitally important to a great recruiting plan, and it takes planning and precise execution to pull off a really great experience for the prospects.  If you need help with planning your on-campus visit, just let us know. 

Posted by Dan Tudor at 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Twenty four coaches from all over the country converged on Indianapolis to learn training, techniques and strategies as they prepare for a new year of recruiting college prospects.

Coaches from D1 to D3, ranging from programs like Duke basketball to College of St. Mary cross country, learned about the latest recruiting strategies and shared ideas with their fellow coaches.

"I think the one thing that surprised me about coming here was how many good ideas I got not only from Selling for Coaches, but also from the other coaches who came here," commented one coach.

Several coaches made this their second or third conference they had attended.

Dan Tudor, President of Selling for Coaches, leads a session on overcoming objections that taught coaches how to convert objections into selling points, and to re-direct an objection into a selling point.

David Pickle, the NCAA Director of Publishing, spoke about the challenge that he faced in getting news and information to his audience - college coaches and athletic directors - in a new and different way.

Pickle gave his insights on how today's college coach can change they way they communicate, and why adapting your message to the changing times is essential if you want to keep your audience's attention.

Mandy Brettingen passed along her expertise in recruiting and sports psychology to the coaches gathered for the Conference.  Brettingen laid out some great ideas for coaches to use in team development and relationship management between players and coaches.  She drew from her successes, and struggles, as a college coach. She gave the audience some fascinating insights into what works, and what doesn't, when it comes to successful team building. 

Charlie Adams got the coaches pumped-up for a new season as we started day two of the Conference by asking coaches "What's Your Vinny?" (you had to be there).  Later, Adams gave his seven tips for using local media to help you recruit and build your program's reputation with fans, alumni and prospects.

Lots of notes, lots of sharing, lots of good ideas.  And, this year, all conference attendees get a post-conference eBook with all the notes, and all the new ideas to put together with their notes from the two days of learning.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you've noticed that your players have changed drastically over the past decade, you aren't alone. 

College coaches collectively scratch their heads at what happened, and when it happened: When did their athletes change?  When did it get so hard to relate to them?  When did it get so hard to recruit them?  What's the secret to understand how today's athlete actually makes their final decision on where to play and go to school?

Those questions will be answered at this weekend's SFC Recruiting Kick-Off Conference.  Mandy Brettingen, a women's soccer coach with ten years of coaching and recruiting at the Division I and II levels, is tackling the subject that she has become an expert in over the years.

"Based on the interviews I've listened to and books that I have read about successful coaches (Mike Krzyzewski, Pat Summit, and others), there is a new shift in focus for coaches that is getting the most out of their athletes," says Brettingen.  "Traditionally, coaches used fear and intimidation to motivate athletes, coaches now seem to be focusing on developing strong relationships with athletes based on trust and respect.    I have found that when players feel like they are cared for, being listened to, know what is expected of them, and have a role in accomplishing the team goals, they will go to war for you and for the team."

Brettingen, now a part-time assistant women's soccer coach at Loyola Marymount University and a workshop presenter for Selling for Coaches, will be focusing on several key strategies for creating a cohesive team atmosphere:

• How players are changing, and what coaches can do to cope
• The importance of building solid relationships with your players
• 10 things you need to know about today's players that you are coaching
• How to make your players your #1 recruiters

"Working to develop relationships is most definately a challenging task," says Brettingen.  "However, the rewards for the coach who is committed to building relationships are more motivated, loyal, disciplined, and committed players."

I want to help coaches become more aware how important the coach/player relationship really is this weekend," says Brettingen.  "I also want coaches to able to walk away from this presentation with practical ideas that they can take back and apply immediatly with their athletes.  Then, better coach-player relationships should equal better recruiting becasue bottom line is that the players on your team are going to be your best salespeople.  They will be the ones who make or break you in your recruiting efforts."

Mandy Brettingen is a veteran college soccer coach and a Recruiting Solutions Consultant for Selling for Coaches.  Brettingen has a BA in Psychology from Macalester College and a MS in Sports Psychology from the University of Utah.  

Posted by Dan Tudor at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

David Pickle's job at the NCAA rivals that of most big city newspapers.  He's the man at the center of every piece of news and information that's published by the NCAA, and has overseen a dramatic shift in the way that information is presented to coaches, athletic directors and the nation.

Pickle is set to talk about the challenging task of completely overhauling the way the NCAA gets its information out to their readers at this weekend's Recruiting Kick-Off Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana (last chance to register!)

"We serve several important functions," says Pickle. "First, we facilitate the delivery of information that the membership needs to do its business – items like the NCAA Manual, playing rules books, statistical records and the like."

"Second, we deliver the news of the day. This includes material that the membership either needs or might want to be aware of. Third, we play a promotional role. In particular, our magazine is designed to enhance the overall image of college sports."

But a short time ago, Pickle recognized the shift in how information was being delivered and read thanks to the rapid advances in the way his readers were using the Internet.  "We began to examine the matter seriously in early 2006 when I became concerned that we might be generating too much paper and not getting enough results," says Pickle.

So the NCAA, lead by Pickle and his department, undertook the daunting task of changing the way thier message was delivered.  He will be talking to coaches attending the SFC conference this weekend on how they did it, and give them lessons on what they can do to adjust their messages to one of their most important audiences: Their recruits. 

"We chose apply various media based on their strengths and liabilities," explains Pickle.  "Paper, for example, permitted us the opportunity to create dramatic presentations and permanence, but it was a poor medium for speed – hence the magazine. The Web, on the other hand, provided us with the potential for immediate delivery. That made more sense for the timely, regulatory type content that might be hard to display attractively."

Just how hard of a task was it?  That's the question that's going to be on coaches mind this weekend, and Pickle is ready to tell them that while the task was difficult, the results were well worth the blood, sweat and tears.

"It took a lot of work, and there were times when I wanted to put myself in a time capsule and be transported past our January 2008 launch date," remembers Pickle.  "But we had the luxury of time and were able to go about things in an ordered way that achieved great results and acceptance. Some of  what we’re doing is still a work in progress, but I feel better about where we are now than where we were two years ago."

Pickle will be going into detail on the transition, how it happened, and how coaches can duplicate the NCAA's success in the way they adapt their message to their audience.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

by Carrie Bigbie, SFC Newsletter Editor 

Simplicity. 

With today’s technology, that is what we have grown accustomed to (and, it is what we look for!). 

However, come August 1st, Division II and Division III will be joining D1 in banning text messaging, making it more difficult to communicate quickly (and conveniently) with recruits.

Or does it?

“With the ban on text messaging, coaches will be looking for alternate ways to communicate,” says Leidy Smith, President and CEO of Front Rush, a leading web-based recruiting contact manager.  “Fully-branded emails can send a dynamic and strong message to their recruits.”

There are some loopholes in the new rule for D2 and D3 coaches, which is the same ban that went into effect for their Division I counterparts last year.  Coaches will still be permitted to use email even though the messages are often accessible on cell phones.  The ban, however, does not stop athletes from texting coaches, but coaches are not allowed to text back.

According to the NCAA, the President’s Council agreed to support the ban after the D3 SAAC said coaches’ use of those technologies is an intrusion on recruits’ personal time.  The SAAC also believes that text messaging and other similar communications are intended for social interaction among friends, and that colleges should use more formal ways of recruiting.

“Now that the ban has been approved, coaches will just go back to emailing and probably do it more frequently,” says Smith.  “Front Rush gives them a way to manage that process and track their messages and replies.”  And, of course, there is no limit to the number of e-mails that a coach can send a prospect, or that a prospect can send a coach.

In addition, it also eliminates instant messaging, communicating through social networking websites, video phones, and video conferencing, forcing coaches to limit electronic correspondence with recruits to emails and faxes only.

According to a recent article on Scout.com, Kerry Kenny, vice chairman of the D1 SAAC said, “We believe that text messaging and instant messaging are both highly unprofessional in the recruiting process.  You wouldn’t use text messaging to contact an employer when searching for a job, and it’s unlikely that an employer would contact you with a text message to offer you the job.”

So, as you communicate more "formally" with those athletes moving forward, you can give your program an edge by using great looking, easy-to-use web-based contact management systems like Front Rush to put your best message forward.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

by Carrie Bigbie, SFC Newsletter Editor 

“…so you want to extend your arms more and follow through with the ball.  I wish I had a way to show you.  Wait a second, let me go get my video camera  and we can download this to the computer and review it step by step.  I think I'm also going to send it to Coach Adams and get his feedback on it.”

 It's one of the most difficult aspects of your job as a coach: Training an athlete by trying to communicate what they need to change. 

If you struggle with this during your coaching, Dartfish can help with their ground-breaking video software designed specifically for coaches at all levels. They even have their own web sharing platform, Dartfish TV, so you can upload your videos and include tags, thumbnails, comments, annotations, analysis and keywords for everyone - you, your staff and the athlete - to review until they understand the change that is needed.  Dartfish has been proven to be helpful in coaching by showing the athlete what they are doing correctly when it comes to their individual mechanics, and what areas they can improve.

Dartfish TV is helping college sports programs in several ways:

• Save time and gain efficiency - your video content is accessible anytime and anywhere just by logging into your Dartfish TV platform and downloading the video you would like to view.  Whether you are in your lockerroom, or on the road, you can coach on the fly and teach through visual aids.

• You decide who sees what – whether commenting on a performance one-on-one, or sharing analysis with thousands, you decide who sees what by selecting who has access and sending them the link and password to your platform.

• Hit your target audience – create your customized channel on Dartfish TV and invite your audience to an unprecedented video experience so they can see what your athletic program is all about, and get the inside view on how you use technology to make your athletes better.  (Click here for an example of what USA Volleyball has put together using Dartfish TV!)

“We wanted to create a place where the athlete can experience the analysis”, says Ron Imbriale, Dartfish Senior Vice President, “Not only have we done that, now it can also be shared with others.” 

Depending on what type of sport you coach, Dartfish and Dartfish TV can help you.

Team Sports

With Dartfish software, you can capture and tag entire games to your computer live or after the action.  If you want to show a specific play, you can quickly retrieve that situation by categorizing the video to create an index of events.  It also includes user-friendly tools to help you make tactical analyses of specific game situations or technical analyses of players.  College coaches can also create effective motivational movies or prepare playlists of relevant events to show your team and other coaches using the Dartfish TV platform.  (Lots of college coaches use Dartfish's patented Stromotion technology to compare the mechanics of two different athletes). 

Individual Sports

With the visual support you get from this easy to use technology, you can improve communication with athletes by bringing them face-to-face with their own performances.  Dartfish allows you to easily integrate video during your training and give athletes instant visual feedback.  This helps make it easier for them to understand the adjustments they need to make according to your comments.  With Dartfish, you can make technical analysis of movement and performance by selecting key moments on the video, comparing them with reference clips and using drawing and measurement tools. 

“The Dartfish products have been designed for every kind of sport,” says Imbriale, “Whether you coach a team or individual sport, it will help you to reinforce your athlete’s understanding of your training.”

“Coach Adams responded with his feedback on the Dartfish video we showed him yesterday.  Let’s take a look.  He made annotations throughout the video so we can actually know which areas he is referring to.  I think this will help you understand a what I'm talking about a little better now.”

Distribute your videos.  Analysis. Multimedia presentations to other coaching staff. Showcasing your program and cutting-edge coaching abilitiesnew recruits, athlete’s families, fans, and alumni.  The Dartish TV platform can deliver it to college coaches.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 09:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

by Carrie Bigbie, SFC Newsletter Editor 

Picture this, Coach...

You have your eye on that star athlete whom you would really like to see wearing your team's uniform next year.  You have written letters, made a couple of calls, but are looking for that extra edge to put your school on top as their number one choice. 

You decide to give the new Dartfish TV program a try.  You find some great footage of several key moments on your team last year, your big comback to win the conference title, and even add some images of life at your school.  You upload it to the Dartfish TV website and ask your targeted athlete to go and view it.  And whatta-ya know...after they see it, they get a great feeling about your school and decide to sign on.

Sound like something like that is too good to be true?  Think again.

That’s exactly why coaches in a variety of sports are raving about the Dartfish software and their new web-sharing platform, Dartfish TV.  This platform will allow coaches to upload videos of their sports performances and include tags like thumbnails, comments, annotations, analyses and keywords.

Even more impressive is the fact that some of sport's leading coaches and trainers have signed on to use the technology.  For example, the national governing bodies at the Olympic level will be using it this summer in Beijing. 

“When competing at the Olympics, every second counts,” says Ron Imbriale, Dartfish Senior Vice President, “and by using the Dartfish software and Dartfish TV platform, coaches can review recorded performances for training purposes, as well as share the videos with other coaches back home.”

With this new web sharing platform, college coaches can:

1.  Communicate with your current athletes in a private, closed group by showing specific game situations and analyzing their performances.  That helps coach through better visual feedback, improving their performance sooner.

2.  Show videos to recruits you are targeting to attend your school by posting them on your website or blog.  Giving your recruits a visual "inside" look at your program can make them feel more connected to you and your athletes. 

3.  Create an added service to parents, alumni, and fans by allowing them to view videos you want to share to the public by offering a subscription-type service. 

Dartfish contends that coaches need to approach their program in the same way that a new corporate venture might approach their potential customers.  “We have created Dartfish TV to help coaches build more of a business and a service”, says Imbriale.

With the new Dartfish technology, college coaches can allow their recruits to truly “experience” their athletic program by sharing memorable moments which will make them feel like they are experiencing it live.  And, once they are a part of a program that uses Dartfish, they will learn faster, train better and have access to the same technology that Olympians have.

To see a free demo of how Dartfish works, and how college coaches use it, click here.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 11:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)