Jeff is a football coach at a D1-AA school.  He was one of twenty coaches who took advantage of our free trial for our SFC Premium Membership, and didn't waste any time in taking advantage of the access to our office with a situation he found himself facing.

"I had another run in with one of our assistants today," he said in his phone call late Tuesday afternoon.  "We're recruiting a wide receiver from California, and we know he's interested in coming here."

"So what's the issue?", I asked. 

"Dan," he said, "here's the problem: The coach that's recruiting this wide receiver hadn't put a phone call in to him for over two weeks.  That's crazy!  We've got to get on this kid now, and get his commitment.  That's what I told our coach, and he's doing what I want now.  But I swear, it's like I have to babysit our staff most of the time when it comes to recruiting."

Then he gave me the idea for this week's training when he said, "What you need to give me, Dan, are some things that you've seen in successful college recruiters...their mindset, their habits and how they approach recruiting as a whole."

What a great idea!  Coach gave me permission to recount our phone conversation today, and I was off and running.  I went through notes from past On-Campus Seminars, interviews with SFC Premium Members, and articles on some of college sports' best recruiters.

I've narrowed a big list down to five key habits that I've seen in successful recruiters over the years.  I firmly believe that these traits are vital if college coaches, regardless of their division level, hope to be consistently successful when it comes to signing the best recruits:

1. They have a recruiting work habit that is second to none.  You want the best athletes?  Be prepared to out-work your competition.  That means a dedicated schedule to things like maintaining your contacts with everyone you're looking at, developing a plan for nurturing your relationships with your prospects, and putting recruiting high on your list of priorities.  Your work ethic drives your success in recruiting.  You know it, I know it.  Ask yourself honestly, "Does my recruiting work habit match my coaching work habit?"
2. They've moved beyond just listing off their program's benefits.  Want to know what the most frustrating thing is for your recruits when you're talking to them?  It's when you, and every other coach that's recruiting them, rattles off a list of everything that's great about your program.  It frustrates them to no end, and makes it tough for them to make a final decision.  What's a better way to approach them?  Put in the extra effort to find out what they want, how they'll make their decision, and why they'll choose you.  Not sure how to do all of this successfully?  Become a SFC Premium Member, or get our special recruiting guide, "Selling for Coaches". 
3.  They ask great questions.  It's been proven over and over again as we've worked with college coaches across the country: The better the questions you ask, the more likely it is that you'll connect with that individual prospect.  If you connect with them, its likely you'll be in a position to sign them.  It all starts with good questioning, and you've got to commit yourself to becoming a great questioner.  You're not trying to trick your prospect, or manipulate them, through your questioning.  Instead, you're getting them to open up and reveal themselves to you so that you know how to connect their basic desires as a prospective college student-athlete with what you can offer them in your program.  Meet their needs, coach, and you'll get their commitment.  But remember: It all starts with how you ask them questions and interact with them during that Q&A time.
4. They know their competition inside and out.  The best coach I've ever met when it comes to knowing their competition inside and out was a D2 softball coach.  She's an unassuming lady in her mid-50's, and she's amazing.  She showed me file after file of competitor after competitor that she's catologed over the last decade.  She interviews the athletes she signs about how her competition recruited them, and then develops a strategy for how to recruit against them.  Is she serious about getting the recruits she wants?  You bet.  And she goes about ensuring her success by taking her competition seriously, and putting together a plan for her success when she finds herself recruiting against them.  Do you take your competition that seriously? 
5. They have a positive attitude.  I end with this one because its the habit I want you to really remember from this list.  Positive attitudes will make recruiting much, much easier.  It will keep you mentally healthy, and enthused about one of the toughest parts of your job as a college coach, which is recruiting.  Are you reading positive stuff?  Are you surrounded by positive people?  Do you choose to maintain a positive outlook on your personal and professional life?  It's critical that you do, coach.  Want to know what helps you develop and maintain a positive attitude?  Commiting to the first four things on this list!  When you're organized and winning when it comes to recruiting the athletes you need to be successful as a coach, it makes maintaining a positive attitude much, much easier.

I'll stop short of "guaranteeing" that these five things will make you a winner when it comes to recruiting.  But it's been my experience that these five traits are key when it comes to consistently doing well at recruiting.  Developing healthy recruiting "habits" will do unbelievable things for your recruiting efforts.  That I do guarantee!