You know about "balloon boy", right?

He's the little 6-year old Colorado kid that allegedly floated away in his dad's homemade UFO-like helium balloon, only to be discovered hiding in the attic of his house as a part of his father's odd plan to score publicity.

Of course, we all know the outcome: The scheme was uncovered, the dad is being discredited, and the publicity has turned negative.  His plan to draw attention to himself has completely fallen apart (actually, he has drawn attention to himself...but not the kind that is going to help him).

Believe it or not, this bizarre story has lessons for college coaches in their role as a recruiter.  The bad news: I'm not going to teach you to build an aluminum foil UFO.  The good news: If you avoid the following mistakes, you will be a much more effective communicator and recruiter.

• Be honest.  Balloon boy's dad wasn't, and before long the news media and the public smelled something fishy.  This generation of recruits who you are recruiting have the same finely-tuned senses.  They are actively searching out coaches who will be honest and straight-forward with them.  If you aren't, you'll probably lose your chance at signing them.
• Keep control of your message.  Balloon boy's dad, Richard Henne, relied on outside media outlets to tell his story.  But it's hard to control the media, not to mention your 6-year old son who mentions the whole thing was an act on national TV, which goes to prove that if you don't control your own story and message others will do it for you.  The best way to keep control of your message?  Start a blog and tell your story to your recruits, your fans and your alumni.  It's easy, it's inexpensive, and it's the best way to frame the message that keeps you in control of your program's story.
• Be interesting, but not odd.  We like people who are original and interesting.  But there's that line that is crossed when a person goes from "interesting" to odd.  Or, tyranical.  Or, confusing.  Today's recruits want a coach who they can trust and also follow, which is easier to do when they are attracted to that coach as a person.  Once you cross the line and become "odd", you lose credibility - quickly, and permanantly.
• Answer their questions fully and completely.  One of the odder moments in the whole balloon boy saga was when his father announced to the news media that he was no longer answering questions in live interviews, but only through questions they could leave him in a small cardboard box that he would leave by his front door.  The lesson here?  Your prospects are just like the media.  They have questions they need answered (and a little cardboard box isn't going to cut it, coach).  Actively seek out your prospect's questions, and make sure you give answers that connect your information with their wants or concerns.

The balloon boy story that unfolded also had a lot of ingredients that would have made it a compelling lesson for coaches in what to do right for creating a great story:  It had drama, an original story-line, and fascinating characters. 

However, the mistakes and oddities made the story unbelievable (and downright criminal from the looks of things).  The stakes for you are almost as high.  So, don't make the same mistake, Coach.  Make sure those four aspects of your recruiting plan are solidly in place so that you can avoid the mistakes that some balloon-building fathers have made recently.

Did you know that Dan Tudor and his team of recruiting and marketing experts work with programs around the country, helping them craft the right message for their recruits and developing customized strategies for helping them overcome the objections raised by their recruits?  It's true!  Want to see what Dan and his team can do for you?  Email him at dan@sellingforcoaches.com.  We'll show you how we do it, and pleasantly surprise you with how affordable it is.