Phone calls to prospects: That was the hot topic this past weekend for coaches in Atlanta during our successful "Overcoming Objections" recruiters conference, and it's on the mind of the college staff I am working with today in the Northeast conducting one of our SFC On-Campus Workshops.

Why are recruiting phone calls such a popular topic right now?  Here's my take...

We're at that time of year when coaches all over the country are starting to hear about decisions from their prospects (or wishing they were hearing from them, in many cases!).  For the majority of coaches reading this today, the jury is still out in terms of what next year's recruiting class looks like.

What's a nervous coach to do?  I know what you want to do.  You want to pick up the phone and make another follow-up call to that prospect who's taking just a little too long to call you back with a decision.

So, since many coaches seem to be facing the challenge of making effective follow-up phone calls, I wanted to give you six tips for making great follow-up calls to your recruits.  See how many of these proven strategies you are already doing as a part of your recruiting plan, and what others you need to add to make it more effective. 

Get a Commitment from Your Prospect for the Follow-up
Perhaps the single biggest mistake coaches make is not establishing a specific date and time for the follow-up call at the end of their previous visit. Vague commitments from prospects ("call me sometime next week if you want") or recruiters ("I'll send the paperwork you need and follow-up in a couple of days or so") result in missed calls, voice mail messages and ultimately a longer recruiting cycle. All you need to do is ask for an exact follow-up date and time. Try something like this, Coach:

"I'll be glad to work up all of the paperwork you need to get back to me and mail it to you. And what I would like to recommend is that we set up Tuesday, the 19th, at say, 8:45 to review it in detail and determine the next steps if any. How does that sound?"

If you're registered for our upcoming December workshop in California, "Building a Winning Recruiting Message", you'll learn all about why asking how something "sounds" is vital to moving the process forward.  For right now, just trust me...ask "how does that sound?" instead of something like "what do you think?"

Back to your call...if this is not a good time, recommend another time. If that doesn't work, get them to establish a time and date. Creating a deadline is a simple but extremely powerful tactic. Use it.

Build "Call Equity" and Be Remembered
After every first call to a prospect, send a thank-you card. Handwrite a message that simply says, "John, thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. I look forward to catching-up with you further on the 16th! Keep up the good work." No more, no less.

In today's fast paced world, a handwritten card tells your prospect that you took the time and the effort to do something a little different. This registers in your recruit's mind and creates a degree of "equity" in you. It differentiates you and is remembered. And, it gives your teenage prospect a reason to be there when you make your follow-up call.  If you want the details behind this line of thinking, you should read our special report that goes inside the mind of your college prospect...it's fascinating, and will tell you all about what your prospects think about handwritten notes and letters.

If you don't think a card will get there in time, send an email with the same note. Just be aware that an email does not have nearly the same impact as a handwritten note.

Email a Reminder and an Agenda
The day before your follow-up call, email your prospect to remind him or her of your appointment. In the subject line, enter the words: "Telephone appointment for March 19th and article of interest." Note that the subject line acts as a reminder but it is vague enough that the prospect will probably open it. There is a hint that maybe the date and time has changed.

Your email should confirm the date and time of the appointment and then briefly list your agenda:

"John, the call should only take about 10 or 15 minutes. We'll review what we talked about last time and I'll answer any questions. And then we'll determine the next steps, if any."

Notice how the words echo those used when the follow-up was initially set. In particular, notice the trigger phrase ". . .the next steps, if any." The "if any" helps reduce some of the stress or concern your prospects or their parents might have. Often they skip the follow-up call because they are worried that they'll be pressured to make a commitment. This is natural. If prospects sense an easy, informal, "no pressure" type of phone call, they are more likely to show up and be on time for that call.

Add Value in a P.S.
Notice the reference to an article in your email's subject line. At the end of your email, add a P.S. that says, "John, in the meantime, here's an article I thought you might enjoy regarding. . ."

The article may be about your your team, a big win, an interesting story about a recruiting issue of interest, or something completely non-sports related that might show a little bit of your fun side. This creates tremendous value even if your recruit does not open it. Why? Because you took the time to do something extra. This helps you be remembered and gives the prospect yet another reason to take your follow-up call.

Of course, this means you have to do some homework, Coach. Keep an eye out on the web for articles of interest and value relative to your sport or the topic of recruiting. You might even keep a file of these articles because they can be used over and over again with future recruits.

Call On Time
Don't start your relationship on the wrong foot. Call on time. Never, ever be late with your follow-up call. Not even by a minute. The promptness and respect you show on a follow-up call reflects on you, your program and your college.

By the way, you know who notices late calls the most?  The parents.  And you don't want to get your relationship with them off on the wrong foot, do you?

Avoid Opening Statement Blunders
So many coaches stumble and fall by using these routine follow-up opening statements:

"I was calling to follow-up on the paperwork..."
"I am just calling to see if you had any questions..."
"I just wanted to make sure you got my email..."
"I was just calling to see if you had had a chance to think about things..." 
   
These opening statements are not only poor, they are commonplace and do nothing to differentiate you. You are perceived as yet another run of the mill coach looking for a "sale". You need a little more pizzazz, don't you think?  Think of ways to differentiate yourself and give your prospect a real reason to sit up and pay attention to your follow-up call.

Here's the key to follow-up calls: Have something original to say, and know when to say it.  It's a bit of an art form, to be honest, and the best way to become an expert at it is to practice, practice, practice.

New information gets attention and keeps your prospects engaged.  Old information, or no information at all, results in a non-productive phone call every single time. 

Got prospects to follow-up with before the holidays come around?  Try some new tactics and use some of these tips to get a better response.

Want help developing your plan and getting our team of experts creating creative messages for you to use in your recruiting?  Click here.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 05:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Some coaches who are reading this today who have spent some time with me at an On-Campus Workshop know that I'm a bit of a Seinfeld fan.

Today, I've actually found a way to pass along a piece of valuable recruiting advice to you using a character from the show...who actually runs a real business, and has to recruit new customers in the same way you have to recruit great athletes.

Those of you familiar with this popular sitcom probably remember the eccentric "J. Peterman", Elaine's boss who ran a catalog of exotic products, described in great detail through some very imaginative writing.  What many of you might not know is that there is a real catalog, real exotic products and a real J. Peterman. 

It's the way his catalog is written that is my focus today, because there are some really good lessons in the way it's written.  There are several concepts you should steal and use in your recruiting letters.  Here are a few examples:

• Recruiting letters and emails should create pictures in your prospect's mind.  For example, listen to J. Peterman's opening lines in describing a French Sailing Shirt:

Sixty-knot winds are raking the deck of his sloop... At 4 p.m., a rogue wave blindsides him and knocks the boat flat...The mast is crushed. The wheel is gone. The woman is swept overboard when her safety harness snaps. He unclips his own harness to leap in after her, spots her from the crest of a swell... Iron will kicks in; somehow he gets them both back to the wreck...Nighttime currents drive them onto a beach.

Wow!  That's quite a story for selling a shirt!  But that's the Peterman style...he draws you in and makes you interested by assigning a story to something that's rather ordinary (a shirt).  The story is what people are "buying" because its so descriptive.  When talking about your recruiting topics with a prospect, try to create interest in your program by telling a story and taking the reader inside your school through this type of writing and storytelling.

• Always feature what's unique about your school.  For Peterman, that's his one-of-a-kind section of his catalog and website (finally...a place to buy a European Grape Press!)  We've added another two college programs to our Total Recruiting Solution program this past week, and one of the first things we work with coaches on determining as we start this service for them is what unique things about their school, team and program can be highlighted in the recruiting plans we help them create and manage.  Do you have something unique?  Highlight it in a creative way in your letters and emails.  Make it something that attracts the prospect to your campus and peaks their interest in your program.
• Try starting your letter or email halfway through the story.  Like Peterman does in the way he starts off his story about the Velvet Party Pants:

One of those houses at the end of a long driveway in Beverly Hills, a high density of exotics parked outside. You can hear the festivities from the street. Inside, white room and white rugs, a jungle of potted plants, Mexican ceramics...isn’t that Harry Connick, Jr. over there, shouting his compliments to the hostess?

See how that technique draws you in right from the start? No set-up, no introduction.  Just straight to the middle of the conversation.  Try to find a way to use this technique in your next recruiting letter or email, especially if you think you're losing prospects with the way you're trying to communicate with them.

Those are three quick ways to use creativity to get better results from your recruiting communication.  For J. Peterman, his catalog had to stand out from the hundreds of others catalogs that clog our mailboxes.  His style stood out so well, it became a fixture on the most popular sitcom of all time.

I can't promise you national fame by following Peterman's lead, but I will promise you better responses from your prospects through letters and emails that sound different than everyone else.

Need help with creating a winning recruiting plan?  Want a team of experts to help you produce your letters and emails so that you could double your prospect responses, and save a lot of your time in the process?  Email Dan Tudor at dan@sellingforcoaches.com and ask him to email a complete overview of SFC's Total Recruiting Solution plan.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 12:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Recruiting over the phone is probably the most challenging recruiting task that a college coach faces.  Whenever I get to talk to coaches at one of our On-Campus Workshops, and ask them about talking to prospects over the phone, it ranks just behind stomach flu and slightly ahead of hitting their thumb really hard with a hammer. 

"What do I talk about?"  "Why can't I get my prospect to talk back?"  "What do I say when I'm leaving a message?" 

Those are just some of the questions we get from coaches on a regular basis.  And, they are important questions.  Because if you can't communicate on the phone, all of the letters and beautiful brochures that you've been sending to your recruit these past many months just went down the tubes.

Tying together all of your recruiting communication so that it makes sense to your prospect and builds a logical case for why they should choose your program is essential to successful recruiting.  That's why we're hosting two special conferences for college coaches this November and December, one that focuses on overcoming objections and another that teaches coaches how to develop a great recruiting message.  And one of the topics we'll be covering in both conferences is how to talk to prospects over the phone, and (more importantly) how to make those phone calls play off of the letters you've been sending out.

If you're facing some important recruiting phone calls this week, and need some quick tips to make sure they're successful, here's a few to take with you:

1. Keep it under ten minutes.  If you make it longer than that, you risk losing the attention of your prospect.  Studies show that we start to let our mind wander after listening to someone else for more than ten minutes.  Don't let that heppen on your next recruiting call.  The exception to this rule?  If your prospect is the one doing the talking.  Never cut short an engaged conversation with your prospect if they are the one's that are directing the discussion.
2. Try not to sell.  Oooo, it's so tempting though, isn't it?  Just one more great thing about your school...one more bullet point they may have missed from the college brochure that you sent them.  You know the drill.  The problem is, the more you're selling, the less you're listening.  And now you're like every other coach that your prospect is talking to about a scholarship.  Sell less, listen more.
3. Have questions ready to ask.  Don't wing it.  Write down questions that you want to make sure to ask, and then make sure that you ask them.  Try to ask the type of questions that we describe in our recruiting guides for coaches...open ended questions that make your prospects stop and think. 
4. Give them an insider's view of your world.  Wanna get your prospect's attention in a phone conversation?  Tell them about your last game, or about a tough decision you had to make, or about a problem that you had to help a player with.  Show your human side, and give them a peek inside your world.  You'll be pleasantly surprised how your prospect will view you when you share that with them. 
5. Ask them what they would do.  It's a great conversation starter, Coach.  Give them a game situation, and ask them what they would do.  They'll love it that you are interested in their opinion, and you'll gain insight on how they would approach a situation that they might face as an athlete in your program.
6. Tie-in the "before and after".  Here's what I mean: Talk about the last letter you sent as a way to start the phone call, and then let them know what they'll be hearing from you next after you hang up.  A letter?  An e-mail?  Another phone call?  Make sure you're setting up the next communication you'll be sending them at some point in your phone call.
7. 7.  Ask for "the sale".  You need to do it almost every time you talk to your prospect.  Your prospect needs to be given the opportunity to commit to your program every time they talk to you.  It's a must, Coach.  The worst thing that heppens?  They politely tell you "not yet", but go away knowing that you want them.  The best that can happen?  They give you their commitment.  The phone is a great time to ask that question, because it's just personal enough to make them feel like they could give you their commitment, but "safe" enough to tell you "not yet" if they aren't ready.  But you have to ask them, Coach.

The magic ingredient to successful phone calls is when your call matches-up with the message that you've been talking about in your letters and e-mails.  After studying what makes athletic prospects say "yes" to a coach, I'm convinced it's when they feel like everything makes sense and the message sounds genuine. 

That's a tough balance to achieve, and few coaches get it exactly right.  But when it happens, it's magic.  And that coach will get most of the prospect they want.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Online shoe retailer Zappos.com does something pretty interesting. 

In fact, you could learn from it.  Here's what they do, and the lesson that's in it for you as a college coach.

When you go to Zappos.com, one of the most popular websites on the Internet to buy shoes, you have a choice for shipping options.  You can choose to have your order delivered via regular 6 to 7 day ground service for about $7, or you can choose next day delivery for $25. 

Most people, as you would expect, choose regular ground delivery.  But you know what happens in most instances?  They get an e-mail telling them that they've been upgraded to the next day delivery at no extra charge.

That's right, you get your shoes the next day even though you didn't pay for the premium shipping.  And they tell you, step by step, what they are going to do next.

Why is that important?  Here's why:

• They are telling their customers what they are doing for them.  No guessing, no wondering.  Zappos does a great job of keeping their customers updated.  That creates loyalty.  And, in cases where an unexpected delay occurs, there is patience and forgivness from those customers.
• They are providing their customers a clear, concise message.  They keep their customers informed, and do so with simple messages that are easily and quickly understood.
• They are giving their customers a pleasant surprise.  It's cool to get some unexpected good news.  That's what Zappos is giving their customers.  But it's not by accident...it's part of their marketing strategy, and a critical part of their aim to create fanatical, passionate buyers.
• They are giving their customers a reason to talk about them.  Those fanatical, passionate buyers I just told you about?  They tell other people about Zappos.  All the time.  Why?  Because they're different.  And different gets talked about.

Now, imagine yourself as running that business.  Do you see why you're successful?  Do you see why your customers are loyal, why people are talking about you, and why your business is growing?

Of course you do!  You have a marketing plan that focuses on surprising your customers with a great surprise, and doing it with a clear, concise message.

So why don't you take those principles and apply them to the way your program recruits? 

If you're on board with that concept, here's what I suggest you do next:

• Tell your recruits what you are doing for them.  Even the simple stuff.  Keep them updated.  They want that, and their parents want that.  No detail is too small, and it's best to do it with a hand-written card.
• Don't sell!  This is about you communicating with them regarding something that is happening for them behind the scenes: You're reviewing their video, you are talking with your assistant coaches about them, you are meeting with the financial aid office about their application...anything that's going on behind the scenes.  No selling, just informing.  That's the goal.
• Give them a surprise.  This one's the toughest.  it involves pre-planning a surprise...that little something extra...that your prospects aren't expecting.  Of course, I'm not talking about free shipping (unless you're shipping something to your prospect, which the NCAA would probably like to know more about).  It has to be something unique to your school, your program, or your plan as a coach.  Be creative.  And, make sure it is something good enough to get talked about.

If you want ideas on how to create recruiting plans that get talked about, I hope you can come to our Recruiting Kick-Off Conference this coming August 9th and 10th to Indianapolis, Indiana.  We'll be highlighting a lot of new strategies that will focus on setting yourself apart from the competition, overcoming objections, and closing the deal.

If you haven't regsitered yet, click here for more information.  If you're going to come to one SFC conference this year, make it this one!

Posted by Dan Tudor at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

by Rodger Motiska, Winning Recruits 

Winning Recruits was recently invited to a school to take look at their facilities and make some recommendations on improvements to the interiors of their athletic facilities.  They had attempted to make some "improvements" to the décor on their own. While they had the best of intentions, they made some of the classic mistakes we see time again in the enhancements of athletic facilities.

The school had just hired a new head coach, someone with the credentials to take their program from years of mediocrity to fame. The facilities had a dated Hall of Fame, locker room and a weight room that were anything but state-of-the-art, the corridors and team areas were awash in photos from the past.

The new head coach immediately set out to upgrade two of the most important areas to his program -- the weight room and locker room.  The next thing he demanded was to get rid of the existing photography and graphics that pointed to the past, an uninspiring one at that. This coach wanted to create a favorable impression on the new recruits that would be touring these facilities.  His instructions to the staff were to fill the halls with photos of recent game action photos, creating a sense of excitement for impressionable young high-school athletes.

The coach's intuition was right on target!  But, unfortunately they ended up creating the exact opposite of what he desired.  Why?  They were focused on decorating rather than designing to recruit. 

Coaches are experts on coaching, and in our experience we have found that they have little or no knowledge of recent trends integrating marketing and branding into the built-environment.  Often, they lack understanding of how these same techniques can greatly benefit their recruiting. 

Our research has revealed that the real secret to gaining an edge in recruiting is to differentiate your program for your competition. What sets your program apart needs be incorporated in all of your recruiting communications – from what you say to electronic communications to your architecture and interiors.  You need to create an atmosphere that connects with today’s young people, an environment that communicates the unique attributes of your program and your school.  We call this integration of architectural design and communication techniques "experience design." If you’ve been to an Apple store, to a Nike Town or a Disney theme park, then you’ve experienced what we’re talking about.

Here are the specific mistakes we observed at this school and why the coach failed to accomplish his objectives:

There was simply too much of the same thing!
The photographs were all of the same subject matter and similar in size.  The result is that nothing stood out because everything “looked” alike and had equal emphasis. Which means that there isn’t anything that is memorable about the place.

Nothing communicated what is "different" about this program.
With the exception of the school colors on the uniforms, the photographs could have been from any school.  The result is a "missed opportunity" to reinforce their recruiting message and more importantly, to distinguish themselves from their competition.

The architecture does nothing to create an atmosphere that is reflective of this school's unique "personality."  There isn’t any special lighting to enhance the photographs or graphics. The paint and wall finishes make the interiors look older than the building actually is.  The result was that rather than reflecting a "new beginning," its just more of the same thing that they see at most schools they visit (probably with similar records and promises.)

The irony is that instead of creating an exciting, memorable recruiting experience for campus visits (and especially in light of what we know their competition has) recruits visiting their facilities probably leave uninspired!  Worse yet, instead of signaling a bright new beginning for the program, their facilities are sending the exact opposite message... "we're mired in the past."

Here's what we would recommend to anyone that wants “to do it right."

1. PLAN
First and foremost you need to define what the message is that you're trying to send to recruits.  This message needs to be communicated with consistency in all your recruiting tools, which includes your facilities.  Think through a typical tour of your facilities with a recruit, and plan appropriate points along the way to emphasize through the use of displays, graphics and multi-media those things that emphasize your recruiting message and distinguishing attributes of your program.  In this particular case the interiors, displays and any interactive media need to reflect the coach’s vision of a new legacy, that this school is no longer satisfied to have the reputation as a powerhouse in just one sport, that a recruit has the opportunity be an important part of building this new legacy.

2. DEFINE "WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT"
Step back and look at your recruiting message, what in that message differentiates you from your competition (not just your conference, but the primary schools that you compete with for talent)?  Incorporate graphic displays and, if affordable, multi-media presentations into the environment.  Communicate your points of distinction and recruiting messages into these displays. For example Southern Cal Football's current slogan is WIN FOREVER.  It’s a message they incorporate into all their recruiting tools.

3. DON'T "DECORATE", CREATE AN EXPERIENCE! 
To keep things interesting you need to have variety in the subject matter displayed and position visuals for maximum impact.  Architects often cite the adage "less is more" for a reason, it focuses the eye on what is important and therefore it becomes memorable.  Use colors to enliven the environment and finishes (such as carpet and trim) that enliven the interiors and at least signals that you're living in the present.  Add lighting that creates drama and therefore a sense that this is someplace special.

The ultimate misfortune is that for the same amount of money that this coach spent on upgrading his facilities, he could have created a powerful recruiting tool.  In today's competitive recruiting environment, even the little things mean a lot.  You may have good intentions, but if you don't have the right execution, it may be wasted effort. 

Posted by Dan Tudor at 03:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Whenever I go to lead one of our On-Campus Workshops for a college coach or athletic director, a big part of my job is helping them to develop their "story".

I think stories are vital to the recruiting process.  Now when I say "story", I'm not talking about something that has been made-up.  I'm not talking about telling lies. 

I'm talking about giving your recruit something to reach out and touch and feel when it comes to what your program is all about.  What is your "story" that you want them to buy into?  Have you sat back and considered what kind of picture you are painting for your prospect in their head through your recruiting materials, phone calls and even personal visits?

If you have never thought about "your story" before, and need help in creating it so that you can be a more effective recruiter here, I want to pass along five questions that you can ask yourself - and your fellow coaches - to see what you can find that is unique about your program and how to present it as a story that your recruit won't want to say no to:

1. What are your prospects demanding?  Here's a hint: It's not always about the money, so don't make that the focus.  If you've read our survey of some of 2008's most recruited athletes, and how they tell us they will make their final college decision, it usually revolves around personal relationships with your team and you as a coach.  They demand attention, and they demand benefits that revolve around them.  What can you do to "meet their demand"?
2. What do your prospects need?  Money?  Sometimes.  A degree?  Yes.  A chance to succeed?  All the time.  Ask yourself what your prospects need, and you will go a long way towards reaching them with a message - a story - that they will identify with.  Remember: "Needs" are different than "demands".  Their needs revolve around the realities that they are facing, and are necessary for them to overcome those hurdles.  Figure out a way to meet their needs (that's what they care about, anyway...their needs, not yours).
3. What are they willing to pay for?  This is actually a fairly in-depth question, Coach.  What is it that they view as being a "premium" feature of your school that if they had to pay for it, they would gladly do so.  For example, if you are at a school that doesn't offer athletic scholarships, the premium might be a great education...or the brand new dorms...or the chance to compete in the best athletic conference in the country.  All of those things are tangible "premium" items that your prospects may be willing to pay for if they had to.  Understanding what the most valuable parts of your offering are in the eyes of your prospects is a big key in developing a great recruiting story.
4. What athletic niches are underserved by other colleges?  Today, I'm working at a university that is developing a specialized niche in their track and field and cross country programs.  I give them credit for looking at what their school wants to do regarding enrollment, identifying its most likely student-athletes, and building a story around the focus that they have.  Taking a look at what kind of "specialty" niche you can put together for your prospects, whether it be a unique training approach, training trips to exotic locations...whatever!  Find an area that your competitors aren't focusing on and build out a unique brand for your prospect.
5. What special credentials to you bring to your athlete?  Have you won Coach of the Year honors within your conference or even nationally?  Do you specialize in a certain type of training that you could talk about?  Have you worked with athletes that eventually went on to a pro career?  All of those highlights, and others if they exist, should be highlighted in your story that you develop.

Just asking those five probing questions about you and your program can help you develop the beginnings to a great recruiting strategy...a strategy that will give your prospect the story they can get behind, believe in, and respond to.

By the way, I'd really like you to become a SFC Premium Member.  This week, I'll be sending Members another four questions that will help you build your program's story.  If you aren't a Member, sign-up for the month-to-month subscription that you can try.  We think you'll like the added training you get.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 01:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

All of the time, all of the effort, all of the mail, e-mail and phone calls...all of it is a means to an end: Your recruit saying "yes".

But getting to "yes" is the hard part.  That's the thing you stress over, get frustrated with, and generally wish you didn't have to deal with week in and week out as a college recruiter.  For the coaches I work with on an ongoing basis, I understand that stress and frustration - and I try my best to help coaches change their approach with recruits so that it's more effective.

So you can imagine my excitement this week when I got an e-mail from a D2 soccer coach who attended our last "Building a Winning Recruiting Message" workshop, where one of the topics we focus upon is how to turn all of your hard work into positive results.  Here's what she said:

Dan, I got my first 2009 recruit to commit!!!! 

In the past I never would have asked her to commit this early.  But I asked, and she committed!!!!  It never would have happened if I hadn’t been to your seminar.  I have taken everything that you taught us there and am in the works of applying it all.  I really have to say that it is working out really really well.  Thanks so much.

Now she gives credit to Selling for Coaches and the workshop she attended, but I have to give the credit to her. 

She was the one that took the risk, applied the techniques, and sealed the deal.  She deserves the credit for changing her methods - just a little - to get the results, and the early "yes" from a '09 prospect.

If you are a coach that's struggling with getting a "yes" from a prospect you are recruiting, I want to give you some simple truths when it comes to knowing when, and how, to get a recruit to say "yes" to what you're offering:

1. You can't start selling too soon.  Most coaches struggle with this.  The temptation is to start throwing all of the positives about your program at your prospect from the word go.  The problem is, they aren't ready to hear it.  They have to get to know you first before they are ready to hear why they should "buy" your product.
2. You can't make it all about you.  Why?  Because they don't care about you yet.  All they are concerned with is themselves, and their goals and dreams.  Not your goals and dreams.  Take a look at your first few recruiting letters or e-mails you send out: How much of what you're talking about is focused on you, and how much is centered around your prospect?
3. Ask questions.  Lots of them.  Want to get to "yes" before the other coach?  Make sure you're asking open-ended questions that let the prospect talk about themselves and what's on their mind.  Asking the right questions can also tell you everything you need to know about how to recruit them, and how they will choose a school.
4. You have to overcome all of their objections.  ALL of them, Coach.  Think back to the last recruit you didn't sign, but really wanted to.  Know why they didn't choose you?  There was an objection to your program in their mind that was left unanswered.  It could have been minor, or it could have been a big one that you would have never overcome.  But you need to make sure you're asking a LOT of questions throughout the recruiting process, and seeing if you can uncover any new or existing objections that they have about you, your program, or your school.  If you don't, you probably won't sign them.
5. Ask them to commit early and often.  As soon as you know that they are a recruit that you want in uniform at your school, you have the green light to ask them for their commitment.  One thing our survey of this year's top high school prospects found was what today's teen responds to, and what they don't respond to, in terms of a recruiting message from a coach.  One of the hot trends we identify with today's prospects?  They want to make an early commitment if possible.  The only way you can do that is to make sure you're asking them to come and play for you.  Do it early in the process, and plan on doing it often.

I'm going to give some follow-up instruction to our Premium Members later this week on the topic of asking early, and how to do it.  If you'd like that additional training - and more - considering signing-up for that extra instruction throughout the week, every week.

By the way, one good way to gauge whether your prospect may be ready to be asked for their commitment is to ask "trial close" questions.  It'a a really effective way of finding out what they might be thinking without putting any pressure on them or seeming "pushy".  If you want a quick review on the topic of "trial close" questions, click here. 

Getting to "yes" isn't always guaranteed, no matter how well equipped you are heading into the recruitment of a prospect.  However, there is a step-by-step process that you can follow that will increase your odds of seeing that athlete compete for you and not your competitor.  The key is being willing to make some slight changes in your approach, and then asking for the "yes".

One of your fellow coaches did just that a few days ago.  You can too.

Want to be a part of the next "Building a Winning Recruiting Message" workshop in your area?  Click here for the details.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 08:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Greg, one of our favorite SFC Premium Members, e-mailed me a short story from Sports Illustrated about Rutgers women's basketball coach Vivian Stringer, who was recruiting standout prep star, Essence Carson. 

On the surface, its just another off the wall recruiting story that'll be fun to talk about at the next coach's convention.  But if you dig a little deeper, there are a lot of good principles at work here.

First, the story from SI, talking about a little "deal" that Coach Stringer made with her big recruit:

"I hear you play the piano," said Stringer. "So do I. When you come for your official visit next year, I'll play the first movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata for you. If I miss one note, you don't have to consider coming to Rutgers. But if I play it perfectly, will you promise to be a Scarlet Knight?"

Carson remembers chuckling; Stringer remembers hearing a yes. When Carson arrived on campus for her official visit, Stringer played the piece for her. She didn't miss a note. Carson acted nonchalant at the time, but she now admits she was stunned. "I couldn't believe this busy, important woman wanted me that badly."

OK, Coaches.  Here are the lessons you should take away from this story:

The coach knew her prospect.  Not just the athletic side, but the personal side as well.  And not only did she know it, she found a way to apply it to the way she personally recruited her prospect.  Knowing the personal details about your recruits is the first step.  Using it in the way you recruit athletes is the next step.  Do you do it?

The coach used a "trial close".  What is a "trial close"?  It's something good salespeople do regularly.  It's when you assume a sale, and get your prospect to buy into that assumed sale.  What was the "trial close" here?  When Coach Stringer assumed out loud that Carson was going to make Rutgers one of her official visits.  Now the prospect could have been planning that all along, but Coach Stringer was smart in the way that she cemented that commitment with that trial close.

The coach got her prospect's attention.  How?  She was unique.  Original.  Surprising.  She threw out something unexpected to set herself apart from the other coaches recruiting Carson.  Because Stringer knew the personal details about her recruit, she threw out a little piano challenge.  Was it an attention-getting move?  You bet!  More coaches should try original approaches...they'd be surprised at how it would change their recruiting results.  (Can I throw in a plug for our exciting workshop that will teach you how to put together a great recruiting message in an original, attention getting way?  We have a few seats left...you need to be there).

The coach backed up her promise.  I often tell coaches that when your athletes come for a campus visit, they're looking for reasons not to come there more often than not.  They're looking for broken promises, dirty laundry and hidden problems.  When Coach Stringer backed up her words with actions, it no doubt showed her recruit that she was the real deal.

She showed her personal side.  In our new in-depth study on how your college prospect makes their final decision, one of the biggest factors in their decision making is what they see on their visit to a campus, and what the coach tells them or shows them in person.  Coach Stringer opened up, put herself on the line, and in the process showed her recruit that she was genuine.  And, if you listen to Essence Carson, she showed this teenage prospect that she was an important recruit who deserved personal attention.  How often do you do that, Coach?

Recruiting successfully is no secret.  Its actually simple if you do the right things, some of which we've outlined today. 

Simple usually involves taking risks, ironically.  Opening yourself up to a recruit, learning new recruiting techniques, doing things differently to reach a new generation of teenage prospect.  All of it sounds risky, but as Coach Stringer showed us, you tend to get the big recruiting wins when you get creative and take some risks.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There's a great deal of psychology that sales professionals use daily in their interactions with their prospects and clients.  As a college sports recruiter, you can (and should) use the same kind of techniques to solidify your relationship with your athletic prospects.

One such technique is what I call the "stay the course" technique.  Here's a sampling of how it works, using an actual study that was conducted to back up my lesson to you today.

When most people (your prospects included, coach) decide on a course of action, they have a very strong desire to stay with that course.   Frequently, this desire is so powerful that they will refuse to alter their chosen path ... even when there is overwhelming evidence that it is unwise.

There are several reasons for this. For one thing, there's the simple power of ego. Nobody likes to feel like they made a bad decision.  Perhaps more important is that nobody likes a "flip-flopper."  A fairly recent example from the world of politics would be the Bush campaign taking advantage of this concept by portraying John Kerry as a man who "flip-flopped" on his position and, therefore, couldn't be trusted. In many polls, voters cited that as a reason they voted against Kerry.

Once a person chooses a certain position, his desire to be consistent will compel him to behave as promised.

An interesting study illustrated this universal human tendency. A "beachgoer" (an accomplice to the study) would stroll onto the sand and choose a spot near a target subject. The "beachgoer" would then spend about five minutes spreading out his blanket and setting up with suntan lotion and a small portable radio.   Just another person enjoying a day at the beach. He would then stand up and walk away, without saying anything to the target.

Shortly after the "beachgoer" left, a second accomplice would approach the unguarded blanket and make a move to steal the radio. Only five percent of the time would the target make any effort to confront the "thief" or do anything to try and prevent what appeared to be a crime.

Now ... here's the interesting part of the study: With a second group of targets, instead of simply walking away from his blanket, the "beachgoer" asked them to keep an eye on his things. And the results were drastically different. Ninety-five percent of the time, these targets aggressively attempted to prevent the "thief" from stealing the "beachgoer's" radio.

What made the difference?

Like the first group, this second group of targets didn't know the "beachgoer." The only communication they had with him was that single verbal exchange when he asked them to watch his things.

But because these subjects had agreed to do something, they aggressively stayed the course ... despite the fact that it was not in their best interests.   In fact, it put them in the potentially dangerous position of confronting a brazen thief in order to protect the low-value property of a stranger they'd only spoken with for one moment.

Understanding this tendency of people to follow a consistent course of action can help you persuade them to act in a way you want them to act - whether you want to get your boss to assign you to a particular project or get your child to do better in school.  Or, get your recruit to commit to your program. 

If you've read our fascinating report, "Inside the Mind of Your College Prospect", you know that your college prospects say that its how they feel that makes them most likely to commit to a program or a coach.  How they feel about the coach, how they feel about the players on the team, and how they feel about the thought of playing for you as a coach.  If you've read the report, you also see how this concept of "commitment" comes into play with our findings and recommendations that we've made to you based on our study's findings. 

There are three steps to making this technique work, Coach:

1. Make a statement of fact that the person will agree with. ("Playing for us here at our college greatly improves your odds of being able to start as a freshman.")

2. Link a conclusion to this statement of fact. ("In order to make sure that happens, we need to make sure you're one of our early admission students so that we can stop recruiting other athletes that play your position.")

3. Obtain a commitment from your prospect based on that conclusion. ("So, Greg, can we depend on you to get your application in early and start planning your college career here at our university right away?")

It's easy, it works, and it begins to get your prospect thinking about a permanent athlete-coach relationship with you and your program. 

Posted by Dan Tudor at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You know the drill: You've sent letters, hand-written postcards, typed e-mails...and there's no response.  The replies have quit coming. 

What do you do if you want to jump-start your recruiting relationship with that kind of prospect?  It's simple, coach.  You make a commitment to rekindling that relationship...no matter what.  What happens when you do that?   

You regain your confidence. When you have a lot of pending decisions hanging out there, you tend to start questioning your sales and recruiting ability. You blame yourself for failing to get another great prospect. You become negative. You get down on yourself. Talking personally with your prospect erases the doubt and mystery, helping you to regain your confidence.  Need more confidence when it comes to knowing how to recruit?  Read our special recruiting guides for college coaches.

You eliminate stress. Having ten, twenty or thirty prospects that you're waiting to hear back from is extremely stressful. Once you nail down a final answer from your prospect, that stress is eliminated. You know where you stand, and know where you need to go from here. You're crossing prospects off your list who aren't serious "buyers" of your product (your program).

You stop acting like a salesperson. Once you know what a prospect is thinking, you can stop acting like a desperate salesperson disguised as a college coach. There are times when it's time to walk away and focus your energy on other prospects. After speaking with a prospect personally, you may find that time is now. Breath a sigh of relief...you don't have to keep-up the high pressure sales tactics anymore!

How do you do it? Simple:

Call your prospect on the phone. Don't leave a message. Keep calling back until you get them live on the phone. It's imperative at this stage of your selling process that you speak with them live, one-on-one. Messages, e-mails, voicemails...none of those things cut it. You need to speak with your prospect live.

Take responsibility for the problem. Ease your prospect's concerns and their uncomfortable feelings by taking the blame (even if it's not your fault...and it probably isn't): "Hey Amy, it's Coach Jenkins. First, its great to talk to you. I wanted to apologize for not doing a good job of getting us together on the phone, and to let you know that I'm sorry that I dropped the ball. I think I could have given you some better information so that you'd have a chance to really understand what a great program we have going here. You've probably already made a commitment with another program, which is fine, so really all I'm doing is checking in to get your feedback as to how I can improve for the next prospect I talk to."

If they haven't made a commitment yet, they'll let you know.  And then you're back in the game.  It's the best cure I know of when it comes to reigniting a promising recruiting relationship.

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

We've been talking about changing things up when it comes to your mailings to your prospects.  Small changes can yield big results when it comes to getting a better response from the athletes you're trying to contact.

One way to effectively change up the way you approach recruiting - mailings, phone calls, whatever - is to apply a seven step process we lay out in our new book for recruiters, "What They Didn't Teach You About Recruiting".  It's a way to look at your old methods for recruiting in a whole new light, and turn roadblocks into new opportunities.

Here's an excerpt from the book.  It's two of the seven steps that any coach can use to be a better recruiter by making small, strategic changes to elements of their recruiting game plan:

Adapt - Can your message be better adapted to fit some new media outlets that are out there? Is there a way to reach new prospects through Instant Message or e-mail or other electronic communication? Through a custom produced DVD?  How about posting videos of your team and your program on YouTube.com?  How about having a MySpace.com page for your program?  One of the things I helped one of our SFC Premium Members develop was a series of “home movies” that were shot by the athletes on a road trip and then edited onto a DVD.  It was a hit, and they’ve made it a big part of their recruiting campaign for their school.  Could you put your message to new prospects on a Blog? (Do you have a Blog? Do you know what a Blog is?). Be creative...adapt your traditional message to new media that will get the response from today's teen.

Modify, Maximize or Minimize - What can you enlarge, shrink or alter about your mailing? What if you made your business card post card sized? What if it were extra small? What if your brochure resembled a CD cover and booklet? What if your entire new prospect mailing came in a CD or DVD case with a disk and everything - right down to the annoying shrink-wrapping that's impossible to get in to? Be creative...think of ways to modify, maximize or minimize your mailings.

Most coaches are 80% there when it comes to an effective recruiting strategy.  But that other 20% can kill you sometimes, and it's usually the part of the equation that needs constant re-tooling.  If you don't, your message gets stale, and your recruiting lags behind the competition.  Take a good look at your current recruiting and see if there are any changes that you can make to the way you go after the prospects you really want.

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

Are you running into parents who are putting up concerns and questions as you're recruiting their son or daughter?  Are you having trouble overcoming their objections?  No wonder!  The decision on where their son or daughter goes to college is one of the most important decisions that they will make.  Not surprisingly, the athlete's parents are going to play a big role in helping them make this once-in-a-lifetime choice.

In our recruiting guide for college recruiters, "Selling for Coaches", author and recruiting coach Dan Tudor talks about how to win over parents by answering their concerns and eliminating their objections.  Here's an excerpt from the Chapter 7 of the book, entitled "Meet the Parents":

First, you need to be actively listening for objections when you have conversations with your prospect and their parents.  And keep in mind that listening for these objections includes things they say verbally, as well as things they might infer or hint at.  Obviously, the later is the harder thing to pick out.  You have to “read between the lines” and bring up potential objections (and be the one to answer them) if you think they might exist. 

The last thing you want to do is to have your prospect - and his or her parents - be stuck on an objection they can’t – or don’t want to – verbalize to you, and let that be the thing that kills his or her chances of playing for your program.  Listen for, and anticipate, objections that a prospect may have as you are recruiting them.  This is especially true for parents of your prospect, who will have a great influence over their son or daughter's decision.

Answer the parent's objections and concerns with the same attention to detail, and using the same techniques we've talked about so far in the book, to win over their confidence and establish yourself as the best choice for their son or daughter.  Recruiting the parents is as important as recruiting your prospect.  Make sure you pay attention to their questions and objections.

I recently completed a tour of college campuses around the country, giving expanded training to college athletic departments and their coaching staff.  If there was one common "Aha!" moment coaches experienced during the workshops, it was when we talked about the importance of recruiting the parents of the athlete you're interested in with as much focus and passion as you recruit the athlete with.  Coaches get too focused on just the athlete most of the time, forgetting that the parents have a significant role in helping the athlete make their final decision.

As we start the summer, make it a point to create a plan to recruit the parents of your prospect as much as possible.  If you need help putting together a plan to do that, and your a Premium Member, call or email to schedule a one-on-one consultation so that we can help you put together a great plan for selling the parent on your program.

To order the college recruiting guide, "Selling for Coaches", click here!

Posted by Dan Tudor at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you’ve been coaching at the college level for a while now, you’ve probably learned at least one thing when it comes to the recruiting process: You rarely, if ever, are able to sign a prospect after just one contact.

What does that mean? That’s right, coach. You’ve got to follow-up with them. Sometimes in person, once in a while via e-mail, and almost certainly by phone. Over and over and over again. The follow-up probably never seems to end if you’re a serious recruiter.

Follow-up requires persistence, and persistence works best when there is a plan in place. Plans make being persistent a little easier, knowing that you’re taking another planned step towards getting that athlete ready to commit to your program. What I’m really talking about here is a focused reason for your follow-up with the athlete, whether it be by mail, e-mail, phone or in person.

One of the things coaches consistently ask us for are good ideas for effective follow-up with the athletes they are recruiting. Here are some of the tips we’ve given coaches over the years as a strategy for making their follow-up calls effective:

Know why they want and need what you’re offering. It’s not about you, coach. It’s about what your prospect wants, and how they perceive them getting that from you and what you’re offering. Remember that, and try to tie your program in to their desires and dreams.

Know the real reasons your prospect hasn’t said “yes” yet. Do they have objections that remain unanswered? Probably. Are their other decision makers involved in the process, like a parent or a coach? Probably. Make sure you uncover all of the reasons they aren’t ready to commit.

Make sure you’re friendly. Sounds simple, right? And yet, many coaches take their game face into a recruiting situation. That doesn’t work most of the time. You need to be approachable, open, honest and someone that they would enjoy being around even if they weren’t one of your prospects. We all like to do business with people we consider friends, and your prospect is no different.

Know what your prospect’s “hot buttons” are. Is it the education your offer? Your stadium? Your coaching reputation? The chance to play as a freshman? You need to ask effective questions, and then make sure you have a clear understanding of what your prospect is looking for from you (like I said, it’s all about them, coach). Use those hot buttons in your follow-up conversations, reminding your prospect that you have what they want. Have new information ready to present.

Never call or e-mail “just to check in”. The only reason they would care about you “checking in” is if they ran a hotel, and since Paris Hilton isn’t much of an athlete I don’t think you need to worry about that. “Checking in” is a weak reason to call. Instead, have new information ready to give them. You’ve got new stuff, or stuff you haven’t yet talked about with them, so use it. Be creative, and make it relevant.

Be a trusted helper. Put your desires to sign the athlete second, and focus on them going through the recruiting process instead. Do they need help with their application? Do they have questions about another school that’s contacted them? Are they confused about applying for financial aid? HELP THEM. Ask for nothing in return. Be a trusted helper and advisor, and watch what it does for your recruiting efforts.

Be direct. Answer all of their questions, and don’t beat around the bush. Don’t lie to them, and don’t patronize them. Your prospects, and their parents, are smarter than you give them credit for sometimes. Make sure you’re the coach that’s up-front and direct in giving them the information and answers that they need to make their decision.

Be funny. Make them laugh. Do it through personal coaching stories, or stories about when you were getting recruited or were an athlete. If you can make them laugh, you’ll be one-up on the coach that comes in with his or her game face on. Athletes are looking for someone that they’ll enjoy being around. Make them laugh, and they’ll remember you as that person.

Don’t be scared to ask for the sale. If you’ve had me in for an On-Campus seminar, you know what a big emphasis this is during a workshop with your staff. This is critical to the recruiting process. When you’re following-up with a prospect, you should “ask for the sale” almost every single time you talk with them sometime during your conversation. Yet, most coaches sit and wait. If that strategy is working for you, don’t change a thing. If you want to be more proactive and keep control of the recruiting process, take charge by taking a chance and ask for them to commit to your program.

If they don’t perceive a difference in what you’re offering versus the other coach that’s calling, it’s going to be tough to sign the athlete. Keep this in mind as you engage in follow-up calls with your prospect.

For you SFC Premium Members reading this, I’m going to be sending you four good ways to start off your follow-up conversations.  Four great reasons to call your prospects and start off the conversation with them.  For anyone who becomes a Premium Member this week, we'll send you the same report.

The bottom line: Have a purpose for your follow-up call.  Every time, all the time.  You'll see big differences in the interest level from your prospects if you do. 

Posted by Dan Tudor at 09:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Take a look at the letter you send out to your recruits.  Read it carefully.  Very carefully.

I'll bet it has a lot of big, impressive words.  A lot of proud claims.  A long list of flowery accolades, listing your program's accomplishments, your school's high standing academically, and maybe even a list of prestigious alumni.

Are you duly impressed? Those letters are loaded with all the right power words that, according to many marketing gurus, will differentiate what you can offer a student-athlete from all your competitors.  The larger the words, the longer the sentences, the better the impression you'll make, right?

Maybe not.  Unfortunately these "differentiated" messages have been heard before, by your prospects and by their parents. They're not that impressed by your exciting, leading-edge array of new facilities, experienced coaches, or your list of conference championships.

From their perspective, it's a disingenuous self-serving pitch. Without even thinking, they immediately erect barriers that might be impossible for you to overcome. If you've heard comments like these before, it's highly likely that you tried to hard to impress your prospects:

• We're already leaning towards...
• I'm not sure your program is really what I'm looking for...
• You know, we're not interested in looking at your program seriously...

Simply put, being impressive doesn't always work. So what's the solution? In case you haven't read "Selling for Coaches" yet, here are some ideas on how you change the recruiting letter game so that it plays to your strengths.

Cut out the crap
Throw out all those impressive words and phrases that are utterly meaningless to your teenage prospect. They've got to go. Now! They're literally hurting your recruiting efforts. Unless you're incredibly diligent, you'll find them sneaking into your voicemails, popping up when you're at an in-home visit, or slipping out during conversations with prospect over the phone.  Look at all your written material, too. While you may not be able to influence the recruiting materials done by your athletic department, you certainly can control what's in your own emails, letters, PowerPoint presentations or other prospect communication.

Be ruthless in this endeavor. Take out a big red marker and highlight anything that sounds like you're trying to impress your prospect by listing off your amazing highlights and credentials.

Focus on the impact
After you've cut out all the crap, you may not have too much to say about your program. That's good! No one cares about it anyway. At least not yet...remember, they don't know you yet.  There's time for your impressive list of all the reasons they would want to play at your school a little later in the relationship.  All they care about right now is the difference you can make for them - which is what we call your "value proposition".

It's time to get to the heart of the matter with your prospect. But its up to you to find out what that is, coach:

What are they looking for in playing college sports?
What effect will your opportunity have on their life as an athlete, and as a student?
What are their hopes, their goals and their vision of what college sports will be like?

Listen to the words they use. You'll quickly discover that they don't speak "recruiting talk" at all. You'll never hear them rave about your last conference championship, yourr passion for excellence or your school's latest academic ranking. Instead, they'll talk about getting a chance to start as a freshman, making their parents proud, giving them a good chance at a great career after school, and proving to themselves (and everyone else) that they can make it at the next level.

That's their language. It's simple, its direct, and its all about them - not you.  It's time to start using it. Don't get fancy and try to "Wow" your prospects with highfalutin language in a slick recruiting letter. Get down and dirty. Talk like they do. Discuss the problems they face, the challenges ahead, and the personal objectives they must reach. Emphasize how you can help by focusing on them - not your "stuff."  And, when you do it, the shorter the better.  Keep it simple and straight-forward. 

When you focus on the impact instead of trying to be impressive, you'll notice an immediate change in their reactions to you. Instead of erecting barriers, they'll actually invite you into the conversation about how you can help them reach those goals. Instead of hurling objections at you (or just plain ignoring you), they'll ask for your ideas, insights and solutions.

Isn't that what you want, coach?

Posted by Dan Tudor at 10:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ed is a college baseball coach who was beginning to think he couldn't write an effective recruiting letter if his job depended on it.

Actually, his job did depend on it.  He had struggled for the past two years to sign higher caliber kids that would equate to winning seasons, and I found out later in my conversations with him that his athletic director had started to put the pressure on to sign better recruits, and win more games.

But when it came to writing recruiting letters, he struggled for the right words.  He didn't know which highlights he should focus on in his letters.  He didn't know how to end his letters in such a way that prompted action from the prospect he was writing to.

So when he became a Premium Member of Selling for Coaches, the first question he asked me was not surprising at all:  "Dan, what should I do to learn how to write better letters to my recruits?" 

My answer to him was simpler than he was expecting:  Use some simple techniques to make your recruiting letters more interesting to the kids that are reading it.

That's it?  Yup.  That's it. 

The letters that I see being written by college coaches aren't bad in terms of content.  There are some really interesting facts and information that are buried in them, much of which can be helpful for an athlete as he or she decides which college program to choose. 

The problem I see is with how the information is presented.  I hate to say it, coach, but a lot of it is just plain boring to read.  Deep down, you know its true.  The letters going out are accurate, and full of information, but they aren't going to jump out and grab your attention if you're a kid who's getting letters from every school in the state.

So, I wanted to pass along three "secrets" that professional copywriters have used effectively for years to generate millions of dollars in sales through direct mail.  The same principles can be used (and are starting to be used) by college coaches who want to break through the clutter and grab their prospect's attention through the mail. 

Use athlete testimonials.  Your prospects really want to hear about other athletes' experiences at your school.  They want to get to know them as potential teammates, and find out that they may have had the same fears or questions about your program that they now have as your new prospective student-athlete. 

Highlight your players' background and "story" of how they found their way to your program.  It's one of the best ways to quickly reach your prospects through the mail.  And, keep them interested by promising more athlete profiles in future letters.  Getting to know their potential future teammates is a great tool for getting your prospect letters read consistently.

Historical biographies of important athletes and coaches from your program.  Told in story form, these can really drive home the history and the interesting people that have made your program what it is today.  Stressing the history and tradition of a program is something college coaches love to do, but sometimes it comes across as plain ol' bragging.  Instead, tell a story...about the founding coach, the early struggles, the rise to glory, or an inspirational player.  Bring out the history of your program by talking about it as a story.  Tell it like you would read about it in a facinating history book.  Done right, you can connect with your athlete very effectively.

Use news stories about your program as the lead for the letter.  You might even include an actual copy of the headline across the top of the letter.  Then, give them a taste of the article that's positive about your program: A big win, a great player, your recent Coach of the Year honor...whatever!  Actual newspaper articles that are the lead in a recruiting letter are a great way to have someone else say great things about you.  Plus, here's an added bonus: Your prospect gets to see that your teams gets media coverage in your area.

One final point about effective letter writing: The lead is vital.  If you don't grab their attention in the first paragraph, they probably won't read the rest of the letter.  Take a look at the letters you're writing, and ask yourself, "What is exciting or interesting about what I'm telling this teenager in my letter?"  If you can't answer that, it's time to revamp your recruiting letter writing strategy.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Marcie, one of our SFC Premium Members, was on the phone with me the other day asking for some advice that is a frequent theme this time of year.  She doesn't have any more full scholarships to give, and is having trouble convincing some of the prospects that she's been talking to that her program and college still have a lot to offer her recruits.

At some point, every college coach is put in this situation: They need athletes, but can't (or don't want to) offer them full scholarships.  Maybe they're partial scholarships, or perhaps the coach is making a pitch for the athlete to come to play at the school for no money.  Maybe it's an offer to walk-on.

A tough sell?  You know it, coach. 

So, what do you do when you can't offer a full scholarship to an athletic prospect that you really, really want?  Here are a set of strategies to remember when you're talking to a recruit, and you can't offer them the full ride that they're looking for:

Stress the need.  Their need to attend a good school like your's, and your need for a good athlete like them.  Remember, just because you aren't offering them a full scholarship, they still have a need to play at the next level.  They have a need to access all of the benefits that playing for a college program can offer them.  What you, as their recruiter, want to do is to stress that need to them, and remind them in a positive way how much more there is to playing college sports than a full ride scholarship.

Stress the desire.  Good athletes want to play at the next level.  It goes beyond "need".  It goes straight to their heart.  They have a desire to play college sports, and you need to fan the flames of that desire while getting them to focus on what you can offer them - not what you can't.  Your prospect's desire remains, even when you can't offer them a full ride scholarship.  Remember that, and use it to your advantage when you're talking to them about coming to play for you for something less than they've been expecting.

Challenge them.  You can't just offer something that's less than your prospect has been dreaming about all of their athletic life, and expect them to embrace it.  Sure, some do.  Sometimes.  But you're leaving a lot to chance with that approach.  Here's a better idea: Challenge your prospect.  Throw down the gauntlet, and ask them to step up to the plate and prove you wrong.  An important element to challenging your prospect in the way we're suggesting is to follow it up with some tangible benefits you can immediately offer your prospect: A great education, a change to play with a winning program, a shot at starting, etc.  If you don't challenge them, you probably won't be able to keep them focused on their need and their desire to play college athletics.

Oh, and by the way coach, why are you apologizing for the cost of your university?  Why is the cost of college a stumbling block instead of a selling point?  If you're a SFC Premium Member, and would like more information on this topic, look in your Inbox at the end of the day today.  I'll be giving you some advice on how to approach the question of college costs with your recruit, and give you some great ideas on how to turn this hurdle into a selling point.  If you're not a Premium Member, click here to become one and get this valuable strategy as well as ongoing extra tips and training from the experts at Selling for Coaches.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

College football's national signing day is becoming something of a national recruiting event.  Not just for football programs, either.  It really is becoming a day that can send ripples through an entire campus and an entire athletic department.  As one Associate Athletic Director recently told me, "As football recruiting goes, so goes our athletic program."

There's a lot riding on who signs at what school.  There will be a few programs celebrating, and even more who will be reaching for the Extra Strength Tylenol and regrouping with their coaching staff as they see their recruiting dreams go up in smoke.

And when it comes to recruiting plans gone bad, its not just a football problem: One of our SFC Premium Members, who is a women's soccer coach, just had two recruits that he was sure were coming to his school call him within a week's time of each other and tell the coach that they were going elsewhere.  Just like dozens and dozens of football programs around the country, this soccer coach is faced with a problem midway through the school year: He needs to get his recruiting efforts back on track.  And fast.

If you've read our book, "Selling for Coaches", you know the importance we place on asking the right questions at the right time.  It's what determines how well coaches connect with athletes, and how likely it is that they will move to the point of being ready to commit to your program.

Want two fantastic questions to ask your prospects?  Here they are.  Use them and watch how fast you can get your recruiting efforts back on track, and get better connected with the athletes you're still recruiting:

1. Instead of asking a prospect "So why are you interested in our program?", you might ask them "If you had to pay us for the right to play in our stadium, what would be your reason for doing that?" Or, instead of asking a prospect "Do you need any financial aid?", perhaps you should ask them "What kind of help could we give you on the financial side of things to get you to become delirious with joy and come play for us?"  Notice the difference in how you're asking the same basic question?  The second type of questioning style makes the prospect stop in his or her tracks and think.  Why?  Because if you ask a question like this, it forces them to let their guard down and expose what they're really thinking.   
2. I've heard a lot of coaches ask a prospect they really want, "So when do you think you'll be making your final decision?" Instead, what if you asked them, "Run me through how you're going to be making your decision, and who all is involved in helping you decide?" After they tell you the first part of their answer and stop (which they always do), you should ask, "And then what?" They'll tell you a little more, and you ask "And then what." And so it goes until you really get down to the nitty gritty details of how the decision is really going to be made, and who's helping them make that decision.

One important aspect to these types of questions is that they need to be written out ahead of time.  You can't ask these on the fly (well, you can, but it doesn't usually work out very well).  Here's the trouble with waiting until the phone call or personal visit to think of those questions: It's really hard to do. And sometimes, the questions you think of at the spur of the moment don't come out so good.  So make sure you write out a few thought-provoking questions ahead of time, commit them to memory, and determine what you're looking for in whatever their answer is. 

Your questions are important - vitally important - to the whole process. The biggest benefit to asking fantastic and original questions (other than staying organized, controlling the sales process, and making your calls and conversations more productive and insightful) is that you'll sound smarter and more interested in your prospect compared to other coaches who ask the same "yes, no" mundane questions that recruits have heard before. That might be the biggest benefit of all.

If you're a SFC Premium Member, call us and we'll arrange a time to help you come up with great questions that will make your prospects think, help you to stand-out among your competition, and get more recruits to stay committed to your program.

It all comes down to the questions you ask, and how you use those questions to quietly but consistently sell yourself and your program to the prospect you really, really want.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 09:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What's the difference between recruiting strategy and recruiting tactics?  Good question!  When you take the time to put together a clear and unique strategy for each and every recruit that you target for your program, you take the pressure off of yourself to perform flawlessly out on the recruiting trail.  Business marketing guru, Seth Godin, phrases it this way:  

"The right strategy makes any tactic work better. The right strategy puts less pressure on executing your tactics perfectly.

Here's the obligatory January skiing analogy: Carving your turns better is a tactic. Choosing the right ski area in the first place is a strategy. Everyone skis better in Utah, it turns out.

If you are tired of hammering your head against the wall, if it feels like you never are good enough, or that you're working way too hard, it doesn't mean you're a loser. It means you've got the wrong strategy.

It takes real guts to abandon a strategy, especially if you've gotten super good at the tactics. That's precisely the reason that switching strategies is often such a good idea. Because your competition is afraid to."

 

 

Here's the problem that we find with college coaches: They are quite good at changing tactics when it comes to recruiting.  Many good recruiters have jumped onto the text message bandwagon, and more and more are using creative approaches in how they get the attention of athletes.  However, many are slow to change their overall recruiting strategy.  Coaches like the safe and familiar, and are often really hesitant about overhauling their recruiting strategy.

The result?  The day-to-day tactics become more crucial.  More is riding on each interaction with each athlete.

What are we suggesting?  Similar to some of the tips and techniques we unveil in our book for college recruiters, "Selling for Coaches", we recommend that you take