A few weeks ago, in the middle of one of our On-Campus Workshops, I reminded the coaches and athletic directors of a particular school that even after sitting through our session and following our direction on how to alter the way recruiting should be approached, they would still lose more prospects than they sign.

Losing is a part of being a college coach.  You're going to lose games, and you're going to lose recruits.  Both hurt.

You can prepare all week long, and sometimes all of your hard work and dedication just isn't enough to get the win.  The same thing holds true for recruiting: Sometimes, your best just isn't good enough to lure a recruit away from one of your competitors.

I've talked a lot about what kind of questions to ask during the recruiting process, but we've never talked much about what to ask your prospects after they say "no thanks".  Often times, however, the answers to those questions can be even more insightful than the one's you ask a prospect before they've made their final decision.

Why?  Because the answers to those questions can help you shape your strategy the next time around...talking to the next recruit...and battling the next competitor for the best talent.

So, what should you be asking the recruit you have just lost?  Here's a short list of seven types of questions to ask (Note: If you are one of our Total Recruiting Solution clients reading this, get with us to discuss customized strategies for your situation).

1. "What was the biggest factor in choosing that program?"  You want to find out the single biggest reason they chose a competitor's school.  Not a list of reasons, the biggest reason.  By the way, according to our studies with hundreds of student-athletes over the past three years, their reasons for choosing a school are not usually in line with the reasons coaches see as the way their decision are made.  That's why this is such an important question.
2. "Tell me about the feelings you had when you met with their coach and visited their school."  The answer to this question is most likely the REAL reason they choose that program.  The first question you asked?  That's the "logical" answer they are giving...the "smart" answer that will make them sound like something other than the unsure teenager they really are.  This second question will get you to the heart of the matter.  The answer that they give you to this question will tell you why they really chose your competitor.
3. "Was there anything that almost made you choose us?"  This will give you two valuable pieces of information: Your program's strongest point in their eyes, and how close you actually came to signing them.  This second piece of information might be sobering...many honest prospects will reveal that you weren't actually in the game at all, even though you thought you were.
4. "When did you know that our program wasn't the right fit for you?"  You want to find out what it was about their visit or your message that just didn't connect with them?  This question will probably give you some insights.  
5. "So now that you've decided, what do you see your first year at ______ being like?"  This might tell you what they've been promised or told by the other coach.  It will also tell you a lot about what this generation of kids responds to in terms of the recruiting messages they choose to believe, and those that they reject.
6. "What do your parents think about _________ ?"   We know that parents play a crucial role in the decision making process.  In our recruiting guides for college coaches, we spend a good deal of time talking about how to reach your recruit's parents because of this very reason.  If you can find out what the parents think of you, you'll get some good direction on how to change your recruiting message.
7. "If you ever wanted to transfer, would our program be one that you would consider?"  They will probably tell you yes, just to be nice.  But that's not the point.  I think you should ask this as a way to let them know that you would certainly love to have them on your team if something didn't work out, and give them a final reminder that you are a program that remains interested in them.  Who knows...maybe that change of heart will take place just a few weeks later?  I've seen it happen, and the program that lets them know that they are welcome even though you weren't their first choice stands a good chance of getting a surprise signing late in the game.

Consider this process your "autopsy" of the recruiting process that has just ended unsuccessfully.  But as with any good analysis, you are going to come away with some incredibly valuable information to use the next time around.

It's getting late in the recruiting year.  Are the results what you expected?  More importantly, are the results what you want and need?  If the answer is "no", then let us explain what our Total Recruiting Solution program is all about.  Here's what to do...email Dan Tudor at dan@sellingforcoaches.com so we can arrange a time to show you what many other coaches and athletic departments have already discovered. 

Posted by Dan Tudor at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)