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July 29, 2007

A Lesson Recruiters Need to Learn About E-Mail

E-mail is one of the main ways coaches stay in touch with athletes.  That's only going to increase after the pending NCAA text message ban goes into effect.

E-mail is quick, cheap, and (when done correctly) highly effective.  It works with both your prospect, and your prospect's parents. 

What They Didn't Teach You About RecruitingIn our new book, "What They Didn't Teach You About Recruiting", I go over fifteen vital lessons that every college coach needs to know if they're going to be successful recruiters.  It's the stuff that "they" didn't teach you when you became a coach, but should have.

One of the most important aspects of recruiting involves being able to effectively use e-mail to deliver your recruiting message.  It's a big subject, but let's focus on just one small part of how you use e-mail to recruit: Two things you have to remember when you're creating your e-mails that go out to your prospects.

"Keep it short.  The shorter, the better.  Why?  First, teenagers have an incredibly short attention span.  Most of them aren't interested in a lot of details, at least not in one large e-mail message.  That's why most of your recruiting letters you send via mail have little or no real impact on most of your prospects (sorry, coach, but it's the truth). 

Short e-mails get read, long ones get "scanned".  You know what the difference is, because you do the same thing when you receive a lengthy e-mail...you "scan" it quickly, and then either re-read it or delete it.  Short e-mails should be simple and to the point, especially if its in the beginning of the recruiting process.  Shorter e-mails create a natural curiosity for the reader, and they will want to seek out more information in most cases.

Keep it very simple.  That goes along with the first point, but there's a very specific purpose for simplicity in a recruiting e-mail: Comprehension.  Would you rather rattle-off fifteen facts and figures about your program to a new recruit, or would it make more sense to give them an ongoing series of bite-sized chunks that they could read, absorb, understand and tie-in with the last easy-to-read bite-sized chunk that they got from you?  The answer should be pretty obvious."

Let me add that the goal of those e-mails you create and send is to set up future, more in-depth conversations.  Your e-mails, like the letters you send, should have the goal of setting up live conversations between you and your prospect rather than trying to sell them on your program in one e-mail or one letter.

Keep your e-mail short and simple.  Your message is going to get through, make more of an impact, create curiosity and get a response.  Isn't that the goal, anyway? 

 

Posted by Dan Tudor at 10:00 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

April 02, 2007

Five Tips For Writing E-Mails

Following our talk about leaving effective voicemails last week, including some great one-on-one conversations with our SFC Premium Members throughout the week, the same question kept coming up: Can a coach apply the same approach to sending better e-mails?

The short answer is, "Sure!"  Of course, we've talked about effective e-mail strategies before.  And, we spend a lot of time talking about winning e-mail communication in our book for college recruiters, "Selling for Coaches".  But I want to discuss it again today, and put some different spins on some of the previous tips we've given.

Here are today's five tips for writing e-mails that get noticed, get a response, and further the recruiting process with your prospect: 

1) Your subject line should creatively say why you are sending the email   "Do YOU have what it takes to play ball here?" is much more effective and interesting than "State University baseball program". Subject lines can either make you or break you, especially with teenagers.  Talk about why you're contacting them, why they should open the e-mail, or a creative slant on a basic recruiting message. And providing a theme - with just a tiny bit of self-promotion - will remind them why it's important to read your email.

2) Cut to the chase. And make it QUICK!  "Chad, I've looked over your stats and credentials, and I think you've got what it takes to make our roster"... is the right way to start off your e-mail. Put all the details into later paragraphs. This is super-helpful in this "Age of Text Messaging" so that your recipient doesn't need to scroll down or select "more" to get the full message. Many communication experts also prefer the simple present tense "I write to offer you..." versus the "present progressive" tense "I am writing to offer you..." but most people find that a bit quirky and formal, so use at your discretion!  Whatever you choose to do, don't beat around the bush!

3) Use bold font sparingly, to accentuate words that you'd like emphasized.  You need to be careful not to overuse bold font, italic font or underline font.  Use it too much and your e-mail message begins to look cluttered and confusing.  Same goes for different colored fonts.                             

4) Number or alpha-bullet points.  When you have 8, 9, or 31 different points and they are undifferentiated, it is very difficult for your prospect to sort through them or ask follow up questions. Use a), b), c) or 1), 2), 3) to break up the email, clarify your main points, and make responding to you easy.

5) Attach with caution!  MS Word documents are the safest form for resume attachments. Always send your resume as a .doc or .txt unless a recruiter specifically requests otherwise. While formats like PDF's may seem harmless, Adobe isn't nearly as common as MS Office, especially for your teenage prospects.  Using PDF files in the adult world is a different story, of course, but you have to remember who you're dealing with - teenagers.  If you find that you absolutely must send one of your prospects a PDF file, do them a favor and include a free link to Adobe.com for the free reader software for reading PDF files.

There are two more tips I want to pass along: One is a crucial part of any e-mail message that you send to your prospect, and the other is a tip that you probably have never thought of doing before.  If you're a SFC Premium Member, the tip will be arriving in your Inbox on Wednesday morning.  If you want the additional two tips, why not sign-up for a free trial of our Premium Membership?  You'll get the two additional e-mail tips, plus lots, lots more throughout the next month.  Get the details here.

Try using these tips to improve your prospect e-mails, and let us know if you have any questions or need further assistance with creating great e-mails.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 09:08 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

February 19, 2007

4 Tips for Effective E-Mail Recruiting

E-mail communication between college coaches and the athletes they recruit is at an all-time high, according to the NCAA, and it's quickly becoming the preferred method of communication between coaches and the prospects they are recruiting (in addition to instant messaging and text messaging).

E-mailing, in my opinion, has an advantage over instant messaging and text messaging.  With instant messaging and text messaging, the greatest impact occurs when it's "live" and the receipient is getting it the moment it is sent by a coach.  Reading a text e-mail a day or two later, on the other hand, has less of an impact on the recruit compared to getting it and reading it immediately.  So that's one hurdle that coaches have to clear to make those two mediums really effective.  Not to mention the fact that lots of recruits are starting to complain about the text messaging costs they incur when they're getting bombarded with text messages from college coaches. 

With e-mail, the whole concept is built around "read it when it's convenient for you".  Your prospect picks up your e-mail message two days after you sent it?  No big deal...that happens all the time, and there are no negative connotations with that.  However, if you take the same basic message and send it in a text message that isn't read until two days after it was sent, and it doesn't carry the same impact.  That medium, as with instant messaging via computer, is built for immediate "live" interaction. 

So, when it comes to using e-mail to communicate with athletic prospects, the big question is: How can you effectively recruit using e-mail?  I'll give you four tips that I guarantee will improve your e-mail response from your prospects that you're recruiting. 

  1. Pay attention to the subject line in your e-mail!  It's an after-thought for many coaches, but the subject line will make you or break you when it comes to getting your e-mail read.  What makes an effective subject line?  Asking a compelling question is best, I find. 

  2. For instance: "Have you seen what we offer our recruits?"  Or, "Do you think you're good enough to crack our starting line-up?"  Or, "Five reasons most athletes BEG us to recruit them."  Maybe your subject lines are already provocative and compelling.  Or, maybe they're not.  You be the judge, but I'll tell you this: I've seen colleges we have consulted with in-depth do the next three recommendations we're going to give you but ignore the subject line, and doing so has crippled some campaigns.  The subject line is one of the most important aspects of your e-mail strategy...put a lot of thought into it (if you're a SFC Premium Member contact us so that we can help you develop an effective e-mail campaign for your prospects).

    Keep it short.  The shorter, the better.  Why?  First, teenagers have an incredibly short attention span.  Most of them aren't interested in a lot of details, at least not in one large e-mail message.  That's why most of your recruiting letters you send via mail have little or no real impact on most of your prospects (sorry, coach, but it's the truth). 

Short e-mails get read, long ones get "scanned".  You know what the difference is, because you do the same thing when you receive a lengthy e-mail...you "scan" it quickly, and then either re-read it or delete it.  Short e-mails should be simple and to the point, especially if its in the beginning of the recruiting process.  Shorter e-mails create a natural curiosity for the reader, and they will want to seek out more information in most cases.

Keep it very simple.  That goes along with the first point, but there's a very specific purpose for simplicity in a recruiting e-mail: Comprehension.  Would you rather rattle-off fifteen facts and figures about your program to a new recruit, or would it make more sense to give them an ongoing series of bite-sized chunks that they could read, absorb, understand and tie-in with the last easy-to-read bite-sized chunk that they got from you?  The answer should be pretty obvious. 

Remember who your audience is.  They're being bombarded with information, images and choices.  They probably won't nibble on complex introductory messages, but they'll gobble down bite-sized chunks.  Keep your messages simple, especially at the start of yoru communication with an athlete.

Don't beat around the bush.  Get to the point when it comes to why you're contacting them.  Do so while keeping your message short and keeping it simple.  Don't get wrapped up in your amazing grasp of the English language...no flowery introductions, no ultra-formal paragraphs that eventually lead to why you're contacting them.  Let them know - as soon as possible - what your interest is, why they should care about that interest, and what your interest could mean for them personally.  That is the key to connecting with your prospect better than your competitor, a subject we explore in-depth in our book for recruiters, "Selling for Coaches".

Another point I want to stress here: The more interesting and thought-provoking your first sentence, the more likely the rest of your message will be read.  Ask them a question, state a surprising fact, or make a bold claim.  Whatever it is, grab their attention in that first sentence so that they're inclined to read the rest of your e-mail message (and future e-mail messages, as well!)

E-mail is great because it is low cost, and is a preferred communication method by most athletes.  But, you have to play by their rules and live in their world for that recruiting communication to be effective.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 07:45 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

January 08, 2007

Four E-Mail Disasters to Avoid

“I am out of the office until January 5th.  I won’t be checking me e-mail.  If you need immediate assistance, contact the athletic office at…”


Sound familiar?  It should.  Chances are good that this type of automated e-mail response is a part of your normal e-mail routine when you’re out of the office.  Actually, coach, I know that it is…over the recent Christmas break, many of you sent back automatic e-mail replies when the SFC Tuesday Newsletter hit your Inbox.


But hold on a second, coach.  Let’s think about this for a second.  Is that kind of response “good for business”?  What I should ask is, “Will that kind of automated e-mail reply help you reinforce the positive message about your program that you’re hoping will stick with your prospects?”  The answer, obviously, is no.


Automated e-mail responses are a great concept – if they are done properly.  When we advise our SFC Premium Members who ask us about creative and effective e-mail communication with their prospects, one of the things we stress is that any e-mail communication is an opportunity to reinforce your brand and sell your program to that prospect.  EVERY time, EVERY e-mail.
 

So, what can the smart coach do to “stop the bleeding”?  Here are four e-mail disasters we see from today’s college coaches when it comes to automated responses that they send back to someone that contacts them when they’re out of the office. See if you’re in danger of any of these communication no-no’s:


No creative, enthusiastic greeting.  College coaches are some of the most positive people I know when it comes to singing the praises of their college, and their program when they’re on the phone or seeing someone in person.  But when it comes to e-mail, many coaches like to keep it short and sweet.  And they do so to their own detriment.  Do you have a dull, uninteresting greeting in your e-mail auto-responder?


Telling readers what you won’t do for them.  “I won’t check e-mail.”  Or, “I won’t be checking my voicemail.”  Negative statements send the wrong message to a very important audience: Your recruits or their coaches.  Choose positive alternatives to those statements that get the same message across.


Assuming that the sender’s e-mail is unimportant.  Many coaches will state that if the reader needs immediate help, here is who to contact.  Then, coaches leave instructions to call the general receptionist, or give an alternative e-mail address to a coach that is covering for them. You may not intend it to be, but the wrong language in your e-mail reply can give that unwanted impression. Every e-mail from a prospect is gold.  You may not get another chance to hear from them, and they may go away feeling like you’re not a coach who is really interested in hearing from them.  Make sure they come away with a clear, crisp picture in their mind that they are VERY important, and that it’s imperative they know that you’ll be in touch with them when you return.  And, if you have a coach covering your e-mails for you (and you should), make sure they send a quick reply offering themselves as a contact.


Not giving them “something to chew on”.  Once you’ve engaged them in a creative opening, giving them a positive statement about what you will do for them, and making sure they know they’re important and valued, you need to give them a fact they didn’t know about your program:  Your latest win, a big recruit you just signed, a move up in the rankings, an honor or award that you’ve won…something that will give them another reason to want to come play for you. 

Well written, interesting factoids create talking points for your prospect and keep you on the mind of your recruit.
Does all of this take longer?  Yes.  More hassle?  Without a doubt.  Does it pay dividends by making you stand out from the crowd even while you’re on the golf course or on vacation.  Absolutely!


Want the second half to this important sales lesson?  This Thursday afternoon, we’ll offer all of our SFC Premium Members an expanded follow-up to this lesson, which will include some suggested language to use in your e-mail, how to create more interest in the mind of your prospect, and how to guarantee a call back when you get back in the office.  If you’re not a SFC Premium Member yet, now’s the perfect time to join.  It’s inexpensive, easy to implement, and we’ve got some great new training systems planned for 2007.  Give it a try…click here for more information and to begin your membership for just $29 a month.


Don’t pick this vital form of communication as the time when you’re going to quit paying attention to details.  E-mail and text messages are THE preferred method of communication by today’s teens.  If you don’t play by their rules, you’ll end up paying the price.   

 

 

 

Posted by Dan Tudor at 04:07 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)