The 7 Things Parents Want
One of the most striking findings in our exclusive survey of top college prospects for 2008 was how much they rely upon their parents to help them make their final college decision.
It surprises a lot of coaches when they read about it in our report. Parents have always been thought of as a factor in an athlete's final decision. But finding out just how much of an influence they have was an eye-opener for many coaches.
So, if parents really do play that much of a role in the recruiting decisions that their son or daughter makes, here's the big question for coaches: What can you do to help stack the deck in your favor when it comes to getting the parents on your side?
Simple. Give them what they want. Here are seven things that most parents want from the coach that is recruiting their son or daughter:
Parents want straight talk. Give them an honest assessment of their son or daughter, and what you see for them with your program, and they’ll respect you. I’ve heard parents talk about coaches who tell them exactly how they view their son or daughter as far as a potential recruit.
Parents want to be included. Not enough coaches recruit the parents along with the athlete. They
should, because if you’ve got the parents on your side then you have an advocate of your and your program at the kitchen table.
Parents want a “because”. As you’ve heard me talk about in our two recruiting guides for college coaches, every recruiting campaign needs a “because”. Something that an athlete can grab a hold of and believe in about you, your program and your vision of the future. The same holds true for the parents of your recruit. They need to understand what makes you worthy of their son or daughter’s talents. They need something about you and your school to believe in. They need a “because”. Are you doing a good job of giving it to them?
Parents want more than they deserve. Did I just say that??? Yup. And you know it’s true, Coach. Every parent wants the VERY best for their son or daughter, and most of the time they go a little beyond what they have the right to expect or what their son or daughter deserves. You have to find a way to bridge that gap between dreams and reality, and do it in such a way that builds a relationship with them. Not an easy thing to do, but if you accept the fact that parents have unrealistic expectations of what their child deserves from a college then you are halfway home to addressing it creatively an respectfully.
Parents want the money. For most, that’s first on their list. Hey, don’t put all the blame on them. A steady stream of ESPN and Internet recruiting reports have made a lot of parents expect that every college scholarship means big dollars. Of course, that’s not always true and sometimes when parents of recruits realize this they sour on you, and the whole recruiting process. Go in to the recruitment of your athlete understanding this, and be prepared to reason with them and get them to see all of the other benefits that you and your program provide to their son or daughter outside of purely financial gains.
Parents want to feel like you are impressed with them. Not just the athlete, but them. Remember, you’re developing a “peer to peer” relationship with parents. All of them are impressed with the fact that you are a college coach (jealous, too!) and they want you to be impressed with them and what they do. Spend some time getting to know them, and verbally let them know that you’re impressed with them…their professional career, their family, their house, the way they have raised their children. Parents want your approval. Are you giving it to them?
Parents want access to you. They won’t come out and say it, but they want to know that they can call or e-mail you at any time. That doesn’t matter if you’re a D1 college football coach, or a D3 cross country coach. Offer up your direct office line, your cell phone and your e-mail. Big them to keep in touch with you. If you don’t hear from them after a week or two, send them an e-mail just to check in with them (hint: send it to their e-mail address at work…give them a chance to brag to their co-workers that they are getting e-mails from a college coach about their son or daughter).
If you’re a SFC Premium Member, we'll be sending you a list of the best ways to deliver those "wants" from the parents of your prospects. Watch your Inbox later in the week.
If you ask me, I think any smart coach will spend time recruiting the parents separately from the athlete they are talking to. Parents need to feel like they matter, and the coach that achieves that will win over the athlete more times than not.
Give the parents of your athletes what they want, and watch them become cheerleaders for you and your program in front of their son or daughter.
parents? According to our findings that we outlined above, its important that you create a separate and distinct plan to recruit the parents of your prospect at the same time you recruit your prospect.