A few years ago while I was doing an On-Campus Workshop for an athletic department, a coach confided to me that they kept losing out to a rival college down the road when it came to all their good recruits.

"It's like we go to the bar and get beat-up by the same guy night after night, Dan."

My advice?

"It's time to to a different bar."

And that's the lesson I think it's important to pass along today.  It's part of a recruiting strategy that we're recommending in detail to our clients who use us on an ongoing basis to help behind the scenes with their prospect plans, and it's something that you need to consider as you wrap-up this class and set your sights on your next one.

Here's the general rule that I believe is true when it comes to today's recruit: The farther away your college is from them, the easier it will be to get their attention and sell your story.

I believe it to be true because your athletes tell us it is.  When we sit down with them an conduct closed-door focus groups with them while we are on campus, we are hearing how the program that was far away and a little bit of an "unknown" was immediately one of their top considerations. 

And, it was for no other reason than the fact that they were in far away:  California kids are intrigued by the school in Virginia that recruits them, and the kid in Pennsylvania is smitten with the school in California that comes calling.

Here are a couple of basic things that I think every coach should remember as you map-out your next recruiting plan:

• This generation is up for adventure.  It amazes me how often athletes will tell me that they picked their current school because it was the farthest one away from home.  Not all of them, but many of them.  
• It's easier to tell your story to a prospect when they aren't familiar with you.  The prospects that live nearby have probably already assigned a story to you and your program...sometimes positive, sometimes negative.  But to the kid who is a few states away, you're a blank slate.  Which situation do you think is easier to build a recruiting message around?
• Being farther away will get you in the door, but you're going to have to overcome some objections along the way from both the prospect and their parents.  But the fact that they're willing to listen puts you a few steps closer to a positive ending right from the start.
• Another interesting thing that our studies reveal: As a program begins to recruit more out-of-area athletes, the image of the program is enhanced back in their local community.  When outsiders come in, a program is viewed as more "in demand" nationally, which can actually then make it easier to recruit local athletes who now have a different view of your program that's now in demand from athletes from other areas.

Does it present some additional challenges?  Sure it does...unofficial visits are harder to get agreement on, and we find that parents often worry about now being able to hover over their son or daughter in their accustomed helicopter fashion. 

However, if you are looking for easier recruiting conversations and an increased pool of athletes, you need to seriously consider this recruiting strategy.  We're seeing it work, and our coaches are happier.

(Probably because that mean guy from the old bar isn't hanging around anymore).

This is the time of year when coaches are looking for new recruiting strategies to incorporate into their next campaign.  We have two popular workbooks for advanced college recruiters, "Selling for Coaches" and "What They Didn't Teach You About Recruiting."  They're packed with original approaches to getting better recruiting results.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 08:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)