Twenty four coaches from all over the country converged on Indianapolis to learn training, techniques and strategies as they prepare for a new year of recruiting college prospects.

Coaches from D1 to D3, ranging from programs like Duke basketball to College of St. Mary cross country, learned about the latest recruiting strategies and shared ideas with their fellow coaches.

"I think the one thing that surprised me about coming here was how many good ideas I got not only from Selling for Coaches, but also from the other coaches who came here," commented one coach.

Several coaches made this their second or third conference they had attended.

Dan Tudor, President of Selling for Coaches, leads a session on overcoming objections that taught coaches how to convert objections into selling points, and to re-direct an objection into a selling point.

David Pickle, the NCAA Director of Publishing, spoke about the challenge that he faced in getting news and information to his audience - college coaches and athletic directors - in a new and different way.

Pickle gave his insights on how today's college coach can change they way they communicate, and why adapting your message to the changing times is essential if you want to keep your audience's attention.

Mandy Brettingen passed along her expertise in recruiting and sports psychology to the coaches gathered for the Conference.  Brettingen laid out some great ideas for coaches to use in team development and relationship management between players and coaches.  She drew from her successes, and struggles, as a college coach. She gave the audience some fascinating insights into what works, and what doesn't, when it comes to successful team building. 

Charlie Adams got the coaches pumped-up for a new season as we started day two of the Conference by asking coaches "What's Your Vinny?" (you had to be there).  Later, Adams gave his seven tips for using local media to help you recruit and build your program's reputation with fans, alumni and prospects.

Lots of notes, lots of sharing, lots of good ideas.  And, this year, all conference attendees get a post-conference eBook with all the notes, and all the new ideas to put together with their notes from the two days of learning.

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

Wow, what a great weekend of learning, idea sharing and eating (heck, we even threw in a little disco ball action!)

"Building a Winning Recruiting Message" focused on just that: Crafting a logical, compelling recruiting message that will get an athlete's attention and set a coach apart from his or her competition.

The class had coaches from D1, D2, D3, NAIA and JC schools.  No matter what their competition level, they all had one goal in mind: Recruit more effectively and with a better message.  I think we accomplished those two goals.

Some pictures from the weekend...

The coaches that were there were great.  Eager to learn, quick to interact and offer their opinions...that's a big key to the success of a workshop like this.

Is that the beginning of a bald spot on the back of my head?  I don't get to see myself from this perspective very often...hmmm....

One of the coaches remarked that there was almost too much information given. 

Still, they gutted it out.  I'm hoping they each got at least three or four major concepts under their belts that they took back with them to their programs.

Don't let the big tiki statue and the Budweiser sign fool you...this was serious stuff we were accomplishing at the workshop!

But everyone agreed that the atmosphere was one of a kind and added to the enjoyment of the two days.

From start to finish it was a great event, in my opinion, thanks to the group of coaches we had at this first workshop.  I'm hoping I get the chance to work with some of them and their schools in the future...these are great people who really want to do the best job possible for themselves, their program, their athletic department, and their schools.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the December 2007 "Building a Winning Recruiting Message" workshop in Bakersfield, California!

By the way, based on the feedback from these coaches as well as those who couldn't attend this one due to scheduling conflicts, we will be hosting a few more on this topic in different parts of the country in early 2008.  If you'd like to attend one, just e-mail me at dan@sellingforcoaches.com and I'll make sure you stay informed when we announce dates and locations.

Posted by Dan Tudor at 09:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)