Many times, college coaches aim for the big “WOW!” with their recruits.
But what if you didn’t need to do that? What if something small and simple had the same impact as that big moment that you might be trying to pull-off with your recruit?
Science has some good news for you, Coach…
According to psychologist Norbert Schwarz, at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, our moods determine our overall satisfaction with life. ”Very minimal things”, says Schwarz, ”can temporarily put you in a good mood, and thus brighten everything else.”
In one of his well known studies at a German university, Schwarz in the course of a day occasionally placed a coin equivalent to a dime on a copy machine for the next user to find. Later, everyone who used the machine was interviewed about their lives.
“Those who found the dime were more happy and more satisfied and wanted to change their lives less than those who didn’t find a dime,” says Schwarz. “It’s not the value of what you find. It’s that something positive happened to you, and surprised you.”
Another study, according to an article in The Baltimore Sun outlining this fascinating experiment, asked people leaving a grocery store to evaluate only their satisfaction with their TVs back home. Listen to this: Those who minutes earlier got a free sample of food from the store liked their TVs better than those who missed the sample. Could a mouthful of cake really sway people’s long term view of their lives overall? Yes, it appears so. But, Schwarz says, “The dime” or the pound cake “only works if you’re not aware you’re happy because you found it.”
In other words, the effects of this feeling can be somewhat short-term. But there are still some important lessons savvy recruiters can take away from this study, and put to work immediately on their campus. Here are a few ideas on how to make that happen:
- Plan small surprises during the campus visit. As the study suggests, they don’t need to be big-budget items. However, a series of small, unexpected events or circumstances during a visit can leave your prospect feeling positive (at least temporarily) about their visit and your program.
- Add a P.S. to your email or letter. In written form, that can be the “surprise” that makes your prospect feel like they’re getting something extra in your letter. For more on the power of a P.S., click here.
- Want a great “surprise” that gets a universal thumbs-up from your recruit? They like it when they hear from your team, according to the research we do when we’re on campus for one of our athletic department workshops. They tell us that it’s one of the best ways they feel like they’ve been accepted by the team, and it’s one of the best small surprises that that they could ask for as they are evaluating whether or not your program is the “right fit” for them compared to other schools and programs they’re considering. Of course, there are limits on what you can have your team do in the course of recruiting a prospect, so double-check the rules for your division before you get too far into planning this part of the list.
No matter what you design for your program, you can probably pick at least one or two small things to put in place that doesn’t affect your budget but can still make a big impact with your recruits. You don’t need dimes or free cake to attract your prospect (actually, there’s probably at least one recruiting violation in there somewhere), but anything small and unexpected can probably add a lot to the overall experience that your recruit takes away from their visit with you, your team and your college.
Looking for more ideas on becoming a little more original in the way you recruit today’s teenage athlete? Dan Tudor and his team have put together a collection of affordable, informative research and instructional guides for college coaches who want an extra edge in their recruiting battle. Click here to see what other coaches are using!
