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11 Things You Need to Do Now That the NCAA Has Put Recruiting Reform on HoldSunday, May 5th, 2013

As has happened before, the NCAA has slammed on the breaks and skidded off to the shoulder of the road right before taking the proverbial exit towards recruiting communication reform.

The proposed rules would have allowed a greater variety of contact over longer periods of time, starting sooner.  Some coaches and conferences objected to the new rules, and the NCAA announced that they were going to take a longer look at the impact of the proposed changes.

Of course, many upper division coaching staffs are already recruiting Freshmen and Sophomores and desperately trying to find better ways to communicate with them.  This latest chapter in the ever-increasing trend of early recruiting just means that club and AAU coaches will continue to exert significant influence over the process as they maintain their cherished roles as gatekeepers in your quest to get verbal commitments from top quality pre-driver’s license teenagers before your buddies down the street can get their commitment.

Regardless of your position on whether the reforms were good or bad for college sports, one fact remains: You need to contact young recruits before you can tell your story in a traditional way through phone calls, emails and letters.  With that in mind, here’s a list of what we recommend for coaches who need to continue to recruit prospects using Macgyver-like tricks to lure the right kid to campus:

  • Pretend the new rules are in place.  Try to find creative, legal ways to brand your program early with a focus on prompting communication.  Specifically, the younger prospects reaching out to contact you.
  • Social media is big, but it’s not the secret formula.  It’s a great way to reach out and have simple back-and-forth conversations with a recruit, but it currently has limits on how well it can give them the logical reasons to choose you.  Use it to set-up contact, but continue to find diverse ways to tell your overall story.  Seriously, this is important, Coach.
  • Brand your program to younger prospects through pictures and short, non-sport related video.  Want to know the best use for your Twitter account, Instagram or Facebook fan page?  “Showing” your prospects what life around your program is all about.  Please, in the name of all that is holy, stop posting press releases and stories about the new library renovations.  They want to see where they’re going to eat, the sand volleyball game by the dorms on a Saturday, teammates going shopping at the mall down the street from the college, or a picture of your messy desk.  Anything that humanizes you and your program, and talks about more than the sports side of your life and theirs.  Social media is the ideal venue for that!  (Are your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages reflecting what they want?)
  • Understand what club and high school coaches want: Respect, and to be included in the process as one of your peers.  The biggest thing the proposed rules would have done would be to lesson the impact the role of the current coaches of your recruits in the early recruiting conversation.  But as the saying goes, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”  Make an effort in this next recruiting cycle to communicate with the coaches of your recruits on a consistent, ongoing basis.  And I’m not just talking about asking them to pass along emails or other messages to your prospects (although, yes, you need to continue to do that); I’m talking about “recruiting” them, too.  The research we’ve conducted is clear: Those coaches what to be respected and be included in the process, and the best way we’ve found to do that is to mail, email and talk to them on a regular basis (which results in them being more likely to pass along your messages to their recruits, and…dare we dream?…actually recommend you to them.
  • Spend more time talking to their parents.  The Freshman or Sophomore recruit you really want really wants you to talk to their mom or dad.  Proportionally, you can’t go wrong with an 80/20 plan – eighty percent of phone call time with the parents, twenty percent with the recruit.  This is especially true with younger recruits, who feel inadequately equipped to talk to you, who they view as powerful and intimidating.  Spend time on the phone with the parents finding out what they want out of the process, what they see as a right fit for their son or daughter’s college career, and what they might have available on their calendar for an early unofficial visit to campus.
  • Tell the parents and your recruit about the type of kid that’s not right for you and your program.  The secret here is that you want them to start selling you on why they would be a good fit for your program.  The easiest way to do that is to define who isn’t right for you and what you don’t like in an athlete, and then wait for them to explain why their son or daughter is nothing like that.  This is a great principle to use to shift the focus from you selling yourself to them, to them selling themselves to you.  Try this the next time you have your new recruit or their parents on the phone for the first time and watch how they follow this script that I’ve laid out…you’ll make it part of your regular recruiting strategy.
  • Set up a standing appointment to talk.  For younger recruits, you still can’t initiate regular phone calls until they are entering their Senior year.  Try flipping it around and ask them what they could commit to in terms of placing a regular phone call to you.  Same day of the week, same time.  Have a goal of twice a month, and promise them it will be no more than 7 or 8 minutes long, and that you’ll have two amazingly interesting questions for them each time they talk so they won’t be wasting their time.
  • Develop amazingly interesting questions. (click here if you need a jump-start for ideas)
  • Make sure they’re hearing from the head coach.  One of the things we’ve seen from programs big and small is an artificial hierarchy of coaching contacts reaching out to them.  At the beginning, its an assistant.  Then after a while, they might “earn” the right to hear from someone higher on the coaching depth chart.  And then, only after they grace you with their presence on campus, they are allowed to interact with the head coach.  If you were running a mafia crime family, this is proper protocol.  If you’re a coach who wants to eliminate any questions as to how important they are to your program, and how serious you are about recruiting them, it’s a horribly outdated approach – one that your more savvy competitors are happy to exploit to their benefit.
  • Don’t be in a rush for them to visit campus.  In other words, don’t make that the next thing that should happen after the first phone call or email exchange.  In the workshops we are asked to do on college campuses, I’ll often use the example of moving from casually flirting with a high school sweetheart to immediately jumping to planning on a day to get your marriage license together.  In the teenage brain, that’s the equivalent to asking your recruit to come to campus.  Why?  Because they don’t like you yet, and probably aren’t ready to make that jump to committing to interacting with you in person on your home turf.  Be patient.  In fact, tell them that you are going to be the program that doesn’t force them to rush to campus…that you’re more interested in making sure you get to know each other first, and develop good back-and-forth communication for a few months.
  • Commit to be in the race for the long haul.  If you’re recruiting a prospect beginning in their Freshman or Sophomore year, don’t worry about being first right out of the gate.  You want to win at the end, not the beginning.  Position yourself intelligently and strategically for a long race, and let other coaches get frustrated and miscalculate how to pace themselves correctly.

It’s not an exhaustive list, but it’s a good start towards positioning yourself as a coach who is going to find a way to operate intelligently as if the new recruiting allowances are in place.

“Early recruiting” is here to stay.  Be the coach that pulls up a chair and gets comfortable with it.

We’ll be discussing the latest NCAA regulations and how it further affects coaches at the upcoming National Collegiate Recruiting Conference.  There is still time to register if you’re a coach who wants to be proactive, and formulate a smarter plan using high-level information as you aim for the best of the best in this next recruiting class.  It’s an amazingly instructive weekend, Coach!

A Gathering Storm for College RecruitersMonday, April 29th, 2013

For all the challenges college coaches face when it comes to recruiting – overcoming parents’ cries of how far from home your campus is, or why that losing season was just a fluke, or the fact that your dorms don’t include 42-inch flatscreen televisions like the other college they just visited – there is another gathering storm on the horizon.

And mark my words, it’s going to become a challenge for a lot of college recruiters.

I’m talking about an idea that is now becoming a mainstream discussion among parents, students and the media:  Is a traditional four-year college worth it?

If you look at many of the recent news articles on the state of college graduate unemployment, it’s causing the discussion among parents as to the merit of the expense and sacrifice involved with a college education.

Don’t want to go to campus, or spend four years learning the skills for a high paying job?  No problem.  Get involved in a MOOC.  (Don’t know what a MOOC is, Coach? Don’t worry, you will.)

Online colleges?  They’re cheaper and more popular than ever before.  In fact, right now your traditional four-year college is scrambling to figure out a way to host more online classes in that expanding market at the possible expense of your campus population.

What if an athlete just wanted to skip college altogether?  Not too long ago, that young student would be relegating themselves to a life of minimum wage jobs and a limited employment market.  Today, that’s not necessarily the case.  Not going to college is now an option that is becoming widely accepted as a perfectly fine life option.

And you thought that losing season was a tough sell!

Now, to be fair, it’s not time to panic.  And I’m not suggesting that these challenges are about to replace the traditional arguments that you face now as a college coach.  However, you are seeing the beginning stages of these arguments against certain college choices already – for students and student-athletes alike:

  • “Unless you can cover the full cost of college, my son just can’t play for you” (That was raised as an objection to one of our clients just a few weeks ago).
  • “He can get his two year degree at the local junior college, and if he doesn’t get drafted to play baseball after two years, we’ve just decided he’ll start working right after that.”
  • “He may just opt to study electronics in the navy instead of college if he doesn’t get a full ride somewhere.”

Sound familiar?

Unless you’re well entrenched at a Division I program that offers full-ride offers, these are conversations and objections you’re going to start facing, if you haven’t already.  So if you’re that coach that is starting to get more and more questions about money, paying for college, or easily forgoing the opportunity to compete for you for something less than a full-ride offer of some kind, here are some important questions to start considering:

  1. Why is your college better than what they could get somewhere else? When I say “somewhere else”, that means everything from a competing institution to an alternate life course.  Can you make the case that what you offer at your college is far and away superior to those other options?  Be ready with those answers.  They’re important now, and they’re going to become even more important in the not too distant future.
  2. How are connecting what you’re going to give them at your school, or in your program, with them personally? It shocks me to see how frequently coaches fail to emphasize how each aspect of their program – academics, athletics, campus life, post-college opportunities – relate specifically to that individual prospect.  Moving forward, proving that you are a preferred option is going to come down to how they see themselves connected with your campus, your program, your players and you as their coach.
  3. Can you sell the idea that you are $3,000 more expensive than the competition – and that it’s a good thing? Left on it’s own, the argument that the cheapest college should be the obvious choice is going to win.  It’s the default answer for parents across the country, and will continue to be so in the future as other options present themselves.  Being able to sell the idea that your net cost – whether it’s $3,000, or $6,000 or $15,000 – is higher than a competitor and that it’s worth the investment to be at your school because it’s a higher cost (and why) is going to be a recruiting skill that will separate great recruiters from mediocre recruiters.
  4. Are you starting early and telling a compelling story? An effective, long term approach to recruits is the most effective way to sway recruiting results.  Recruiting strategy, and the different methods of communication available to coaches, is going to have to be a part of an effective overall story-telling campaign.  You, coach, are telling stories that connect with recruits.  You’re either doing it very well, or very poorly, but make not mistake: You are telling your prospects stories.

The four questions we’ve listed aren’t exhaustive, of course.  You may have other issues specific to your school or your program that you’ll find yourself dealing with soon (or already are).  Taking time to start thinking about how you will approach some of these big picture issues is only going to help you and your recruiting efforts in the not too distant future.

Need specific ideas for your athletic department?  We’d love to conduct an On-Campus Workshop at your school.  We conduct specific focus group research on campus, present a dynamic interactive discussion of effective recruiting strategies, and answer specific questions from your coaches on how to address the upcoming challenges faced by college coaches.  Click here for more information, and to download our overview.

 

Former College Coach Ready to Teach Recruiting LessonsMonday, April 22nd, 2013

Among the line-up of coaches and experts slated to speak at the National Collegiate Recruiting Conference, John Brubaker is unique.

 

He’s a former successful college lacrosse coach who left the profession and successfully reinvented himself as a rising motivational speaker, business and sales consultant.  Now, he adds the title of author of his second book…one that will resonate with attendees to this Summer’s NCRC, he says.

 

“When I began my first job as an assistant coach in 1996, my head coach sent me to visit what he called The Three Wise Men”, says Brubaker.  ”They were a Marine Corps recruiter, the CEO of a multi-media corporation and a preacher.  I spent three days interviewing and learning from each of these wise men and I learned that the best ideas you get as a coach come from outside your own industry (athletics). Life is the curriculum and everyone has a lesson to teach.” Brubaker’s latest book, The Seeds of Success, focuses on that story – and the lessons for college coaches that followed.

 

So, what will coaches learn from this life lesson that is not the inspiration for a book?  ”From the Colonel, you will learn how to “mine for diamonds in the rough” and align your program’s core values with your profile of the ideal recruit”, says Brubaer.  ”You’ll also discover the CEO’s “Fistful of Sales” or 5 fundamentals of selling, and from the minister you will learn the hidden value of info-tainment in your recruitment message.”  All of these lessons, says Brubaker, will be able to be immediately put to use in their recruiting efforts.

 

Brubaker also adds that he’s not only going as a speaker, but also as an attendee.  He comments that this event is unique in that it is a forum for mutual learning.

 

“I spoke at NCRC last year and at the beginning of my talk I noticed an interesting sight in my audience”, remembers Brubaker. “Seated in the very front row was ESPN’s Paul Biancardi, the country’s foremost authority on basketball recruiting.  He was on the edge of his seat, armed with a notebook and pen and was taking copious notes. I began thinking to myself, here was the premier authority on athletic recruiting sitting in the front row taking notes, trying to learn from me? I was humbled to say the least. Then it hit me afterwards when I was speaking with him, it didn’t matter who was speaking, Paul Biancardi was going to be sitting in the front row taking notes. Sure enough, the rest of the weekend, there he was in the front row of every talk, asking questions, giving feedback. He epitomizes why winners win and how the best get better; he is a lifelong learner.  There’s a lesson for all of us in Paul’s actions. He is constantly seeking new strategies that will give him a winning edge, and the NCRC is the ideal forum for any coach who want to take recruiting – and their college coaching career – seriously.”

 



 

If you want to dramatically improve your recruiting skills, and hear experts like John Brubaker teach in a personalized, energetic setting, register to attend this Summer’s upcoming NCRC.  CLICK HERE for all the information!

7 Critical Things Your Prospect Presentation Absolutely NeedsTuesday, March 5th, 2013

“Presentation” might be the wrong word, actually.

As a college recruiter, you don’t give recruting “presentations” in the same way that a business sales professional might give a sales presentation to a new prospective client.  And if you are doing it that way, prepare to have a long, painful life as a struggling college recruiter.

There are fundamental differences in what you want to do as a college coach trying to connect with a teenage with their prospect, especially when it comes to the reasons they are making their decision on what coach – and what program – is the best fit for them.

But that being said, “presentation” is the best word that I could come up with, because it really wraps in all the elements of the process that you use to recruit a student-athlete.  We’re not just talking about the opportunities you have to go into a prospect’s home and talk to them about competing for you and your program, or hosting them on campus as a part of an unofficial or official visit

“Presentations” can include a lot more:

  • The letters and emails that you write…that’s part of your presentation.
  • The phone calls that you make…that’s part of your presentation.
  • What is said about your school or you online…that’s part of your presentation.
  • When a prospect comes to visit your campus…that’s a part of your presentation.

You can’t overlook one area of your overall presentation and expect success.  Especially when it comes to the top athletes you really, really want for your program.

So in looking at programs we work with, and see what they do right on a consistent basis, here’s my list of the 7 things YOU need in your recruiting presentation if you’re looking for an added degree of success with your next recruiting class:

  1. Develop a belief in your school and your program. It pains me when I hear a coach tell me privately that he or she doesn’t think their school can compete with others in their conference.  What you absolutely need as a part of your overall recruiting presentation is a heart-felt belief that your school, your program – and you as a coach – are the best option for your recruit.  Assume that you are going to sign the athlete when you first start talking to them.  Today’s prospects want to compete for coaches who are confident (not cocky, confident).  If you don’t display passion about you and your program, don’t expect them to be passionate about the idea of coming to compete for you.
  2. Focus on helping them reach their objectives. Not sell your school.  Not brag about your program.  Not show off your new building.  Help connect the dots and show them how you (and your school, and your program, and maybe even the new building) will help them reach their athletic and academic objectives.  An easy way to make sure you’re doing this is by taking a look at each facet of your recruiting process and explain how whatever you do helps your recruit reach their objective.  “But Dan, what if I don’t know what their objective in college is?”  Ask.
  3. Tell them you have some ideas on how to help them. Do you know how original you’d be if you would just come to them with tangible ideas for them instead of bullet-pointed athletic department brochures?  Kids will always stay engaged if you give yourself away and get them to connect with you through ideas about them.  Not you, them.
  4. Try to ask one amazing question at the beginning of each new type of contact.One for your first letter, your first email, your first phone call, and when you first meet.  I’m talking about a question that makes them stop and really think about the answer before they give it to you.  Whenever you ask a question they haven’t been presented with before, that’s a sign of a great presentation.
  5. Don’t “need” the recruit. Prospects and their parents have become increasingly adept at sniffing out desparation, and it’s not something that they view favorably.  If you find yourself “pressing” for prospects – especially at the end of your recruiting cycle – then you need more prospects.  We have a coach we’ve worked with for several years who is heading into these upcoming months with nine prospects that are “A” rated recruits.  They only need to sign two this year.  Two years ago, their list was 1/3 the size it is now.  Do like they did and assess your needs and make adjustments in the numbers so that you aren’t begging at the end.
  6. Ask for the sale. If you’ve taken part in one of our famous On-Campus Workshops at your school, you know this is a familiar mantra we preach to college recruiters.  You’re recruiting them for a reason: You want them to play for you.  So, once you know in your heart that they’d be perfect for you – and you’re ready to hear a “yes” from them and follow-up with all the commitments that come along with possibly hearing that answer – ask them to commit.  Even if they say “no, not yet,” they’ll remember you as a coach that is passionate about them and that wants them for their team.  You might even be surprised when you get that immediate “yes!” from a prospect you really want….if you consistently ask.
  7. Be 100% focused 100% of the time. Are you smiling and confident?  Your prospect is watching. Are you and your staff wearing school polo shirts?  Your prospect is watching. Are you prepared for their visit and engaged with them individually, or are you thinking about what went wrong at practice yesterday?  Your prospect is watching. They are judging you as much as they are judging your school and your program.  Every part of your interaction with them matters, Coach.  Pay attention to the details and stay focused.

Now that you have my list, here’s a quick mental homework assignment I’d love for you to invest the next five minutes in doing: What three or four things can you do right away to improve your overall recruiting presentation?  Write down those changes on a card or piece of paper, and put it up on your wall in your office.  Don’t take it down until you’ve followed your own advice and made those changes to your presentation.

Those seven guiding principles can help you form the basis for a really effective recruiting presentaiton, which will help you make a big impact on this next recruiting class you’re starting to contact.

Do you have questions for Dan?  Email him directly at dan@dantudor.com.

15 Effective Ways to Recruit the Coaches of Your ProspectsMonday, February 18th, 2013

It’s no secret that the current high school and club coaches are holding more and more power over the recruiting process, especially since so many college coaches are being forced to keep up with their competition by going through those prep and club coaches to arrange conversations with younger and younger athletes.

The result?  Saavy college coaches are realizing they need to systematically recruit the coaches of their prospects.

Of course, that’s a much more difficult challenge: Recruiting a prospect and his or her parents has a pay-off for them, in that they will receive scholarship money or at least the opportunity to have sports be a part of their college experience.  Their coaches, on the other hand, are (at their best) feeling a sense of needing to protect and shield their young athletes from college recruiters, or (at their worst) bent on guiding their young athletes towards the program that will bring the most notoriety and prestige to the high school or club program that they play for currently.

No matter their motives, they are now a major player in the battle for the best recruits.  And, how you “sell” them on your program is going to be an increasingly important piece in the overall recruiting puzzle – and how successful you are at it.

With that in mind, we compiled data from our On-Campus Workshop focus groups and our other research and came up with a list of the most successful ways to effectively recruit the coaches of your current high school and club prospects.  I don’t see it as being critical that you are doing each one of these things as a normal part of your recruiting process, necessarily, but a mixture of several of these proven strategies would be recommended as you approach coaches moving forward.  (Note: If you are a client, make sure to contact us for specific strategies based on your program’s specific focus group research before you contact high school or club coaches)

  1. According to our polling, 65% of club coaches have a negative view of college coaches during the recruiting process.  Why?  Primarily because the college coaches are only in contact with them while recruiting their athletes.  Develop an ongoing plan for contact with those coaches, even if you aren’t seriously recruiting those athletes.
  2. Just as it is important to prospects and parents, consistent contact (once every few weeks) that takes time to sell them on your program and college is key.  They want to be convinced why you are the best option for their athletes, and will respect you for putting forth the effort.  Few college coaches do it.
  3. They want to be treated as peers in the sport that you and they coach.  How are you proving to them that you respect them and view them as a coaching equal?
  4. I know you’re asking them for where you and your program stand with a recruit in their program, but how much are you asking them what kind of program they as their coach feel is the right fit?  If you can get an answer to that second question, you’ll probably also get your answer to the first question.
  5. Do you ask them for their coaching advice?  You should.  Do you ask them about practice or training ideas?  You should.  Those let them know that you see them as equals.  (Plus you will probably come away with some great new ideas!)
  6. I hear college coaches complain a lot about high school and club coaches that will offer up prospects from their team who are not quite the caliber of athlete you need to be successful at your level.  They would love it if you gave them a detailed list of exactly what you look for and the athletic standards by position that you have established, along with an explanation of why.  If you don’t, they will default to evaluating their talent for you based on their pre-defined view of your division level or college.
  7. Send them holiday cards throughout the year.  Obvious?  Yes.  Do you do it?
  8. Ask them for their evaluation of the prospect, and what specifically they would recommend doing once they got to your campus.  Make them a partner in this transition from high school to college.
  9. Ask them about the next two classes below the one that you are recruiting.  With the increased contact periods now allowed by the NCAA, you need to start earlier than ever before if you want to keep up with your competition.
  10. High school and club coaches value your presence.  I wish it wasn’t so, but you need to be at their facility viewing their talent on a regular basis (your prospects want that also, by the way)
  11. High school and club coaches want to be updated on where you are at in the recruiting process in the same way you want an update on where your prospect is at in the recruiting process.  That can be part of your regular communication with them.  According to them, it show professionalism and honesty on your part.
  12. Compliment those coaches in front of your prospects and (especially) their parents.
  13. Invite the high school or club coach to visit campus with the prospect when they come.  They’ll probably decline, but it will win points.
  14. Offer to speak with their team or give a short talk about playing in college while you are there watching them.  Make sure you link your talk and the reason you are there scouting with the fact that they have a great coach who you have a lot of respect for.
  15. If distance isn’t a factor, invite the team to watch you compete.  If possible, take them behind the scenes into your program and make it a truly personal game day experience for not only the specific kids you are recruiting, but the entire group and the coach.  Again, tie the invitation to the fact that they have a great coach.

It’s hardly rocket science, but these fifteen specific actions are what we have seen to be the best at creating powerful connections with a growing influential group of gate-keepers in the recruiting process.  Failing to actively and strategically approach them in the right manner will make the already difficult task of recruiting even more challenging.

Two great ways to gain more creative ideas for your next recruiting campaign:  Make sure you send someone from your staff to the National Collegiate Recruiting Conference this June (click here) or subscribe as a Premium Member for special training and additional tips on a weekly basis (click here).  Each is affordable and effective, and ensures that you keep on the cutting edge of the latest recruiting research and methodologies!

3 Effective Ways to Stop Recruiting a ProspectFriday, September 21st, 2012

Breaking up is hard to do, as the saying goes.

Especially for college coaches.

We’ve worked with coaches who feel heart-broken about having to tell a recruit that they’re no longer interested.  Some coaches avoid the discussion all together, and just stop communicating with a recruit.  A handful of coaches I’ve met even feel obliged to follow through with an offer if the athlete stays in touch and continues to show interest, even if the coach now feels that he or she isn’t going to perform at the same level they did when the coach originally recruited them.

Many times, stopping the recruiting process is also a matter of strategy: A coach knows that if they end the recruiting process incorrectly, they might risk offending a coach, the parents or the recruit – all of whom may have influence over other recruits in the future.

Like I said, breaking-up is hard to do.

That being said, we’ve seen a few very effective ways to do it.  And since letting a prospect go is something that happens year around, I wanted to pass along some of the best strategies that have worked for other coaches. Specifically, there are key phrases and ideas that we’ve seen work best over the years. This way your recruits understand why you are ending the process, and what you see as the positives in the situation:

  • Explain why you’ve made the decision, with lots of detail. Tell them exactly why, based on your plan, they aren’t going to be a good fit for your program.  The more details, the better.  It tells them that they mattered to you, and that’s the best way to lessen the blow.  We have had consistent focus-group research that tells us coaches who explain their reasoning, and base it on athletic facts and reasoning, will win out over emotion as they formulate a reaction to the news.  So, the key phrases we would recommend including in your messaging would include “I want to tell you exactly why my staff and I came to this decision”, as well as, “When we looked at your strengths as a player, we just figured out that it wouldn’t be fair to bring you in and not utilize some of your strongest skill sets here.”  Remember, lots of detail and an honest explanation.  That’s goal number one.
  • Point them in the right direction. Another important aspect of an effective ending conversation is to tell them what you’d recommend they do next: Suggest the right kind of conference, a coach you know…something that tells them they really can play at the next level, and that “based on your experience as a college coach”, you’d recommend a specific next step in the process for them.  It’s an incredibly powerful way to end your relationship with a positive, action-oriented plan.
  • Write a letter. Explain yourself, and include some of the details that you included in your original conversation.  Why a letter?  It’s powerful, and it has staying power. Your prospect may not like your final decision, but a professional and personalized letter will – in time – show respect for the fact that you were honest with them and took the time to explain the reasoning behind your decision.  In addition, the letter will get shared…with other parents, other recruits, and coaches that you want to maintain good relationships with – for months and years to come.  Paper is powerful. (By the way, if you’re a client, please consult us and have us help you create the right communication plan for your specific situation, and help construct the right content for the message).

Is this an exhaustive list?  No.  But it does contain three elements that we’ve seen be the most effective when it came to ending the recruiting process and ensuring the best possible results when it came to how prospects and their parents (and coaches!) reacted to the end of the process.  We highly recommend these three strategies when you reach the decision to no longer recruit one of your prospects.

Looking for more information and research, but aren’t quite ready to have us work with you one-on-one?  There are a variety of free and low-cost recruiting resources we’ve developed specifically for college coaches.  Click here to find out more.

What Your Prospects Want to Hear From You on September 1stFriday, August 24th, 2012

Every September 1st, most college coaches “officially” start to recruit their next class of Juniors.

And the question on every recruiter’s mind is the same:

“How do I make an incredible impression on the recruits that I really want to be a part of my program?”

Making that first impression is something you don’t get a second chance at, so here are some things to keep in mind as you begin communications with your Junior recruits.  And I’m not just talking about letters and emails that you’ll be sending out soon.  Your follow-up ongoing communication over these next few weeks will be almost equally – if not more – important.  Why?  Because they’re looking for who contacts them consistently early on…it’s an indicator of who seems to be serious.

So hear you go, Coach…here are the six things your prospects want to hear from you on September 1st (and every week on a regular basis) when you are communicating with them:

 

  • Be specific in what you tell them. Our study on how today’s prospects make their final decision tells coaches that today’s prospects value specific information about them, or about your program.  What did you like about them specifically? What do you see as the fit for them in your program specifically? What are you looking for specifically? Those are the questions that you need to answer for your prospect early on.
  • Don’t oversell yourself. Kids today can sniff out a fake more quickly than they can bang-out a text message to their BFF.  Be straight-forward and genuine.  One other thing: Take it easy on the statistics about your college, details about your conference, and what the geography around the school is like.  Those are some of the “boring” topics that they are most likely to gloss over as they read your initial recruiting messages.
  • Keep it brief. Long messages right out of the gate are most likely to be ignored, and that’s not what you want on the first day that you make contact with them.  Keep it short, sweet and to the point.  Tell them how you found them, why you like them, and what their next step should be in the process (in other words, how they should respond to you).
  • Have a call to action. That’s what gets them to respond to you!  You need to tell them what to do, and how to do it.  Open the door in the language of your communication to guide them towards what they should do next as a “next step” in the process.
  • Create curiosity. In our recruiting workbooks for college recruiters, we talk about the importance of making your prospect leave your message with unanswered questions, especially early in the process.  You want to create curiosity and prompt them to want more interaction from you…something that makes them want to go to the next step in their communication with you.  Ask yourself, “Are we creating curiosity in the way we talk to our new recruits?”  (Hint: Curiosity is not built by more information about you and your college, it’s done by giving them less information).
  • Tell them what to do next. This goes back to the “call to action” concept I mentioned a moment ago, Coach.  Want them to call or email you?  Tell them that, very clearly.  Tell them when to call, and let them know what you want to talk about.  Want them to reply to your email?  Be crystal clear and instruct them on what you want back from them.

Communication with your prospect should result in one thing, especially at the start of the recruiting process at the beginning of a new recruiting cycle: A response from your prospect!  Your specific goal over the next few weeks should be getting them to talk with you via email or phone.

To do that, the six things we just outlined are a good start to creating effective communication with your recruits, whether its the 1st time they are hearing from you or the 21st time.  Simply changing the tone of your messages can change the number of prospects you end up hearing back from this year, and get you off to your best start ever with a new recruiting class.

Note:  If you are a client of Tudor Collegiate Strategies, and you need help creating or updating your first contact messages, contact us immediately so we can do that for you in plenty of time for your first contact messages to be sent to this next class of recruits.

Want to know why our clients win more recruits and have stronger recruiting classes?  Click here.

 

Speed Up the Recruiting Process with This One QuestionMonday, July 30th, 2012

by Mandy Green, University of South Dakota

If you have read any of my articles, you know by now that I am all about finding new and better ways to do things that will give me a better return on my time and energy.

About a year ago now, I was listening to a High Performance Academy coaching call being led by Brendan Burchard, author of The Charge.  He was talking about productivity and how he starts his day out by asking the question “who do I need to reach out to today that will help me progress forward?”

He applies this question to all of his businesses; I now apply this question to my program and with recruiting.  For example, what club coach can I reach out to today and develop a better relationship with that could potentially help me with recruiting quality student-athletes to my program?  Or, what person on campus could I reach out to today to introduce myself or to thank them for helping me with something?

Answering and acting on this one question has single-handedly changed the pace and quality of recruits that we are now able to get to look at and commit to my program.

Here is how I do it.  On my way into work I think about who I can reach out to whether it be a coach of a team I saw over the weekend, a parent of one of my top recruits, a local business owner, a faculty member on campus, etc.  As soon as I get into the office, I turn on my computer and crank out a quick email to them.  I usually only write to one person a day and only give myself 10 minutes to try to connect and build a relationship with whatever person I am writing to.  I also do it first thing in the morning before I do anything else because I found that if I leave it until later in the day, there is a good chance that it won’t get done.

I didn’t notice much of a difference at first but over the course of the last year, spending the first 10 minutes reaching out to one person a day has really started to pay off for us.  These coaches are helping us get in contact with recruits faster, are now talking to recruits on our behalf which is helping to get them serious about us sooner, and it has helped us narrow down our recruiting pool because of the insights they are now giving us.

All of this and more is the result of developing the habit of consistently reaching out to one person a day first thing when I get to the office in the morning.  Coach, there is always somebody who you can reach out to.  Be thoughtful and strategic about it.  Like I said earlier, just this one question has helped to speed up our recruiting process and I know it can do the same for you.

Mandy Green is a frequent contributor to College Recruiting Weekly, and is a Division I head soccer coach.  Coaches around the country know her as a premier expert on organization and coaching, and is the developer of a soon to be released organizational system and calendar for college recruiters.

 

7 Essential Elements for Your Recruiting “Story”Monday, July 23rd, 2012

I use the word “story” because at the heart of any good recruiting effort is the need to effectively engage your prospect through your ongoing communication, and get him or her to buy-in to your program’s story.

Storytelling is an art, whether you are by a campfire or in front of a prospect – and as a college coach, you need to be a serious student with a goal of becoming a master storyteller.

A story is not a lie.  It’s not a tale.  It’s a chapter by chapter explanation of who you are, what you want them to do at your school, and why they should want to be a part of it all.  That’s the foundation of a great story.  And as we spend more and more time on campuses and working with college coaching staffs on an up-close and personal basis, we are constantly reminded that good stories told by smart coaches are usually going to be the difference makers between a coach who wins a top recruit, and the coach who finishes second.

  • The letters and emails that you write…that’s part of your story.
  • The phone calls that you make…that’s part of your story.
  • What is said about your school or you online…that’s part of your story.
  • When a prospect comes to visit your campus…that’s a part of your story.

You can’t overlook one area of your overall story or presentation and expect success.  Especially when it comes to the top athletes you really, really want for your program.

So in looking at programs we work with, and see what they did right this past year on a consistent basis, here’s my list of the seven things YOU need in your recruiting presentation if you’re looking for an increased degree of success with your next recruiting class:

  1. Develop a belief in your school and your program. It pains me when I hear a coach tell me privately that he or she doesn’t think their school can compete with others in their conference.  What you absolutely need as a part of your overall recruiting presentation is a heart-felt belief that your school, your program – and you as a coach – are the best option for your recruit.  Assume that you are going to sign the athlete when you first start talking to them.  Today’s prospects want to compete for coaches who are confident (not cocky, confident).  If you don’t display passion about you and your program, don’t expect them to be passionate about the idea of coming to compete for you.
  2. Focus on helping your recruit – and their parents – reach their objectives. Not a focus on selling your school right away.  Not bragging about your program’s conference championship two years ago.  Not showing off your new building.  Instead, help connect the dots and show them how you (and your school, and your program, and maybe even the new building) will help them reach their athletic and academic objectives.  An easy way to make sure you’re doing this is by taking a look at each facet of your recruiting process and explain how whatever you do helps your recruit reach their objective.  “But Dan, what if I don’t know what their objective in college is?”  Ask.  It should be one of the first questions you’re asking as you start your initial phone and email contacts with a new recruiting class.
  3. Tell them you have some ideas on how to help them. Do you know how original you’d be if you would just come to them with tangible ideas for them instead of bullet-pointed athletic department brochures?  Kids will always stay engaged if you give yourself away and get them to connect with you through ideas about them.  Not you, them.  Develop a list of ideas about how you can develop their skills, help them reach their goals, and what your plan for them is on your team if they decide to choose you.
  4. Try to ask one amazing question at the beginning of each new type of contact. One for your first letter, your first email, your first phone call, and when you first meet.  I’m talking about a question that makes them stop and really think about the answer before they give it to you.  Whenever you ask a question they haven’t been presented with before, that’s a sign of a great presentation – and a sure sign that they’ll stay engaged for the rest of your story (for a free list of some of the past articles we’ve developed on the right questions to ask, click here).
  5. Don’t “need” the recruit. Prospects and their parents have become increasingly adept at sniffing out desparation, and it’s not something that they view favorably.  If you find yourself “pressing” for prospects – especially at the end of your recruiting cycle – then you need more prospects.  We have a client who is heading into these upcoming months with nine prospects that are “A” rated recruits.  They only need to sign two this year.  Two years ago, their list was 1/3 the size it is now.  Do like they did and assess your needs and make adjustments in the numbers so that you aren’t begging at the end.  And even if you are a little desperate as you’re reading this article, don’t let your prospect get the feeling that you’re in that position.  Trust me, it’s not a good look on you, Coach.
  6. Ask for the sale. If you’ve taken part in one of our in-depth On-Campus Workshops for your athletic department, you know this is a familiar mantra we preach to college recruiters.  You’re recruiting them for a reason: You want them to play for you.  So, once you know in your heart that they’d be perfect for you – and you’re ready to hear a “yes” from them and follow-up with all the commitments that come along with possibly hearing that answer – ask them to commit.  Even if they say “no, not yet,” they’ll remember you as a coach that is passionate about them and that wants them for their team.  You might even be surprised when you get that immediate “yes!” from a prospect you really want….if you consistently ask.
  7. Be 100% focused 100% of the time. Are you smiling and confident?  Your prospect is watching. Are you and your staff wearing school polo shirts?  Your prospect is watching. Are you prepared for their visit and engaged with them individually, or are you thinking about what went wrong at practice yesterday?  Your prospect is watching. They are judging you as much as they are judging your school and your program.  Every part of your interaction with them matters, Coach.  Pay attention to the details and stay focused, because that non-verbal part of your story is just as important as the words you use in communicating with a prospect.

Now that you have my list, here’s a quick mental homework assignment I’d love for you to invest the next five minutes in doing: What three or four things can you do right away to improve your overall recruiting presentation?  Write down those changes on a card or piece of paper, and put it up on your wall in your office.  Don’t take it down until you’ve followed your own advice and made those changes to your presentation.

Those seven guiding principles can help you form the basis for a really effective recruiting story, which will help you make a big impact on this next recruiting class you’re starting to contact.

 

3 Keys to Effectively Handling Your “B” RecruitsMonday, July 16th, 2012

Much of a coaching staff’s attention is centered around bringing in as many top caliber “A” recruits as possible.

It’s the “A” recruits that grab headlines.

It’s the “A” recruits that propel a team to win championships.

It’s the “A” recruits that make it fun to be a college coach.

But we all know who really makes up most of a typical college team roster: The “B” recruits.

They’re solid, but not superstars.  And interestingly, as we’ve studied and tracked the recruiting process with this group of prospects, they have a very unique way of approaching the coaches who are pursuing them, and make their decisions much differently than your “A” recruits will.  Of course, each individual recruit will be a little different than the next, but there are some keys that we see being essential for coaches to keep in mind as they develop their own individual strategies for securing this important group of recruits:

  1. Your “B” recruits are hyper-aware of how you’re treating them. Why?  Because most of these “B” prospects know that they’re in the second tier of the prospects you’re considering.  They’ll try to fake it, but instinctively most of them know that they aren’t in your top group.  Because of these facts, they are always looking for a change in your tone, your language and the level of attention you’re giving them.  I’m not saying you need to accommodate that hyper-sensitivity; rather, be aware of it.  And if you find a recruit who you are ready to move on, just be aware that they’ll usually respond faster and more enthusiastically than your “A” recruits will.
  2. Your “B” recruits will usually make commitments more quickly. Not exactly earth-shaking news, right?  In fact, for many coaches, this is what drives them crazy about this group of recruits.  Sometimes, they’ll press you for a decision much sooner than you’d like, and (because of that hyper-sensitivity that we just talked about) they’ll be looking for the security of a decision as soon as possible.  The mistake I see many coaches make?  They don’t balance their pursuit of their “A” recruits with a steady stream of solidifying their “B” class.  That’s why you’ll see a healthy amount of programs end up with lackluster recruiting classes…too many swings for the fences, not enough stand-up doubles.  What we see effective coaching staffs do is find a balance that works for them based on previous recruiting classes, and the patterns of signings that have made up those classes.  That’s not always possible, of course, but if you have a “prototype” class that you’ve recruited to your program, look at the breakdown of the “A” and “B” recruits and create a game plan for this next class.
  3. Your “B” recruits will change direction quickly and without warning. One of the things that we prompt our clients to protect themselves against is the idea that their positive conversations with their “B” recruits means that they can hold off on moving towards a decision with them indefinitely.  Because of the earlier points that we made – their sensitivity to how you’re treating them and their inclination to make decisions more quickly than your “A” recruits –  we find that they are more quickly to change their allegiances at the drop of a hat.  This factor is probably responsible for more lost “B” prospects than any other: A coach is having great conversations with a recruit, doesn’t move the recruiting process forward, and is surprised when that recruit suddenly commits to another program.  This fact is a two edged sword: On the one hand, you need to be on the look-out to protect your standing with that recruit, but it also gives you a chance to come in late with “B” prospects that other coaches aren’t effectively shepherding through the process.  Whatever the case, you need to make sure that you take into account this big factor in the personalities of these “B” recruits.

Great college recruiters look at their entire recruiting plan, and make sure they are managing their entire prospect list from start to finish.  While your “A” list recruits are without a doubt must-have incoming athletes that will make you or break you, a healthy foundation of those “B” recruits will probably determine your long term success as a coach.  Your “B” prospects are greater in numbers, and usually include the difference makers that you need to enjoy long-term success.

Mapping out an effective recruiting plan isn’t easy.  It’s even harder if you don’t have the research and team of experts in your corner helping to guide you through the process behind the scenes.  Want help with your next recruiting class?  Get in touch with Dan Tudor directly at dan@dantudor.com and ask him to tell you how we work one-on-one with college programs around the country.

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