Dan Tudor

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Struggling Prospects, and What You Should Do to Help Them (and Your Recruiting)Monday, April 9th, 2012

As coaches, you often search for the best stuff to talk about with your prospects.

What’s going right in their lives, what they’re excited about, what they did for fun last weekend.

Generally, coaches search out the line of conversation that will make the prospect smile, laugh and feel comfortable talking.  And most of the time, with most your recruits, that’s the right approach.

But there’s another possible conversation that may win their allegiance in a faster, more effective, more meaningful way.  And we discovered it by accident!  Here’s the story:

In review focus group research we’ve gathered over the past two years working with coaches who have us help them develop their recruiting campaigns and storylines, we noticed something curious that we had previously glazed over.  Occasionally, but consistently, prospects would reveal that there was a moment in the recruiting process where the coach that they ended up committing to would stumble upon something the prospect was struggling with – family issues, a tough class at school, a painful relationship break-up – and offer some deep, heartfelt sympathy.  In the prospect’s eyes, for both males and females, they achieved a powerful connection with these coaches that “connected” with them and showed them that they cared for them over and above what they could bring to their college sports program.

Three stories stood out as we started uncovering these previously hidden strategic gems, told to you below as direct quotes from the recruits themselves:

  • “When Coach ____ called me right after my dad left the house, I really didn’t want to talk to her.  Two minutes into the call I was just a wreck and was balling and basically sounding like an idiot. It was really embarassing.  But she was so kind, and spent a lot of the call just trying to talk me through it.  She didn’t try to sell me on her program, she just was a friend.  The next day I knew that was the coach I wanted to spend the next four years playing for.”
  • “I struggled with math my Senior year and I was afraid it was going to ruin my chances for earning a football scholarship. I wanted to pick a place where it wasn’t just all about football day in and day out but still play D1, and the way the coach tried to help me feel better about what I was going through with academics in high school really made me feel like he was the guy who was going to watch out for me and make sure I was successful when I played ball in college.  The way he handled that told me a lot about who he was as a person which is why I chose to play here.”
  • “Most coaches would just email me or call and it was about sports 24/7.  I started feeling like I was just a piece of meat almost.  I liked the way that Coach _____ made it more that just about the sports side of college.  I felt like that’s who I wanted to be around.  The way he tried to get to know me and help me through some stuff I was dealing with at home was awesome which is the main reason I came here.”

You see the common thread through those comments, right?  The coaches who came alongside the prospects and helped them through a difficult situation, and offered heartfelt encouragement, ended up making an impact and most of the time, earned the commitment of the recruit.

In other words, simply by taking a few minutes to comfort a male or female athlete you are recruiting, you set yourself apart from other coaches.

It works the same outside of sports as well.  In the Malcolm Gladwell book “Tipping Point”, it was revealed that doctors who spent an extra three minutes chatting with patients and getting to know them personally had dramatically lower rates of medical malpractice suits filed against them.  The reason mirrors the principle I’ve outlined here today:  Showing concern and investing even a few minutes of your time with your prospect can help in creating a much deeper, much more meaningful bond with that recruit.  Male or female, it works the same.

The most common areas that athletes felt were important were stressful situations with grades, a family crisis, boyfriend or girlfriend problems, or other issues specific to his or her family.

In one respect, it’s a bit odd to be recommending a “strategy” revolving around just being a good person.  I’m hoping that any coach would take time to do what we’d all probably agree is “the right thing”.  However, analyzing this from a strictly psychological and relationship point of view, cementing your relationship around you offering encouragement to your prospect who is going through a difficult, stressful situation is the smart thing – and the right thing – to do.

As you plan for next season’s recruiting campaign, why not have a team of experts help you behind the scenes?  Work with Dan and his team one-on-one and have them put together a strategy and a system that’s proven to get results.  You can go to www.dantudor.com for all the details, or email Dan directly with your questions at dan@dantudor.com.

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Four Facts to Focus On That Your Recruits REALLY Care AboutMonday, February 27th, 2012

You throw them around all the time.

You use them to sell your college, and you use them to combat a competitor’s advances.

If you’re a fan of classic television, Sgt. Joe Friday on the old “Dragnet” detective show was famous in asking for only these things.

We’re talking about facts.

But here’s the challenge for savvy recruiters:  Which facts are worth talking about, and which ones just take up space in your messages our to your prospects?  Moreover, what facts may actually be hurting your recruiting efforts?

We began asking that very question, beginning in 2011, with the athletes of our clients and during focus groups at our On-Campus Workshop.  Our theory at the time was that all the facts a coach presented to a prospect played a part in their final decision.

We were only partially correct.  Here’s why…

While today’s prospects do rely on facts about a college to form their overall opinion of the place, it is most effective when recruiters tie that fact directly to a benefit the athlete will receive as a result.

This is a very important distinction that coaches need to begin implementing.  Again, when you state a fact as a selling point of your program, it is vital that you take the extra step in explaining to your prospect exactly how they will personally benefit from that fact.

The reason is simple, really:  Our research shows that prospects won’t “connect the dots” between your points of benefits and what it means for them personally.  As we discuss at length in our two recruiting guides for college coaches, your recruits rely largely on their feelings – how they feel about you, your team, and your campus – to make their final decision.

However, when you can add facts that will personally benefit the prospect, and get them to understand those selling points, you win; more often than not, good feelings about your program coupled with these personalized facts are almost impossible to ignore.

To get you started, here are a few of the top facts that we’re finding recruits rating as most important in their decision-making process:

  • Your on-campus housing. According to the research we’ve conducted, it’s the clear #1 on the list in your recruit’s mind.  Interestingly, you don’t always need the newest and biggest dorms or apartments to win.  Instead, you need to make sure your recruits understand how they will have fun living there.  By the way, your team’s opinions and personal stories go the furthest in selling your on-housing campus to your recruits.
  • The food on campus. Prove to your recruits that they will eat well, and you’ll have an advantage over most of your competition.  Food, and the socialization around gathering together in a community on campus and “breaking bread” together, is one of the biggest comfort areas that your recruits are looking for when they come to visit campus.
  • The vision for your team. It’s very important that you clearly explain where the program is heading, and how the prospect will play a part in the plan.  Make sure you go into as much detail as possible when it comes to your plan.  And, if possible, have a separate conversation about that plan with your prospect’s parents.
  • How a degree at your school will trump a degree at another school. Coaches love to talk about the academic strengths of their college, but talk is cheap.  You’d better be ready to prove it to your prospect, and give them real-life examples (personal letters from your former players are great, by the way!) as to how your school is going to give them a better launch into their career after sports is done.

The misuse of facts is a major problem in recruiting.  We see it almost daily.

If you’re a coach who commits themselves to taking the extra step of stressing facts that your athletes care about, as well as finding how best to tie that fact personally to your recruit, you’ll most likely gain the upper-hand over your competitors who are content with reading this research and then choosing not to change the way they are telling their story.

Tudor Collegiate Strategies can help you formulate your strategy when it comes to presenting facts about your program that get attention. We can take our research and put it to work for your program, making a big difference in your overall recruiting efforts as you get ready to communicate with your next recruiting class. Want more information on how we can do that for you and your program? Contact Dan Tudor directly at dan@dantudor.com.

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Why We All Pay Attention to Oregon’s Cool, New Football HelmetsMonday, January 2nd, 2012

“Dang, this is really their face mask?” said an admiring Wisconsin center Peter Konz this past weekend, as his team was preparing to face the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl played yesterday.

“I’m going to have like metallic stains on my jersey. Wow. That’s pretty cool, though.”

Yes, the Oregon Ducks have broken new ground with their metallic, reflective football helmets.  And as you can see, even their opponents were awed by the next evolution in equipment creativity, courtesy of the Ducks.

But it’s not just their opponents.  It’s virtually everyone.  I follow lots of college coaches on Twitter, and it seems everyone was talking about the Oregon helmets.  Coaches, fans, recruits, the media…everyone.

Which would seem to make the case for a coach who contends that “the stuff” – facilities, uniforms, locker rooms, strength and conditioning centers - is what a recruit bases their school choice decision upon, right?

Wrong.

This is where I find most coaches failing to connect the dots.  Many programs in many different sports at the college level introduce new logos, new uniforms and new facilities every year.  Few get the kind of press that Oregon’s seemingly bi-monthly football uniform adaptations get.

Why is that?

In my opinion, and based on our ongoing research with recruits and how they make their final decisions, it’s more about the fact that the constant uniform evolution at Oregon has become the main story, making the individual styles almost secondary.  A mirror-like, reflective metallic helmet?  “That’s Oregon”, said one Wisconsin player this week.  The fact that Oregon does it with regularity?  That’s the main story here.

Here are a few thing all this means for you, no matter what sport or division level you coach:

  1. The story matters. And as Oregon football has proven over the past few years, telling it with regularity pays big dividends.  As you start the new year, what is the big story you’re telling your recruits?
  2. Telling it regularly is important. Oregon has taken uniform changes to a new level with the frequency of their new combinations.  Think about it…the frequency is what makes it unusual and unique.  The fact that football players at Oregon get to expect a new uniform combination on a week by week basis is the story.  As you start the new year, how can you take something good and make it great by talking about it more?
  3. Embrace who you are.  Don’t “invent” your story. Wisconsin changed their uniforms for the game, too.  Compared to what Oregon did, it didn’t make as much news.  But they branched out by working with Adidas on its Rose Bowl uniform, which incorporates figures of the rose petal into its red numbers and lettering.  “Subtle, but classic to what Wisconsin is,” said the uniform designer.  “We’re not as wild as Oregon, but it’s different. It’s nice.”  The Badger players are proud to wear traditional uniforms and helmets.  “These uniforms have been worn for many years by many great players,” he says. “We try to embrace what we have here. Not many other schools can stick to what they’re doing. That’s what makes us: We stick to what we’re doing.”  As you start your new year, what can you do emphasize your traditions and your history…and the fact that you aren’t changing anytime soon?
  4. Be on the edge. Reflective helmets?  That’s edgy.  But then again, that’s Oregon.  The Wisconsin football team did it their own way, emphasizing stability and their long tradition.  Whatever route you choose, go all the way.  Be extraordinary.  That’s another thing that gets a lot of attention for the Ducks: They raise the bar for being creative and breaking new ground.  As you start your new year, make a promise to yourself that you’ll do everything at 100% when it comes to telling your story to your recruits, your team and your fans.
  5. Always look for new ways to tell your story. Make this the year you not only use social media to tell your story, but really understand what your athletes want as you communicate with them.  Letters and emails?  Look for new ways to tell your story and build your foundation with your recruits.

Yes, the helmets were cool.  But the story about the helmets is what we’ve all bought.  We expect it now from Oregon.  That’s the story that they’ve created, and most of us listen to it.

And that’s why we all pay attention to Oregon’s new helmets.

The premier recruiting conference in the country will give you and your staff new, creative ideas on how to tell your recruiting story more effectively.  Clients attend for free, but the conference is open to any college coach or athletic director.  For all the information on attending the National Collegiate Recruiting Conference, click here!

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Your Recruiting Strategy: Horse Race or Beauty Pageant?Monday, December 12th, 2011

One of our clients called a couple of weeks ago, and she was worried.

A couple of her new recruits hadn’t responded to her first two emails and was wondering if we needed to highlight more of the things her Division I college had to offer their students and athletes.

“I’m worried if we don’t out-shine a couple of our other competitors soon, we won’t be able to get her on campus this Spring”, said the coach.

What I told her is what I want to tell you:

Recruiting isn’t a beauty pageant, it’s a horse race.

Here’s what I mean:

A beauty pageant is all about picking who looks the best, and who presents themselves the most convincingly to the judges.  Now I’ll admit, there are some recruits who fall into this category…they’ll pick a program using the most basic criteria:  How new your facility is, how big of a conference you play in, or strictly based upon something that they want for themselves.

The beauty pageant prospect is the toughest to land because they are making choices based on assumptions and stories that they’ve already defined for themselves:  The decision that they “deserve” to play in the best facility…what your conference will say to their friends and teammates back home…or some other off-the-wall criteria that they usually don’t reveal until they’ve already made their decision.

In short, if you’re recruiting a prospect like you’re judging a beauty pageant – which many coaches choose to do – then you’ll going to experience a tough road when it comes to recruiting great athletes for your program:  Your results will be random, and while you will experience some incredible highs when your prospect decides your program is the most “beautiful” in their eyes, there will also be far more soul-crushing defeats when they decide they don’t like the way you look.

If you’re interested in another way to approach recruiting, you should think about recruiting as a horse race.

Why a “horse race”?  Because the more I observe recruiting at different levels, the coaches that take a horse racing approach usually have more consistent, more reliable results.

Here’s why successful recruiting resembles a horse race:

  • Everyone starts evenly right out of the gate.
  • There are always two or three horses that jump out into the lead right away, and take a position along the rail.  If you’re one of those top three, great.  If you aren’t, don’t panic.  Find your spot and settle in for the race (remember, it just started a few seconds ago!)
  • This is where things get interesting: Before they field makes the first turn, horses start dropping out.  Usually that’s because those “horses” don’t hear back from their recruits right away.  They haven’t filled-out their questionaire, or returned the first email.  Due to that lack of interest, they drop out of the race for that prospect.  My recommendation to you is to not be one of those drop-outs!
  • The longer you stay up with the leaders, the more you’ll be viewed as a serious consideration by your recruit.  As you enter the halfway point in your recruiting efforts, stay consistent and understand that there’s still a long way to go in the mind of your recruit.
  • What gets it done “down the stretch”?   Outlining the differences between your program and the others still in the race.  The more radical and unique the differences, the better your chances of jumping out into the lead.
  • Want to make sure you win at the finish line?  Stay connected and talk with your prospect regularly.  It is extremely important, Coach.  The worst thing we see a coach do is step back and leave the prospect alone to make their final decision.  Guide them down the stretch…that’s what they want.

Beauty pageants are random, and produce subjective results that rarely make anyone but the winner happy.

Horse races are about preparation, strategy and strength down the stretch.

My main point: You can choose the strategy that fits you best, but what I see working most consistently with programs around the country is a strategy based on a long term approach that doesn’t necessitate immediate interest from high profile prospects, but instead relies upon a consistent, compelling and creative message that forces them to take serious look at you and your program.

Looking for an in-depth discussion on recruiting strategy and techniques with fellow coaches and nationally recognized recruiting experts?  Join us at the upcoming National Collegiate Recruiting Conference.  It’s an amazing three day retreat that earns raves reviews from coaches around the country.  Join us!  Click here for all the details!

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Do You Use Excel? This Recruiting Tool is Built for YOU!Monday, December 12th, 2011

Whether you chalk it up to old habits dying hard, or no budget to upgrade to a fancy new web-based recruiting management program, coaches all over the country still use Excel spreadsheets to track prospects.

The good news?  You can still easily integrate your use of Excel with some of the newer technology tools out there!

“We received over 1000 survey results from college coaches, and a large majority of them wanted the ability to integrate NCSA Athletic Recruiting with either Excel, or whatever their contact management system was”, said Ryan Newman, College Relations Coordinator.

“Little did they know, they already have this ability, and we’ve now made the integration better than ever—anything bit of information on a recruit you would need can instantaneously be transferred from NCSA right to Excel.”

Not only is NCSA Athletic Recruiting compatible with commonly used programs like Excel, but fully integrated with Front Rush, which the majority of coaches seem to now use to manage their recruiting databases.  If you have a Front Rush account you can simply click the “Add to Front Rush Button” after evaluating any NCSA prospect online through your free coach account most programs have set-up.

“We find a lot of coaches have utilized Front Rush for their contact management”, said Newman.  “The way I see it, NCSA is the best way to search, evaluate, and find potential recruits.  At that point it is up to college coaches to actually contact with the kid, get him on campus, and so on.  That’s where Front Rush comes in, and having the ability to mesh both resources, has really streamlined the process for college coaches.”

Learn how to export data from NCSA to Excel, AND learn how to import excel data into your NCSA Recruiting Board in this short video clip: How to Export and Import to Excel

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What Are Prospects Seeing When They Look at YOUR Program?Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

To answer that question, you really need to think of yourself as a box of Fruit Loops.  Specifically, the packaging that the cereal comes in.

Ever thought about how you “package” your program?

As a serious college recruiter, you should.

The reason is simple:  We all want to know what’s inside the package…we all want to know just who the heck that other person, or that new product, is.

Everything else in this world that you buy as a consumer is packaged very carefully, after a lot of research and study and focus-grouping.  Advertisers tweak the font size, change pictures on the cover, worry about what to say on the sides and back of a package.  From a DVD to a box of cereal, the packaging is everything.

Why?

• Because much of the time, what you decide to buy depends upon how it is packaged.
• Because much of the time, whether you buy it again depends upon how it was packaged.
• Because much of the time, whether you talk about it with others depends upon how it was packaged.

But as a college coach, you often ask your prospects to suspend their desire to see great “packaging” as you recruit them to your program.  Not deliberatively, but by default.

You see, psychological studies of how we decide to buy show that most American teens – having grown up in a culture of branding and over-marketing – need to assign a “story” to whatever the decide to have an emotional connection with.

For example, when deciding what music to listen to, the number one factor in their mind is answering the all-important question, “What does it stand for?”  Is it what a tough guy would listen to?  Does the singers fashion style match their own?  Does the singer’s world-view, politics or religion line-up with what they believe in?  In this example, it’s not just about the music: It’s about what the music stands for, and how it’s packaged.

However, like I said a moment ago, I see college coaches all over the country not paying attention to their “packaging” and what the “brand” of their program says to the prospect they are desperate to come and play for them.  And then, they get frustrated when the prospect doesn’t seem to be interested and isn’t “connecting” with what they’re saying during the recruiting process.

While your message and “story” are going to be different than your competitions, and every situation is completely unique when it comes to developing a good brand strategy for your individual program at your college, there are a few key ingredients to putting together a winning brand that defines who you are, and why a prospect should be interested in taking a serious look at you.  I’ll tell you about them by asking you some questions I’d like you to answer in your mind as you read them:

How does your prospect define you? In the end, it actually doesn’t matter much what you think of your program.  If it’s not being received in a positive way by your prospect, they won’t connect with you.  And if they don’t connect, they won’t come.  That’s why when I am asked to come and conduct our on-campus workshop at a college campus, one of the priorities for me is to do research with groups of student-athletes on how they define the school, and why they connected with the coach’s message.  It’s the first question that needs to be answered to build out the rest of your message and define what the program’ “package” looks like in the mind of your prospect.

Does your story match their expectations? Generic brands on supermarket shelves are huge money-makers for the store.  Their profit margin is much higher than other name brand products.  However, it’s hard for the store to sell those brands.  Even though they put them at eye level and give you discounts compared to the other name brands, we resist buying them despite the fact that many of them are manufactured by the same people who produce the name brand items.  Why is this?  Because the packaging often misses our expectations.  Not enough color, not the familiar iconic image on the front (where’s my Toucan Sam?!?) or just plain unfamiliarity with how it looks.  Inside, it’s a great product (or at least as good as the name brand).  Outside, it doesn’t meet our expectations.  So, Coach…does your story and your “packaging” connect with what today’s student-athletes are looking for in a coach and a program?

Do your testimonials tell the story? Do you have athlete testimonials and stories on file?  On your website?  Are your prospects reading them?  If the answer to any of these questions is “no”, you are missing out on an incredible marketing opportunity for your program.  On the front of almost every DVD you buy, there’s some critical acclaim quoted by a movie reviewer right at the top for you to see.  Look on the back cover of almost every book, and you’ll find praises for the work from other authors or experts in that particular field.  Why is so much prominent space reserved for testimonials?  Because they work.  We trust a third-party verifier’s glowing words of praise more than we’d trust the author saying it themselves.  For those of you that have read our two advanced recruiting workbooks for college coaches, you know how to construct believable, recruiting-enhancing arguments on behalf of your program as told by your past and current athletes.

Do you know what they’re saying behind your back? I remember an experience nearly two years ago when I was unexpectedly “upgraded” to a brand new Toyota Camry at the car rental counter.  At the time, I jokingly asked what I did to deserve that, and she replied that a lot of people didn’t want to drive their Toyotas because of the braking and acceleration problems that forced the recall of thousands of cars around the country (I’m guessing she gave me the once-over and figured I was expendable as she assigned my waiting-to-be-recalled Toyota)  For my organization, even though we hold our client list in strict confidence and make a point not to publish testimonials, our biggest source of new clients for our Total Recruiting Solution program are other coaches.  They are “talking behind my back”, but in a positive way.  In Toyota’s case, the public was “talking behind their back” in a very bad way a few years ago, and it dramatically affected their business.  But either way, they’re talking.  What are they saying about your packaging and your brand behind your back?

Your program’s packaging is so important because it precedes everything else in the recruiting process in your prospect’s eyes.  Your first impression when they give you that first look is crucial.

Pay attention to your packaging.  Your prospect is.

Perfecting your brand image in the mind of recruits is just one of the session topics we’ll be exploring in greater detail at the upcoming National Collegiate Recruiting Conference.  Register now to take advantage of our early registration discount and save big on the cost to attend.  And, if you can’t be there, order our conference DVD and notes and see every presentation at this year’s conference.  Click here to reserve your copy.

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How Old School Recruiters Can Still Win ProspectsMonday, November 21st, 2011

For all of the college coaches that are Tweeting, using Facebook to promote their team, using tools like Front Rush to communicate with recruits or NCSA Athletic Recruiting to find new prospects that have verified information and streaming video, there are lots of others who are keeping it “old school”.

They’ll recruit their kids with hand written letters and personal phone calls, thank you very much.

With all the advances in technology, there are coaches who aren’t going to use it in their daily recruiting efforts.

And you know what?  That’s fine.  You can still sign great recruits using some of those “old school” methods that have been around for years and years.  However, to use them effectively with this generation of teenage prospect, you’ll need to do a little fine-tuning in your approach and use of these common recruiting techniques.

Here are six things you need to know about these tried-and-true recruiting techniques as you eye your next recruit:

Use the phone to make the first contact. Did you know that our in-depth study of how prospects make their college decision showed that a phone call from the coach was their preferred first contact?  Chalk one up for the old-schoolers out there!  Phone calls work when they are used correctly, and this one has some big-time benefits:  It tells recruits that you’re serious about them right from the start, the phone call can be very short and to the point (saving you from those awkward “what-the-heck-do-I-talk-about-now” moments) and you can set up the next step in the process.

Speaking of phone calls, keep them short. Coach, you don’t need to spend 30 minutes or an hour on the phone.  This is a “get-to-the-point” generation of kids.  If you find yourself doing all (or most) of the talking, keep your phone call to 10 minutes or less.  Our research shows that it’s just as effective as a long phone call (more so, in many cases) and you won’t overstay your welcome with your prospect.  The one exception to the short phone call rule?  If your prospect is asking questions and doing the talking.  If that’s the case, stay on the phone as long as possible…and, you should realize that you have just been given a HUGE “buying signal” from your prospect.

The home visit still works. With travel budgets decreasing throughout the NCAA, home visits are going to become less and less frequent.  If you can swing it, making a home visit becomes an even bigger weapon in effective recruiting.  The keys to a good home visit?  I’ll briefly name three since that’s something that we normally talk about in depth if we get to work with a coach and their college one-one-one:  1) Try to do only 20% of the talking by asking great questions, 2) take as much time as possible to find out about the non-sports side of the family and interacting with siblings who might be present for the meeting, and 3) if you’re going to do a presentation about your school or your program, don’t bore them with ultra-detailed information that you end up reading to them.  Make it less presentation, more conversation.  Oh, one more thing:  If you want them, ASK THEM TO COMMIT AT THE END OF THE MEETING!  Don’t leave the home of a prospect you really want without making it clear that you’d take a “yes” from them right then and there.  Not enough coaches do that, and the result is that they walk away from a golden opportunity to secure a recruit.  Don’t be that coach!

You’d better spend time getting to know their coach. More and more, today’s prospect looks to their high school and/or club coach for guidance on recruiting.  At an extreme, many will let their coach select the “right” school at the end of the recruiting process (I’ve seen it happen a LOT in the past two years).  If you’ve got an old school recruiting attitude, it’s an absolute must to include your prospect’s coaches in the process.  In the good old days, a relationship with a recruit’s coach was a no-brainer.  It was a natural part of the cycle.  Today, I see coaches not paying as much attention to what their prospect’s coaches think of them and their program.  I think that any smart coach should (and if you want to know how, come to our national recruiting conference this June).

Hand-written letters win every time. What’s more old school than a blank piece of letterhead and an ink pen?  Not much.  But this old recruiting standard carries even more weight these days.  Why?  Because recruits know that the time you take to write them is meaningful.  They know how busy you are, and the fact that you’ve taken time out of your day to correspond with them means a lot.  They will always read hand-written mail, and will assign value to the fact that you took the time to write them.

Be seen in person. Being visible at games, tournaments and practices counts in the eyes of your prospect.  When we conduct one of our On-Campus Workshops, and talk with our athlete focus groups at a school, we find that most athletes are able to remember times when the coach they signed with came to their gym or their stadium to watch them compete.  Again, they know that takes time…and that’s the one big thing that this generation of athlete respects.

Old school recruiting strategies definitely still have a place in modern day recruiting.

Don’t get me wrong, I think technology tools that are available to college coaches today are incredible additions to their recruiting arsenals.  However, I’m also a realist: I know that there are coaches out there that aren’t comfortable using technology, and don’t want to use it in their everyday recruiting.

If I just described you, my message is simple:

You can still be an effective “old school” college recruiter if you follow these proven principles.

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One Stupid Thing College Coaches Do To Depress Their New ProspectsTuesday, November 1st, 2011

Yes, it’s stupid.

The good news?  It’s easy to fix.

Actually, the fact that it’s so ”easy” is what makes it so stupid, in my opinion.

I’m talking about your new prospects who do what you want them to do by going online, finding your program’s web page, hunting down the recruiting questionnaire link, taking the time to fill out the form, and then click “Submit”.

Many coaches’ reaction to that effort?

Nothing.

No immediate response.  No courtesy email.  No follow-up phone call or letter.  Nothing.

This is starting to come to light through some of our recent focus groups with client athletes on college campuses around the country. What we’re hearing is that at the start of the recruiting process, coaches are dropping the ball by not immediately replying back to those new prospects who take the time to fill out the form that you’ve provided on your website.

As they explain it, they are disappointed because they are excited to have made a psychological commitment to filling out the form and “choosing” the college in a small way.  Filling out an online form, which is probably an afterthought for most adults, is a huge choice for a teenage prospect.  They don’t fill out forms for fun; it’s a sign of interest.  It’s a vote in your favor.  It’s a choice they are making.

Coaches, on the other hand, don’t usually show the same enthusiasm in response to that allegiance.  On average, it takes college coaches anywhere from two weeks to five month to respond to Junior or Senior athlete inquiries to their programs.

And that’s where we wander into “stupid” territory, Coach…

By not sending some kind of response to your new potential recruit, you run the risk of having them assume you aren’t interested.  And why shouldn’t they?  Have you tried filling out the form on your website?  It takes quite a bit of time, according to your prospects.  Anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the sport and the information you are asking them to submit.

So what’s the fix for correcting this stupid oversight, and prevent your prospects from feeling down and depressed about not getting a response?  As is usually the case, the answer is simple:

Respond.

  • A good solution:  Include an auto-responder tied to your online web form that they’re filling out.  This is the simplest, but least personal, reply that you can use because it’s automated.  There is no required interaction on your part.  That makes it easy, and also makes it inexcusable not to use.
  • A better solution:  Send a quick personal email to them anytime you get a new inquiry or submission.  Nothing fancy, but something that tells the athlete that they didn’t just get an automatic reply message.  Let them know that you saw their information, and you’ll be talking to them further.  “Hey Chris, just got your information that you sent us in our online recruiting form.  I’ll be looking it over and will start telling you about what we’re all about here.  Thanks again…talk to you soon!  – Coach Johnson”  That’s a 20 second investment of your time.  The pay-off is huge.
  • The best solution:  In the message above, add two things that you liked about their information that they just gave you.  An award they won, a time or mark that they’ve achieved, their grade point average…something that tells them that you actually took a minute to evaluate them, and something that positively identifies some areas where there might be interest on your part.  That’s an additional two minute investment on your part, but it will pay big dividends.

So, if you’re a coach that is reading this and you feel like you aren’t taking the right steps towards kicking-off your relationship with these new prospects in the best way possible, here’s a good first step for you:  Take the list of prospects that have filled out your online form and create a personal reply to them immediately.  Apologize for the time it’s taken to get back to them, and let them know that you’re reviewing their information and will be in touch soon.  Then, plug them in to your regular series of recruiting messages that you hopefully have put in place.

Simple as that.

This is a small detail, but an important one for your prospects.  When they click “Submit” and send you the information that you say you want from them, the clock is ticking…and they are waiting.  What is your response – or lack of response – communicating to them?

Are you looking to get more in-depth knowledge about recruiting, what today’s prospects look for, and how to communicate more effectively with recruits?  Join your fellow coaches from around the country at the upcoming National Collegiate Recruiting Conference.  Get all the details here, and consider investing some time this Summer to improve the most important part of your coaching career:  Knowing how to recruit effectively!

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Facilities: Just How Important Are They to Your Recruits?Monday, October 17th, 2011

There is an important change that takes place at some point between you recruiting your prospect, and that prospect joining your team family on campus.

And the more you understand it, the more you’ll be successful at clearning some important hurdles in recruiting.

It’s a change that many college coaches aren’t conscious of as they build out their recruiting plans, and it ends up hurting their efforts to attract the best prospects to campus.  The change I’m talking about probably does more to impede the success of how a coach goes about recruiting than any other factor I have seen in many years of working with college coaches around the country.

Here’s what you need to know:

Your prospects have a change in their mindset when they come on to campus as a new recruit.  They aren’t looking for all of the same things that they were as a prospect that you were recruiting.  At the same time, once they officially become a member of your team, there are a totally separate set of things that they are now seeking…and their long-term success as an athlete in your program hinges on how you respond to those needs.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about, and why it’s important for success-minded college coaches to pay attention to it…

Our national studies show that a programs facilities – the track, the weight room, stadium, and other areas where they will spend time as an athlete – actually factors very little into their final decision as to whether or not they accept your offer.  Yet, facilities and the surroundings are usually one of the things that a coach will primarily focus on in their recruiting; moreover, I’ve seen coaches base their entire recruiting strategy around what they feel those facilities will sell to a potential student-athlete.

However, facilities are important!  Especially when that same athlete joins your program and is now a part of the family.  When that happen, your facilities take on added importance because the condition of those facilities can directly effect their experience at your school.  Once they are on campus as a student-athlete, it matters to them because you they are directly effected by the surroundings that they find themselves in.

The bottom line to the example I’m citing is that there is a change in perspective that is happening in the mind of this athlete.  As a prospect, your facilities are not going to be what finally draws them to your program; conversely, all of the facilities might be what makes them stay with your program.

The disconnect I see with coaches is that they are approaching prospects in the same manner that they are seeing their current athletes’ view of their facilities: Some coaches think facilities are what draws the athlete to their program when they are a high school prospect.

For the most part, that’s incorrect.

Now, there might be instances where facilities – or some other aspect of your program – drives them away from seriously considering you.  And a new, wonderful facility might be something that they end up listing as a smart reason to have picked your program in the end.  But in both instances, facilities are not the overriding reason for choosing a school or a program, according to our research.

There are three other big changes in perspectives that we’ve noticed taking place in the mind of student-athletes once they become athletes at a school versus just being prospects of a school:

  • The quality of the equipment and uniforms. On their visit while you are recruiting them, this is something that isn’t even on the prospect’s radar of what makes a great program that they would consider.  Once they become a part of your team, this one out-ranks facilities as something that will cause dissatisfaction and frustration.
  • The academic support that they receive during their Freshman and Sophomore years. As a high school recruit, this is something that doesn’t even enter the mind of most prospects.  And that’s understandable, since they don’t have any idea of what most college programs do to ensure academic success of their incoming class.  Once they are on campus, its something that they cite as one of the most important aspects of their early college athletic experience.
  • The social integration of the different teams and athletes within the athletic department. Did you know that this is an area that most Athletic Directors and Coaches overlook completely?  Afterall, your job is to produce winners not run a cruise ship activities calendar, right?  Yes, but I hear over and over again from your athletes that are interviewed when we fly in and do an On-Campus Workshop at schools that they wish there was more of an effort to “connect” all of the athletes within the program and across sports.  That’s something that they won’t be looking for as an incoming recruit, but it will be something that they expect once they are a part of your program.

Again, the importance of what I’m telling you exists in the way you approach each set of kids.  If you focus too heavily on these issues that I just listed with your prospects, you may not be touching on subject matter that is important to them…yet.

But if you fail to focus on them once they get to campus as one of your athletes, you can expect that you are going to have to deal with frustrated athletes who won’t be afraid to look elsewhere for other opportunities with other programs.

Facilities, uniforms and equipment, team unity and academic support are all things that can make or break the recruiting experience with many of your prospects.  The secret to recruiting success is about how a coach balances the two different mindsets between the time that their kids are prospects and when they are part of the team.

This is just one of the topics we’ll be covering at the National Collegiate Recruiting Conference.  Click here to get the details and find out why you need to be there with your fellow recruiters!

And, if you want to watch past conferences and take away the material we’ve covered in the past, you can order them here.  They come with a complete workbook and a full 3-DVD compilation of everything that was covered. It’s one of the best recruiting learning tools available today!  Click here for all the details.

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What You Need for Successful Home Recruiting VisitsMonday, October 3rd, 2011

That hint of Fall in the air means it’s getting close to the season that is becoming somewhat of a lost art in the world of college recruiting.

Of course, I’m talking about “home visit season”.

Since there are coaches just like you all over the country that are making plans to visit the homes of prospects they’ve been recruiting, I wanted to share some of the things that I discussed with coaches this past year, both on the phone and in person during our On-Campus Workshops.  If you’re wanting to refine your approach to personal visits, think about using these tips as a way to boost your performance in front of your top prospects when they are playing on their “home field”.

Focus on relaxing before your meeting. Sounds so simple, yet most coaches don’t take a few minutes to do it.  In the same way that your athletes might spend an hour before their athletic contest listening to music to pump them up, visualizing them making a big play, or just being quiet so that they can get ready to compete to the best of their abilities, you need to get in the zone when it comes to getting ready to recruit.  But instead of getting pumped up, you need to calm down: Listen to your favorite music on your way to the appointment.  Think positive thoughts.  Visualize a great evening of talking.  The ultimate goal is to go in relaxed, in high spirits, and with an attitude of a winner that shines through to your prospect.  Great sales professionals in the business world do this before any important sales call.  You should also!

Believe your program is the best. Along with relaxing before you go into an important meeting with a prospect, you need to develop a mindset that your program, your staff and your college is the best.  Period.  You’ve got to believe it, and believe it whole-heartedly.  If you don’t, it will show.  Your passion for what you’re selling to your prospect will be weak, and that will rub off on your prospect.  Coaches who are passionate sell more effectively, and are able to get their prospects excited about their vision for their program better than a coach who is just going through the motions.  Do you believe – really believe – that what you’re offering is the best in the world?  If the answer is no, you need to get yourself to that point.  Fast.

Come in to your meeting with big ideas. At least two.  What I mean here is that you need to be the one to lay out ideas that can help the athlete (or even his or her parents) reach their goals.  Tell them that you’ve been thinking about them, and you’ve come up with a few ideas as to how to best take advantage of what your program or college offers as it specifically relates to that individual athlete.  What are those ideas?  I can’t answer that for you.  Just focus on things that get your prospect from where they are now to where you know they want to be athletically or academically.

Ask one amazing question at the start of your meeting. Make it a killer question.  One that stops everyone in their tracks and will get them to think.  Make it a question you know your competition isn’t asking them.  Be original.  Anytime you can come up with a question that stops your prospect in his or her tracks and gets them to think, you’ve got their attention.  And, you’ve got their respect.

Don’t “need” the prospect. Don’t go in with the attitude that this athlete is a make-or-break signing.  Truthfully, there’s no such thing.  Don’t try too hard.  Don’t pressure too much.  Don’t beg, plead or press too much.  That kind of thing shows through, and its not good.  You’ll be telegraphing that desperation in your face, and it won’t play well with your prospect.  Note the difference between “desperation” and “enthusiasm”.  You can let your prospect know that you are excited about having them there, and let them know how you envision them making a big impact in your program.  But don’t let that cross over to “needing” the prospect.  Once you do, you lose the power that you hold and now the athlete controls you.

Don’t be afraid to ask for their commitment. That’s why you’re there, right?  You won’t turn them off my asking them to give you a verbal commitment.  In fact, many athletes are waiting for that question.  But too many coaches leave a meeting by telling their prospect that they hope they hear back from them, or hope that their at the top of their list, blah blah blah.  Don’t be a wimp.  ASK FOR THEIR COMMITMENT.  If they’re not ready, they’ll tell you.  If they are ready, you just got the win.  And all it took was asking the question that’s on everyone’s mind.

Because of budget and recruiting restrictions, the home visit is becoming more and more rare.  However, if you’re going to commit to making a visit at a prospect’s home, make it count.

Looking for more insider strategies to maximize your recruiting efforts this year?  Become a client of Tudor Collegiate Strategies and let us work one-on-one with you and your coaching staff to help you develop a cohesive, winning recruiting plan from start to finish.  Want more information?  Click here for an overview, or just email Dan Tudor directly at dan@dantudor.com.

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