Dan Tudor

O.K., we’re heading into December.  For a lot of you, it’s "halftime" in your annual battle for recruits.  And, as a college coach, you are reading this knowing that things are going really well or you are struggling when it comes to recruiting.

Assuming you are not one of those lucky few that has had everything go exactly according to plan, you’ll want to continue reading today’s training.  The reasons for a less-than-impressive showing when it comes to recruiting results are many and varied.  But I can tell you from years of working with college coaches on fixing these types of problems, I can usually narrow down these down to 7 common errors that coaches make.

First, some good news: There’s time to fix it.  Whatever the issue or problem is, there should be time to correct the situation and make things right. 

Second, let me offer a warning: If things haven’t gone according to plan, and you are planning on continuing to do the same things as you have done up to this point but expecting different results, then you are a living, breathing example of that time-tested definition of insanity.  Be honest with yourself as a professional, and recognize what needs to change and how you can work towards achieving better recruiting results.

In the spirit of giving you some proven halftime adjustments, I’d like to go over 7 disasterous mistakes I see coaches make during December (and leading up to this important month) that can derail the best laid recruiting plans.  See if you or your staff are making any of these mid-year mistakes:

1. Your recruiting letters have a focus on you, not on the recruit.  This is one of the important basic concepts that I’ll be teaching at the upcoming "Building a Winning Recruiting Message" workshop that I’d love to see you attend in a couple of weeks.  Letters you send that sell your program hard right out of the gate get resistance from your reader.  Build your relationship with them first, sell your program later.  That strategy works, and if you’re a part of our workshop you’ll learn why it works so well.  Check your materials…are you selling your program too much right out of the gate?
2. Your letters don’t look different.  For those of you who have read our national prospect survey, "Inside the Mind of Your College Prospect", refer back to it: Remember how important that first look is?  Remember how much attention they give that first letter they receive from you?  It’s important that your letters look and sound different than everyone else.  If you don’t, you’re making one of those mistakes I classify as "disasterous".
3. Your letters and emails aren’t demanding interaction.  You shouldn’t be rude, but you should give your prospects a compelling reason to interact with you.  Here’s one line that I’m begging you to take out of your letters and emails: "If you would like to contact me, feel free to call or email".  Come on, Coach!  How many teenagers are rushing to the phone when they read that line?  Not many, probably.  Don’t make the mistake of thinking that your shy prospect is going to suddenly be brave and take you up on your offer to have a chat.  Instead, give them a reason to call you and a specific time to call.  Narrow it down for them.  You’ll get better results.
4. You give up too easily on prospects that don’t reply right away.  Be persistent coach.  Sure, there’s always a time to "cut bait" and move on.  But most coaches give up too easily.  Show some tenacity, and use this strategy to rekindle some relationships that never got off the ground.
5. You don’t plan your work, and work your plan.  Have a plan for your recruiting year?  Week by week, for the entire year?  You should.  For coaches that work with us as a part of our Total Recruiting Solution plan, they know the benefits and better results of having a logical plan of attack laid-out in advance.  Make an Excel sheet with a month by month plan of attack.  Try to develop a week by week schedule of what needs to happen with your recruiting.  If you need some assistance, get in touch with us.  Do you have a plan?  If not, you’re making a big mistake. 
6. You have never practiced your recruiting phone calls and meetings by role-playing.  Look, I know this one is tough.  When I’m leading one of these at a workshop or an On-Campus seminar, getting coaches to practice new techniques on the spot with another coach is excrutiating (for them, that is…it’s fun for me).  But you know what?  They consistently tell me that it was one of the most valuable things they did during our session.  And, the good news is that you don’t need me to do this right away in your athletic department!  All it takes is another willing coach, and a list of new strategies to practice.  The feedback you get from the other coach will be invaluable, and you’ll love how your practice pays off the next time you are faced with communicating with your next prospect!  This is my long-shot tip of the day…I know this mistake is most likely to continue being made.  But I have to put it out there for you to strongly consider.  The payoff to great role-playing practice sessions is huge.
7. You aren’t asking negative questions.  Now, let me clarify: I’m not talking about "negative recruiting."  I’m talking about asking the same questions you’ve always liked to ask, but doing it in a negative way.  For example, instead of asking "What kind of a school do you think you would like to attend?", ask them "Give me one characteristic of a school that you know would turn you off to that college."  Do you see the difference, Coach?  Your prospects sure will!  In our research and experience with today’s athlete, we’ve found that today’s teens have an easier time telling you about the things they don’t want in a program or college compared to telling you about the things that they are looking for in a potential program.  Try converting your questions to "negatives" and see if your results change.

It’s halftime in this year’s battle for recruits, Coach.  Make some assessments and see what needs to change, and then put an action plan together to start making that change happen.

You aren’t too late to find success in the recruiting game.  I’ve seen lots of coaches turn things around even later in the year than this, so I know that it can be done.  The most important thing you can do?  Write down the first thing you want to change, and then do something today to take a big step towards making that positive adjustment to your recruiting approach.

Looking to jump-start your recruiting plan, and what goes into it?  Want to get all of the nitty-gritty details about putting together a great recruiting strategy, from start to finish?  We still have room for our "Building a Winning Recruiting Message" two day workshop in Bakersfield, California.  It’s guaranteed to get results, and it’s cheap to attend!  Click here for all the details.