When you have an interested prospect who has agreed to consider your college and your offer, asking the right questions – at the right time – can make or break your chances of signing the athlete.
In our new recruiting how-to guide, “Selling for Coaches”, author and sales trainer Dan Tudor gives a great tip on improving the way you ask your prospect questions:
Write down a list of 5 to 10 probing open-ended questions for each type of contact that you make.
Open-ended questions for phone calls. E-mails. Text messages. Questions to ask if they visit your campus. Questions to ask when you visit their home. Make sure you ask open ended, thought-provoking questions that enable you to get inside the head of your prospect. Know what to ask your prospects.
Equally important is knowing when to ask those questions. That’s part of the reason why I help my clients come up with good questions to ask in every situation. Know what to ask, and when to ask it, is crucial to successful selling.
However, you also need to have sensitivity as to the right questions at different points in the recruiting process. For instance, you wouldn’t introduce yourself for the first time to a new prospect and then, in the next breath, ask them to commit to your program. That would be foolish. It’s not the right time for that question. That’s an extreme example I offer you to show you the importance of asking questions at the right time in the recruiting process. Doing so promotes a smooth continuation of the sales process.
Timing is key when it comes to effective questioning. Ask the right questions, and the right time, and you’ll out-gun your competition for the recruits you really want almost every time.
For more tips, techniques and insightful training, order your copy of Selling for Coaches today.