Want an interesting view on creating momentum for your program, and the prospects that you are recruiting?
Think about this:
A car wash ran a loyalty program. Similar to the one that Subway used to run for people like Jared, who loved their sandwiches.
For every car wash you paid for, you got one stamp on your card. If you completed eight washes, you got one free wash.
Another set of customers also joined that very same loyalty program. But they didn’t have eight blocks to fill on their card. They had ten blocks to fill. But there was a difference. The second set of customers had two stamps already filled for them in advance.
You see what’s happening with this strategy, don’t you?
Both sets of customers have to fill in the exact same number of stamps to get the free car wash…eight washes. So, which group followed through with the program designed by the car wash’s marketing company? You’re right, the second group. In fact 34% of the second group got to their free car wash vs. just 19% of the first group.
So, why did this happen?
By placing the first two stamps in the book for the customer. It automatically creates momentum, and gives the customer a feeling like they’ve already started down the road towards their free reward car wash. It also breeds loyalty. After all, the car wash actually “gave” them the first two stamps for free, right?
Here’s where I’m taking this with college coaches aiming to beat their competition for the best recruits in the months to come:
You need a loyalty program that creates momentum. Don’t worry, it won’t involve free sandwiches or building a car wash on campus. But it will involve some original thinking and a basic understanding of human nature – and why you can easily take advantage of it to improve your position with your next recruiting class.
Why do you need “momentum”? Simple. Our research and strategies that we recommend to coaches are focused around some key ideas that we see as being key to any successful recruiting class: Start early, be consistent, and keep the process moving forward.
When you think about it, the team that can start that process first and keep it moving ahead of everyone else is going to have an advantage in the recruiting process. That’s the momentum aspect of all this. And when you do it first, and do it with some passion and originality, you’ll build loyalty along the way.
So, how do you start with this idea? Here are a couple of ways we’ve seen work with our growing list of programs and coaches that we get to work with on an ongoing basis:
- Start early so that you can be first. Like Ricky Bobby said in the move “Talladega Nights” (or was it is good-for-nothing father Reese?), “If you ain’t first, you’re last”. And while I never thought I’d actually use that quote for any practical purpose, it holds a lot of truth with this concept. When we get on campus and talk to athletes who just went through the recruiting process, it’s amazing how many times their first choice was the school who recruited them first. It is important to today’s teenage recruit, which should make it important to you. It’s an easy way to build loyalty.
- Start the process mid-stream. You can’t put the first two stamps in your prospect’s recruiting book for them, but you can start the process at place that makes it seem like you’re farther along in the process than your competition. For example, if other coaches are starting with the same stale recruiting letter and a questionnaire, why don’t you send a personalized email that says something like “I’ll bet other coaches sent you a long, boring questionnaire to fill out…but I want to get a little more serious with you. Can you give me a call before this weekend?” If you were a prospect who was getting contact from ten programs, and one of them sent you that message, who would you think is more serious about you? Yes, it’s starting the process in mid-stream, but who says you can’t go back later and have them fill out the questionnaire? That’s just one example of one idea…you can come up with your own that fits your style. The point is, you don’t have to start at the beginning – and when you don’t, it creates the feel of momentum.
- Reward their loyalty. Going back to that last example, if you have a prospect or parent who takes you up on that offer and gives you a call, make a point of making a big deal out of it. Let them know they’re the first to call back, and that means a lot to you…it shows you that they’re really serious about taking a look at what you might be able to offer them. Or, email them the same thing. Reward their loyalty, Coach. It doesn’t take long, but it’s a big deal for your prospects.
Simple idea, big potential pay-off.
If you’re a program that’s looking to differentiate themselves from your competition, this is an easy – and very effective – way to do it. The same principles that work with us as adults to earn our loyalty to Subway, Starbucks or our local grocery store can build loyalty between you and your teenage recruit.
If you’re serious about learning more about advanced recruiting techniques, we want to invite you to join our team of experts and other college coaches at the National Collegiate Recruiting Conference this Summer. If you want to dominate recruiting, you need to be there. Click here for the details.