So, what are they?
What are those five KILLER questions that you should be asking your prospects when you begin your recruiting relationship with them?
Actually, you are the only one that can answer that question. It’s different for every coach, every school, every program. Those five questions might even vary on the time of year, the area of the country that your prospect is from, or how much money is left in your recruiting budget. The point is, you need to determine what those five KILLER questions are, and ask them every time you talk to a new prospect.
What do I mean by KILLER questions? That means it’s a question that makes your prospect stop in his or her tracks, not say anything, and really think about what the answer is. The response that you should be aiming for: “Wow, nobody has ever asked me that before.”
Do you ever get that type of response from your prospects after you ask them a question? Then your questions probably need to be a little better. A little more thought provoking. A little more off the wall. Maybe even a little more intense.
Here’s the type of questioning that I’m talking about: Instead of asking a prospect “So why are you interested in our program?”, you might ask them “If you had to pay us for the right to play in our stadium, what would be your reason for doing that?”
Or, instead of asking a prospect “Do you need any financial aid?”, perhaps you should ask them “What kind of help could we give you on the financial side of things to get you to become delirious with job and come play for us?”
One more: I’ve heard a lot of coaches ask a prospect they really want, “So when do you think you’ll be making your final decision?” Instead, what if you asked them, “Run me through how you’re going to be making your decision, and who all is involved in helping you decide?” After they tell you the first part of their answer and stop (which they always do), you should ask, “And then what?” They’ll tell you a little more, and you ask “And then what.” And so it goes until you really get down to the nitty gritty details of how the decision is really going to be made, and who’s helping them make that decision.
Here’s the trouble with waiting until the phone call to think of those questions: It’s really hard to do. And sometimes, the questions don’t come out so good. Many times, the type of questions you ask when you first talk to a prospect determines how the recruiting relationship will end up. Questions are important – vitally important – to the whole process.
Let me correct myself…KILLER questions are vitally important to the whole process.
The biggest benefit to asking KILLER questions (other than staying organized, controlling the sales process, and making your calls and conversations more productive and insightful) is that you’ll sound smarter and more interested in your prospect compared to other coaches who ask the same “yes, no” mundane questions that recruits have heard before. That might be the biggest benefit of all.
So, coach, here’s your homework: Come up with the five KILLER questions that you’re going to ask all of your prospects. Make them thought-provoking. Make them original. Get the prospect to think. Get the prospect to open up and verbalize the keys to getting them in love with your program and what you’re offering.
I’ll even help you! E-mail me your five questions (with the subject line “My 5 questions”) to me at dan@sellingforcoaches.com and I’ll provide some feedback and comments back to you. Free help, no strings attached. I think it’s that important…every coach needs to have those questions ingrained in their heads, and know why they’re asking them.
If you do this quick exercise, I promise you won’t be sorry. Good luck, have fun with it, and make it a great recruiting week!