Author and widely respected marketing guru Seth Godin poses this question:
If you knew, and you could see the world through the eyes of the customer, and you really cared…
What would you do?
That’s a simple test of creating excellence.
Can I ask you – as a college coach who needs to recruit young student-athletes in order to stay employed – to answer these questions about how you achieve excellence in your program through excellence in your recruiting?
There are only six of them. But if you’re looking for a way to recalibrate your recruiting results, and want to center those new methods around excellence through the eyes of your recruits, here are the questions I’d want you to think about:
- As we talk about frequently in the on-campus recruiting workshops we conduct at athletic departments around the country, your primary job in beginning the recruiting process with a new prospect, is to get his or her attention. Simple as that. But as many coaches find, it’s harder than it sounds. So my first question: How are you produce an excellent first contact that not only gets their attention, but causes them to respond? Our advice on how to do this is plentiful on our blog, but start with the simple idea that if whatever you’re doing now isn’t working as well as you want (or need) it to, shouldn’t you do something different? Shouldn’t you try something new and different?
- As you communicate with those prospects, knowing what you would have been looking for in a coach who was recruiting you, what’s excellent about it? One coach recently admitted that he knew his communication with new recruits was boring and way too fact-filled, and yet he found it really challenging to communicate normally…in the same way he would with his neighbor, new assistant coach, or someone outside of the recruiting world. Why is that? Coach, is your communication style genuine, to the point, and engaging? You know how to do it. And yet, many coaches fall into the same old trap of the same old questions. That’s not excellence.
- Do you really care? That’s the central idea in the statement above. If you could see the world through the eyes of your recruit, and you really cared, what would you do? The question doesn’t suggest I think that most coaches ‘don’t care’ about their recruits. Not at all. But how do your actions come across to the recruits you’re starting a relationship with? It’s a serious question. Why? Because your recruits are actively looking for that very thing. What if you were the coach that gave it to them?
- How are you forming excellent relationships with your prospect’s parents? Building a relationship with those parents early on is incredibly important if the goal of your program is to get an early edge in getting your recruits to visit campus, apply or take final steps towards committing to your program. The good news is this: Very few coaches are excellent at forming good working relationships with parents. Yet those that do find it makes the rest of the process much, much easier. Excellence has it’s benefits, it appears.
- Are you excellent at the way you manage your recruiting list? Maybe I’ll ask the question like I did at the start, but with a twist: If you knew, and you could see the future of your next recruiting class, and you really cared about how the results were going to affect you and your program for years to come…What would you do? That’s a simple test of creating excellence in the way you manage your recruiting list. Let the list manage you, and you create chaos. You managing the list – deleting, adding, assessing – is the way you create excellence with the end results.
- As you get deep into the process with a recruit you really want, are you evolving your recruiting message? Here’s what they’re looking for: They want you to tell them why you’re better (more excellent) than the other schools they’re considering. Simple as that. Want to be excellent in the eyes of your recruits? Make your case. Make it passionately. Make them prove you wrong.
You rarely get time to sit back and evaluate your recruiting. I mean your big picture, grand plan, recruiting view. So can you take a few minutes and answer those questions honestly?
Looking at yourself critically, with the goal of building excellence in your recruiting and coaching life, is one of the keys to making yourself better. And in this world, dealing with the recruits, that’s essential.
Essential, but not required. It’s your choice.
Same is true for excellence.
Looking for more creative ideas that will fuel more productive recruiting? Consider attending this summer’s National Collegiate Recruiting Conference. It’s the only place on the planet where coaches come to teach each other their techniques, share ideas, and hear experts from around the country explain successful recruiting. Sign-up now, and take your recruiting to another level as we approach another year of recruiting.