I know we probably hate to admit it, but there is a strange allure to television infomercials.
You know the ones: The ShamWow…The Snuggie…Buying No-Money-Down Real Estate…there are literally hundreds of products being advertised on television.
And all the ads look, sound and feel pretty much the same.
Ever wonder why?
The answer is simple: The formula works.
And you, as a college coach, can employ the same psychological justification that successful infomercial marketers use to rack-up billions and billions of dollars of sales every single year.
Hang with me here…I know the idea of being just like a TV pitchman may rub you the wrong way. And, it should. But that’s not what I’m asking. You don’t have to become college recruiting’s version of the late Billy Mays.
It all comes down to the language. And that’s what I want to teach you in one simple lesson today…
You see, most infomercials use the same time-tested technique to keep you interested and, ultimately, get you to buy their products. The technique takes place throughout the commercial, and usually comes out sounding like “but wait, there’s more!” Or, “and that’s not all!”
Why does that work so well? Because it’s based on an ancient Greek technique called “amplification”, and way before there were television infomercials, there were Greek philosophers who wanted to prove their point in court and in the town square. And they used the same technique as shrill-voiced comedian Gilbert Gotfried uses now in selling the ShoeDini.
It’s called “dirimens copulatio”, which will sound better when you tell your fellow coaches about your new technique versus telling them that you learned it from watching television at two in the morning. And it’s based on the language argument of, “not only this, but also”.
When would you use this in your recruiting message? Well, we employ this technique when creating our master-planed recruiting strategies for our clients when we want to stress the value of being a student-athlete at their college. It could take a variety of forms, but here are some of the areas that we see it being most effective:
- Selling a potential objection about a school or a sports program by listing all of the qualities and “value” that they have to offer, lessening the effectiveness of the objection.
- Selling a recruit on the idea of simply visiting the school, rather than trying to “sell” a commitment to the school through your letters and emails (which is nearly impossible, based on our research that we’ve done with athletes around the country).
- Overcoming the objections of a parent who has a different program in mind as their top choice.
Another way to use this technique? Not being afraid of losing the prospect. Willing to “walk away”.
After stating everything that you can give your prospect, and telling them point-by-point why you are the logical choice, let them know that if they don’t agree with what you’re saying, that’s o.k…you will move on to the next recruit on your list, even though you think they are the better athlete. It’s tough for a coach to pull off, but those that learn to use this powerful persuasion technique will see their recruiting results take a big spike in the right direction.
Why does the technique work so well? Psychologists suggest that we are wired to look for the most out of any potential beneficial situation that we might choose to engage in, and choosing a school (or deciding whether or not to start baking giant cupcakes like the other cool parents on the block) fit into that category.
Sometimes, you’ll need to tell your prospects and their parents, “But wait! There’s more!” before you get their attention and are able to sit down and have a logical conversation with them as to why you and your program are the best choice for them. Try to incorporate it into your next recruiting campaign.
If you need help, or want to talk about how we work with coaches all around the country to improve their recruiting results, email me directly this week at dan@dantudor.com. I’ll be happy to answer questions and talk about your situation over the phone.
Overcoming objections by using this ancient technique is going to be just one of the amazingly insightful break-out sessions at the upcoming National Collegiate Recruiting Conference.
“But wait! There’s more!” (sorry, couldn’t resist)…you’ll also hear from industry experts, nationally recognized marketing experts, and even learn insider secrets from your fellow coaches in attendance. “Plus you’ll also get” one-on-one time with Dan Tudor and the experts from Tudor Collegiate Strategies in a relaxed, information-based setting. Click here to reserve your seat this coming June!