by Dan Christensen, Tudor Collegiate Strategies
“Dan, how do I close recruits better?”
I get this question all the time from clients or when I am on campus doing a recruiting workshop.
This question probably wouldn’t get asked as much if recruits just committed as soon as they were ready. But they don’t.
It is your job, Coach, to help them get to the point of being able to make a commitment to your program. And you do this with great questions. Here I am going to give you two that are super helpful when trying to close a recruit.
1) If you had to choose today, what might be a reason or two you wouldn’t choose us?
Why does essentially asking them what they don’t like about you, work?
Two reasons. First, this gives them a chance to hand you the keys to closing them in the near future.
If for example, they are concerned about distance from home, they might just be telling you that if you can get them on board with how far from home your school is, they will choose you.
That is something important to know in order to ultimately get that commitment.
The other reason this question can work very effectively is because if they cannot come up with a reason that they would not choose you, that opens the door for you to get them to commit in that moment!
If they can’t think of a reason why not, then why not commit right now?
2) Are you feeling like you’re ready to verbally commit?
A great question to ask if you’re trying to get a recruit to commit is to simply but directly ask if they are ready to make that commitment.
Does this seem obvious? Yes. But are you asking it?
So often, your recruit feels ready to make a commitment, but they are just waiting for you to ask because they are not sure if it is the right time.
They are worried you might reject them, or they might say it the wrong way. And so, they wait. That is why you need to be comfortable asking this question directly.
Remember these two questions because they will help you close your prospects so much more effectively!
Dan Christensen is a former college coach and sales professional who is now one of our team of expert consultants with Tudor Collegiate Strategies working with coaching staffs around the country. To contact Dan with your question, email him at danchristensen@dantudor.com.