by Dan Christensen, Tudor Collegiate Strategies
Coach, your recruits are worried.
You might not know the full extent of what they are worried about or why they have those worries.
But, an important part of your job is to establish a relationship where you can discuss these fears and help recruits through them. That connection will go a long way in helping you assist that prospect in navigating their college choice. And certainly increases the chances they decide on your school in the end!
So, what are some of the biggest fears that you need to realize your recruits have? Here are two:
1) A fear of making the wrong decision
Choosing a college is a big decision. And the majority of recruits only make it once.
What if I choose the wrong school?
What if this isn’t where I am meant to be?
What if going there isn’t what I expect it to be like?
These are all different thoughts that go through your prospect’s mind. And what is the go-to response to these worries? Delay. Delay. Delay.
If you feel you have recruits that are taking way too long to make their choice, it is probably because they have these concerns.
What can you do about it? Talk about it!
Make them feel normal that they have this worry. Let them know it is very common to worry about making the wrong choice. That alone will help ease their nerves.
But, then help them through the decision by getting to the roots of their uncertainty. Ask them what they still need to know from you to help them know whether or not you are the place for them. Ask them what they know they do not want in a college.
And if they have trouble answering those questions, take the lead and let them know what was important to your athletes and why they are happy they decided to go to your school.
Setting a fair but firm deadline with your prospects can also help with this fear. Having knowledge of when the end of the process is can actually help provide guidance for the prospect more so than just letting them make their decision whenever they would like.
And then when you do get your recruits to commit to your program, do not stop recruiting them! Continue to give them reasons why they should be happy with their decision because they will be second guessing themselves and looking for a sign that they made the wrong choice. Do not let them have room for doubts and you’ll better hold those commitments.
2) Fear of saying the wrong thing
Ever get on the phone with a recruit and they give you short answers and don’t have any questions for you?
Happens all the time, right?
That is because the fear of saying the wrong thing dominates the minds of these teenagers you are communicating with.
They don’t want to say something that will make you not like them. They don’t want to sound dumb. And so, they will often avoid speaking their mind and giving you honest feedback.
How can you help them with this fear?
Ask better questions!
If you ask questions that have “yes” or “no” answers, don’t expect much beyond that in your prospect’s response.
If you ask questions that are easy to answer with generic responses, don’t expect much beyond that. Questions like, “what are you looking for in a college.” Because you know their answer will be something like, “a chance to play the sport I love and get a great education.”
One question that you need to be asking your top prospects is, “are you feeling like you’re ready to verbally commit?” Many of your recruits will have an answer to this question but out of fear of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, will hold back. They rarely volunteer that information. So, they wait for you to ask.
Coach, your prospect are looking for guidance through this difficult decision. The last thing you should do is ignore the fears and concerns they have. What you’ll find is they appreciate the help and are looking for coaches to work through their fears with them. Be the coach that does and you’ll like the results it has on your recruiting!