by Dan Christensen, Tudor Collegiate Strategies
Phone calls with recruits can be tricky. This generation of recruit tends to prefer texting to getting on the phone to chat with coaches all the time.
But the research says that they still want phone calls from coaches every now and then. That call will give them proof that you’re still interested. The proof comes from the fact that you took time to talk with them as well as what you say and how you say it.
So, what do these phone calls need in order to be considered effective? Here are two things that every recruiting call needs:
1) A purpose
Calling to check in is nice. It shows you’re thinking of them. But does that accomplish much else?
Not really. And if you have a string of those calls in a row, it is going to get old for that recruit after a while.
Have a goal for each call. Have one or two good questions prepared to ask that recruit because chances are they won’t have any questions or much to say at all.
With these questions, aim to help your recruit think through their decision. Bring up an aspect of choosing a college that maybe they haven’t considered yet. Preferably one that is a strong point for you and your school.
The aim of the question could also be for you to gather some insight into what that prospect is thinking. Ask about their current concerns or how they feel about something specific. Their answer will help you get a feel for where their head is at.
Everything you do moves a recruit closer or further from choosing you. Having a purpose to the call will help move the decision process along for that recruit.
2) A clear next step
If your phone call ends and that recruit doesn’t know what to expect or do next after the call, you may have just pushed that recruit further from choosing you instead of closer.
Even if that call went well in the beginning and middle, once that recruit puts the phone down, their mind will start to wonder.
“What should I do from here? Maybe that call didn’t go well because I don’t know what should happen next. I must have said something wrong”
Or even if they don’t think that much into it, the chances they take whatever next steps you would like them to take are going to be low because that wasn’t made clear.
At the end of the call, ask them for something. It could be something as small as send me your upcoming schedule after we get off the call. Or it could be something bigger like wrapping up their application by the end of the week.
You don’t always have to ask them to do something. You can even just let them know what to expect next. If you plan on sending them a letter, tell them to check their mailbox in a few days.
If your phone call has a purpose and ends by leading your recruit to the next step in the process, that is going to be a very effective phone call.
Effective phone calls are just one part of the total recruiting approach that coaches need to implement in order to achieve consistent success. Want an easy way to get trained on how to do that? Subscribe to our advanced recruiting skills site, Honey Badger Recruiting. It’s reserved for our clients and those coaches who want to invest about 95 cents a day into their career as a college recruiter. Give it a try here.