by Dan Christensen, Tudor Collegiate Strategies
What do your recruits want to hear first?
There are many ways you can contact a new recruit. There are certainly some more favorable options that we encourage our clients here at Tudor Collegiate Strategies to use.
But, regardless of the method, there are some important things that recruits want to hear right away.
If you want recruits to reply to your initial email, respond to your first text, or still be interested after that initial phone call, make sure you include these two things.
1) Why you are recruiting them
Where did you find this recruit? Online? At a tournament?
What is it about that recruit that made you want to reach out? Their athleticism or skill? Where they are from? The major they are interested in?
Whatever your reasons are, let them know. Otherwise, the recruit will be skeptical that you’re serious about them.
If they feel your email was insincere because you were not specific enough about why you’re reaching out to them, they’ll be less likely to respond.
If on the phone, you focus more so on selling your program and don’t really indicate why you are interested in the recruit, they won’t want to pick up the phone the next time you want to talk.
Explain how you found them and why you want to recruit them!
2) The next step
If this is an initial text, you could ask them to reply back with a time they are available for a quick call.
If this is a letter, ask them to email you back to let you know they received the letter.
If this is a phone call, tell them that you’ll be following up with an email and ask them to send you their upcoming schedule.
Whatever the next thing you want them to do is, make that clear. If you give them a call to action, big or small, it will help get the ball rolling and start some momentum with your relationship.
And it makes it more likely they will take the next step if they know what it is. Simple as that!