Why Shouldn't You Sell Right From the Start?
Don't make the mistake that most coaches do when they start recruiting a prospect
After answering a series of questions for a coach and Honey Badger Recruiting subscriber, and posting it a day ago, a good follow-up question came up:
“Why should I sell my program right from the start when I have their attention?”
It seems logical, right?
It’s the first time you’re in front of them in the form of a letter or email, and your gut instinct is telling you to tell them EVERYTHING about you and your program. Spray them with anything and everything, all at once (if you’ve brought me on campus to conduct one of our two or three day recruiting workshops, think back to the example letter from an actual college I talk about to prove this point).
Coaches give into the temptation to add lots of bullet points, confusing graphics, too many pictures, and they go overboard on information about their college.
Don’t do it.
Our research shows, conclusively, that when you start selling right out of the gate, a prospect recoils. There’s no reason for them to want to be sold right away, and it just feels wrong.
Try this with your initial message to new prospects, instead:
Tell them where you saw them. That gives the context for why you’re contacting them.
Tell them that as of today, you’re officially starting the recruiting process with them. That erases any and all confusion as to how serious you are about them.
Answer the one key question they’re wondering about at the start, and do it quickly: “Why should I talk further with you, Coach?”
Explain why other kids on your team came there, but do it in two or three quick sentences.
Use regular, conversational language.
Only fill up half the page.
At the start, we want to give them a reason for continuing the conversation in the future, not sell them on your program right at the start. For 99.7% of coaches, that’s just not possible.
Remember, this is a horse race. It’s long, and it’s all about positioning. Be patient, and draw out the response and the conversation.
Not selling you, your program or your school right from the start best enables you to do that.