Recruiters Don’t Win With Table Stakes, But They Can Differentiate
Student-Athletes as Buyers
One of the main reasons I started the Student-Athlete Insights project was that I think there is a void in information from student-athletes’ perspective. The recruiting process is an example of one of those areas in which we can learn more about what student-athletes think. Coaches largely come at recruiting from a “sales” perspective, rattling off facts and figures about their program. But prospective student-athletes come at recruiting with a “buyer’s” mindset.
Buyers make choices based the differences between their top choices. Those differences are either going to be brought forth and explained by the seller or the buyer is going to fill that “vacuum” with their own beliefs - whether those beliefs are factual or not.
Let me be clear: this is not a post about “how to recruit.” Rather, like all of my insights, this is a post about student-athlete behavior. And this time, that behavior is about how student-athletes choose a program and institution and how Coaches and Admins can make that easier by doing just one thing more effectively.
“The Same”
My studies each month yield a few dozen data points. But this month, Coaches only need to focus on this one thing: the most frequently used word by prospective student-athletes to describe the recruiting pitch by their top choice school is, “(the) same.”
66% of prospective student-athletes say that the recruiting pitch by the coaches of their top choice schools sounded “the same” or “nearly identical.” Only 22% of prospective student-athletes agreed with the statement that Coaches, “made clear what is different about their program from others.”
The challenge for coaches is that their programs are - and I don’t mean to be critical here - generic. Generic in that they are by definition substantially similar to other programs/competitors. And generic in that they are selling to the same group of prospective student-athletes. So this makes differentiating their programs more difficult, but even more important.
Table Stakes: 4-Minute Test You Can Take Right Now
“Table stakes” is business jargon you may have heard. It’s a term appropriated from the world of poker. In poker, table stakes are what it takes to get a seat at the table. In business it means the absolute minimum that potential customers expect when considering a choice between products.
Its relevance here is that Coaches often use what prospects consider table stakes to be their primary recruiting messages. In doing so, Coaches don’t educate prospects on the unique aspects of their program - the distinct traits that could help prospects to make a decision. In communicating table stakes, Coaches are not differentiating their programs.
Here’s a quick exercise to see if you are differentiating your program from your top three competitors. Follow these steps:
Draw a grid with 5 boxes across and 4 boxes down and write your institution’s name and the names of your top 3 competitors across the top, like this:
2. Now, down the left hand column, write three phrases that summarize your frequently used, most important recruiting messages. Here’s an example with some messages that I often see coaches using (they are for example purposes only and you should use your messages, not these):
3. Below your institution’s name, give yourself a check mark for each message since you use them. Now, put a check mark in the boxes corresponding to each of your competitors that could use the same recruiting messages. Be honest. It will probably look something like this:
The result of this exercise in this example is that the only differentiating message is the last one (longest tenured Head Coach in the conference.) It’s a distinct message because it’s the only message that your competitors could not say. The other messages may very well be true, but they are not unique; they are table stakes. You don’t win with table stakes.
So now, re-consider your recruiting messages that offer something that is 1) true (and provable), 2) important to prospects, and 3) that only your program can say. If you’re not sure how to to kick off this process of identifying differentiated or distinct messages, start by considering these elements of your program:
Location - elements of your location that provide a distinctive experience for student-athletes
History - a program’s history is like company’s “founders’ story” and can sometimes provide unique information
Team Culture - genuine, raw personality traits that are totally unique to your program
Your People - the characteristics, credentials, backgrounds and successes of your coaches, staff, players, and alumni
And if you’re still not sure, click here and pick a time on my calendar to schedule a free 30-minute consultation. I love talking about this stuff and I’m happy to explain more about how you might want to approach it.
Does It Really Matter if My Program is Differentiated?
We know from the study of consumer behavior, decision making, and behavioral sciences, that organizations that fail to differentiate themselves are less successful than those who provide consumers with distinct points of difference.
All consumers make decisions systematically. I don’t mean that their decision-making is clear or even logical. But our brains process information quickly and arrive at a choice. First, we check the boxes on those table stakes. Next, our brains go looking for differentiating information.
We don’t make decisions without information that allows us to compare our choices. So the question for Coaches is: Do you want to provide distinct information on terms that are accurate and favorable to you? Or are you willing to leave an information void and have a prospect develop their own differentiating “facts” that may be misinformed or less favorable to you?
If you fail to provide information that distinguishes your program from your competitors, those prospects will fill that “vacuum” with their own criteria. And those criteria are just as likely to be a disadvantage to you as an advantage to you.