OU vs Marist on Dish?

[SoonerNorm]

If three final fours doesn't give you a product to sell, you need better salesmen.

 

[sybarite]

If three final fours doesn't give you a product to sell, you need better salesmen.

Have you ever sold anything?

 

[SoonerNorm]

Have you ever sold anything?

Yep, and the marketing courses I took in college were very helpful.

 

[sybarite]

Yep, and the marketing courses I took in college were very helpful.

What did you sell?

 

[garyeb2]

I have refrained from contributing to this thread and this discussion for a few days because I wanted to see what developed. I find the discussion of sales courses to be so far off base that it becomes amusing. Anyone who has actually ever been in sales knows that such courses work for about five or six days and have to be repeated over and over. They tend to be of consolation to management and of profit only to the providers. It is remarkable how well many people can sell if they relax, have a good product, and know how to make that product interesting to a prospect. You can't be successful if your product requires a flim-flam man. Want to go back and look at all the products of the past sixty years that were only sold by TV commercials that had no merit. You can't even find people who remember the names of many of these products, much less have a package. There was a time when every woman needed Poof, for perspiration.

Prospects are looking at two things that really haven't been discussed: 1. where they are going to spend the next four years, 2. how that will impact the rest of their lives. Males tend to be a little different since so many see themselves making millions in pro basketball or football. Often, they have little or no concern about the education available, although they may give lip service to it. If there were sports teams at internet colleges, they might be the best.

What attracts a prospect to a college. Some have dismissed academic reputation as being a part of it. It is interesting that some of the most long-standing programs have been at pretty solid academic institutions. Think again. It matters to a lot of prospects, although probably not all. Some want to remain close to home. Some want to escape home. Some want to go somewhere that is a lot more interesting than home, expand their horizons. For a young person, destination might be very exciting and very influential.

Then, there are reasons not to select a school, or that might work against a school. There are things that make a school less interesting to some.
At the same time, we have to look at who is making the decision. Not all prospects have the same history or circumstances.

A couple of years ago, we had some posters who wanted to hire an African-American assistant coach to help in recruiting. It is interesting that this was deemed relevant in basketball, but not so much in other sports. As I stated, our gymnastics roster is 100% white. Our softball roster is mostly white with some Hispanics. There are not so many African-Americans. Is there a difference in our ability to recruit these different backgrounds. A gymnast has probably spent over $100,000 in gyms and coaches by the time she is fifteen. Can the inner-city kid afford that?

It you look at OU's history in basketball, both men and women, we do not have a track record of bringing in the #1 prospect, male or female. Courtney was a huge exception, in more ways than one. We've had some pretty successful male coaches, but they haven't been able to bring in as many top prospects on a national basis as Sherri has. Sherri, at least, gets their attention. Kruger, Tubbs, and Sampson really didn't. Capel did, but it also got him in trouble.

Switzer was able to bring in the inner city kid from New Orleans, Houston, or Miami. But, he had a very unique background himself. He also had a little bit of an advantage. At that time, a lot of the schools near those inner cities didn't accept African-Americans into their schools or on their teams.

Now, we are in an environment in which there is more choice. In this situation, I don't see a lot of inner city kids who visit, either in men's or women's basketball. That is an important group to basketball, not so much in some other sports.

I don't see a lot of kids going from NYC to Ames or Manhattan, KS either. Texas even seems to lose most of its top prospects as they go to Stanford, Rutgers, USC, UCLA, or other places whose main attraction is that they aren't Texas. As the options and culture changes, there has been more of a tendency for some recruits to remain near home that might have exited. Florida State and Miami get recruits that would have left Florida. But, there is an attraction to go where people feel comfortable, where there are others like themselves. My best friend in the Army was an African-American, and he took me to all-black parties routinely just to show me what it was like to be the only white. I don't know that Oklahoma presents a negative situation. But, it no longer has that advantage that it had with Switzer.

I prospect has to like more than the school and coach. They have to feel comfortable in the environment, and there has to be some future that they can envision. I think prospects like Sherri. She attracts them. They would like to play for Sherri. But, it isn't just Sherri. It is the entire environment.

Courtney's presence enabled us to attract some players, but I wonder if it weren't Courtney more than the program. I think Sherri attracts a lot of prospects. What will make the difference? I don't think it will be the hiring of an African-American recruiter, nor do I think a salesman is the answer. The best thing makes a great salesman is having a product to sell, a product that someone wants. It's hard to sell uphill.

It is hard to sell going uphill. But, when you are going up hill, that is when you need a salesman. If you have a good product. A product that someone wants. You don't need a salesman. All you need is a clerk.

 

[sybarite]

It is hard to sell going uphill. But, when you are going up hill, that is when you need a salesman. If you have a good product. A product that someone wants. You don't need a salesman. All you need is a clerk.

Sorry, but you don't sell water to an ocean.

 

[garyeb2]

Sorry, but you don't sell water to an ocean.

A salesman does.

 

[sybarite]

No. A huckster does. A salesman sells a legitimate product. You are looking for a carnival act.

 

[garyeb2]

No. A huckster does. A salesman sells a legitimate product. You are looking for a carnival act.

There is a difference between an order taker and a salesman. You are confusing the two.

 

[sybarite]

There is a difference between an order taker and a salesman. You are confusing the two.

I led my company in sales twice, and I think I know what you can and cannot sell. A salesman doesn't even try to sell something not worth selling. That's a huckster. A salesman looks to find a positive that fits the buyer. A huckster says one size fits all. It doesn't.

 

[garyeb2]

I led my company in sales twice, and I think I know what you can and cannot sell. A salesman doesn't even try to sell something not worth selling. That's a huckster. A salesman looks to find a positive that fits the buyer. A huckster says one size fits all. It doesn't.

I can probably out resume you in the sales department. So, if you hit a rough road going forward, I'll be happy to help you out.

 

[sybarite]

I can probably out resume you in the sales department. So, if you hit a rough road going forward, I'll be happy to help you out.

I'm retired. Apparently, you should consider it.

 

[BanjoCharley]

I, for one, would like to see this pi$$ing contest come to an end. How about we discuss OU women's basketball? Marist and UCLA are done.

 

[garyeb2]

I, for one, would like to see this pi$$ing contest come to an end. How about we discuss OU women's basketball? Marist and UCLA are done.

We are talking basketball. Syb was trying to make the case that OU has some built in obstacles that were a valid excuse for the current staff to fall short in their recruiting efforts. My point is that recruiting isn't about some high minded exercise. It is about closing the deal and getting the job done. Just like sales.