Coaches calling back

Everyone that is important to your program you call back. Other coaches you should call back, history and your relationship could play a role here. Salesmen don't need a return phone call.

I once mailed out letters to John Blake (HC at OU), Tom Osborne and Turner Gill during football season. They were all first time letters, they did not know me and my letters were encouraging ones with a few comments specific to struggles they were having at the time. To my surprise I got return letters from each within
2-3 weeks, during season.

The AD for the University of Nebraska Omaha (DII) has much better things to do than return my calls, but he always does, the same day. Ive called him 3 times and got 3 calls back the same day.

This surprised me, many of the calls to people many considered to be highly successful and very important were returned much faster than the ones to people many would consider to be of little importance. I made a mental note and found that to be very true in the business world as well in most cases. I called Susie Buffet up (Warren Buffets daughter) got a call back the same day and a meeting set within a week. Made a mental note and tried to follow the same pattern.

When I ran a business with about 300 employees, I always returned calls the same day, even if that meant calling an employee at home at 8:00 at night or leaving a message for a vendor that we were happy with our existing supplier. I took my que from others that had success and were known to be people I wanted to be like. We ended up being the tops in our field in our niche and had very low turnover of employees. Since Ive left the business world, Ive become less vigilant and will certainly get back on track with that in 2008.

BTW when I was in Sales I was instrumental in getting several of my former customers new jobs when they lost theirs. One guy lost his gig on a Friday, I knew of an opening at another company and the hiring manager. I put the two together and he was back working the following week. This guy had never bought a whole lot from me, he bought from the competition, but he treated me well, so I helped him out. Not an easy job to find either, Project Manager in the 100k range etc. You just never know.

Everyone who places a call to you is important to your program. If you ignore their messages rest assured they'll be delivering one about you to others and it will not be flattering and my not even be accurate (well the part about your not returning messages will be) but it'll get out there to others.

Treat everyone with respect, respect everyones time, and make time to hear people out- it's the right thing to do and pays off many times over. That salesmen who's calls you chose to ignore might be the guy that goes out of his way to get something delivered to you early on a Sunday morning- because you've always treated him decently and he respects and appreciates that.

I try to get to everyone within the first 24 hours.

LOL, you must have a history of alot of very long phone calls or something.

Dave- exactly. I cannot understand not returning a call because "it'll make you late getting home".

DC is right, the majority of all calls are players, parents, college coaches, our staff, vendors we work with on a consistent basis.

These people get a return call 100% of the time.

I used to work for an HC who hardly ever called back or replied to emails. And it's not as if he's too busy or off teaching classes or something - he's the AD and he sits at his desk all day on his computer, not to mention his email-enabled cellphone on his hip! Frankly it was just rude and obnoxious and I vowed to never be like him.

Treat others as you wish to be treated.

Okay I figured this was close enough to my dilema to put my question in this thread.

I'm looking to move out of state and had been looking at living/teaching in a specific community; so you could gauge my excitement when I saw a post on a coaching board for ASST. Football coaches in one of the district HS. I emailed the HC a letter of interest outlining my experience, goals, etc. and felt pretty good.
A week later, and I aint heard anything (sigh). Am I just being over anxious or does this probably mean that my letter didnt wow anybody?

A few years ago I applied for an HC job and didn't hear anything back for a little over a week. Then they called, set up the interviews, and I thought everything they did was first class.

It's worth a call to see where things are at this point, but it's also possible that they are still sorting through applicants.

I find it frustrating when a coach doesn't call back after he says he will return your call promptly and considering he may or may not is always difficult. If a guy says he will call you and doesn't is just plain rude, I understand us coaches are busy managing our profession,families,players,administrative duties but when a guys doesn't call I feel that if the guy can't call thats on him and I usually give it the three call limit then forget it he just is not the guy I want to talk with.As for me I return my calls promptly if not the next day.