Cold Calls

Now that you have accumulated a sizable list of potential Pikes, it is time to get them in front of you in order to provide the face-to-face personal contact that will convince them that Pi Kappa Alpha is the place where they should grow and develop as a young man. There are many ways to contact a recruit, and they vary in their personal touch. From least personal to most personal, they are letters/emails, phone conversations, and face-to-face conversations. Ideally, you want to speak to recruits face-to-face, because that is when they experience the strongest feelings of fellowship. However, many times it is necessary to contact them by phone, letter, or email in order to get them in front of you.

COLD CALLS

Some of the names you receive will be friends of members. The initial contact with these men will be fairly easy. It is likely that the members will bring their friends to recruitment meetings or chapter events to meet the chapter members. An aggressive recruitment chairman will have ample opportunity to get to know these prospects.

Many of the names on your prospect list will not be close friends of members. In fact, they may be perfect strangers who have come to your attention by way of a third party recommendation or by way of a list of student leaders. Many of these “strangers” could eventually be your best active members, but you will never find out if you do not make the initial contact.

In reality the “cold” call is really a “warm” call, especially if a member, sorority member, alumnus, or campus administrator has recommended the prospect. A “cold” call is random, where the caller has no connection with or information on the person he is calling. In a “warm” call, the caller has a connection – the recommending party. You also have some information: you know that he is considered by the person who recommended him to be a scholar, leader, or athlete (or all three) and at the very least, a gentleman.

Do not fret the call. Keep in mind that the worst thing that can happen during this “warm” call is that the potential member can say, “No, I will not meet with you.” Everything stays the same in your life and the person turning down the offer to meet with you will not get the chance to become a member of the leading fraternity in North America. On the other hand, the prospect, being confident of himself and obviously intelligent, might say, “Yes, I’ll meet with you to learn how I can expand my horizons. I am not afraid of a new thing.” Here are a few key points to keep in mind when completing a cold call:

• Understand that you are not trying to recruit him over the phone. The call is to set up and interview or invite the member to a rush function.
• Make sure that he does not feel like he is being asked to make commitment to something over the phone. Section I: The Recruitment Chairman 34
• Build him up by telling him the qualities you described to the person who recommended him and by letting him know that you value his opinion.
• Don’t take “no” for an answer. If he says he is not interested, tell him you want to learn why. He may have a good reason based on something factual or he may hold some common misconceptions.
• No matter how he responds to your comments, be cordial and polite. He may change his mind in the future, or recommend the Fraternity to friends.
• Stay natural in your conversation. Practice sounding natural giving any response. Do not feel as if you have to adhere strictly to the script. Be personable and let the conversation run its natural course.
• Pi Kappa Alpha represents Scholars, Leaders, Athletes, and Gentlemen, and you have been recommended as a person who has these qualities. Our recruitment program is very exclusive and based on recommendations only.

A sample script for completing a cold call can be found under Appendix C at the end of Section I of the recruitment handbook.