A Recruitment Master’s Summer Reading List
By: Chris Buck, Associate Director of Expansion
The best way to master any skill is to study it and then put it into practice. This summer, as you are relaxing by the pool or traveling the world, make sure to pack a few books which can help you step up your recruitment skills.
The books on this list will not only help you improve your recruitment skills for your chapter/colony, but will help you build better relationships, strengthen your networking abilities, and enhance how you communicate with others. Note, many of these books are written for sales professionals, but the skill sets for salesmen and women are just as applicable to recruiting. Here are five books to add to your summer reading list in order to master the recruiting game:
- Good Guys by Josh Orendi and Matt Mattson – This 2006 book, written by Phired Up Production Founders, provides some great insights on how to improve the quantity and quality of members the chapter/colony is recruiting. Matt Mattson’s other book, Social Excellence: We Dare You, is worth checking out as well. This is the only book that is specifically about fraternity recruitment and should be a must-read of all members who are responsible for recruiting aka every chapter member.
- Little Red Book of Selling; 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness by Jeffrey Gitomer – This is a quick, fun read. Gitomer uses a direct and honest approach to tackling sales. He is unapologetically blunt, and you will find yourself laughing and thinking deeply about his approach to sales. In Gitomer’s words, “You’re either a whiner or a winner.” So pick up this book and win a little more.
- Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John D. Mann- As a fraternity that values service and stewardship, the story put forth by Burg and Mann shares how giving first can lead to getting more later and how you can succeed by putting others first. This approach is extremely relevant to Lambda Chi Alpha.
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie – A classic, How to Win Friends and Influence People is considered by many as the must-read of every business professional. Dale Carnegie was one of the greatest salesmen and investors of all time and this book maps his philosophy and methods to relationship-building. The story is not only great for recruitment purposes, but for anyone who wants to be a great networking professional.
- To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel H. Pink- Everyone is in sales today, whether it’s spreading your idea, recruiting potential members, or interviewing for a job. This books shows practical, method-based ways of sharing your ideas and convincing others.
There are so many other books that could be included on this list, but these are the ones which I have read myself and recommend to Brothers looking to improve their recruitment skills. If you are that person that is uncomfortable with recruiting, pick up a couple of these books, read them, and try putting the principles and ideas into practice. Educating yourself is just the first step; sharing what you’ve learned and putting it into practice follows. So take the first step and pick up a few of these books to step up your recruitment game!
