Engineering a “Connection Machine”

by Matt Mattson

Henry Ford didn’t invent the automobile. He just figured out how to efficiently give the gift of motorized transit to the masses. He made it easier to build a complex machine. He simplified a previously complicated process.

This is what we (attempt to) do at Phired Up.

Joining a fraternity or sorority is a complex, complicated process that is done by hand, one-by-one, face-to-face. Getting a fantastic human being to join your organization requires the attention of a handcrafted masterpiece. Recruitment is emotional, is entirely about trust and caring and attention and relationships.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t make it easier. That doesn’t mean we can’t help you focus your energy on the stuff that matters (and not be distracted by the stuff that doesn’t). We can help you build a CONNECTION MACHINE — a system for efficiently (but still humanly, and beautifully) crafting relationships with the best men and women on campus so that they are inspired by the possibility of membership in your esteemed brotherhood or sisterhood.

When we teach Dynamic Recruitment. When we teach Social Excellence. When we prepare chapters for formal recruitment. When we teach Retention. When we prepare recruitment counselors. When we help new members prepare for recruitment with iValU. All of these things are parts to the same CONNECTION MACHINE. They all are fueled by real human relationships. They all can be measured by the quantity and quality of conversations our members have.

The trick is to stay focused on the parts of the machine that actually work. The trick is to continue to tweak the machine so that it makes your lives easier and more fun while producing better and better recruitment results.

Doing what we do (and you doing what you do as recruiters) requires equal parts engineer and artist. Both sides of the brain must be engaged. We must systemize human connection. This can be done. The best chapters are doing it. It’s what we’ve been teaching for well over a dozen years now, and it is what is raising the bar for the entire fraternity/sorority world.