Featured Article: How to Recruit in the N-SSA

Thoughts on How to Recruit for the North-South Skirmish Association

Skirmishers, In case you don’t know me I am Rob Harrison AKA “Papa Rob” and I am the National Recruiting Officer for the N-SSA, also I am the Unit Commander of the 48th Virginia Infantry. I often get asked the question “How did you end up recruiting 17 people who have never skirmished before, and some that had never shot a firearm before into the N-SSA?”. The simple answer is…There is no simple answer. It’s work, and once you are mentally prepared to engage in this work you need to build a tool kit to perform the job.

The Tool Kit

Now you might be thinking that this is a list of “Stuff” you need to have and while there is some of that involved the “Tool Kit” is more about being, and allowing yourself to be, Engaged personally. How do you go about that?: First, leave your ego at the door. This is about the Potential Recruit, Not You. Second, Listen to the people you are talking to, and I mean really listen. Don’t just wait for your turn to speak. People will often tell you all that you need to know about them given half a chance. Third, Keep an open mind. I don’t think I need to tell anyone that all the stuff that there is out there to divide us socially these days doesn’t need to apply here, but just in case you are wondering what I am talking about things like: Skin Color, Religion, Gender all of that crap doesn’t matter here and if it does to you then you can stop reading right now. The only things along these lines we require is a love of history and firearms. Fourth, Keep open lines of communication. That means, have an electronic presence. Email, Facebook Account, phone number that can receive and send text. A lot of folks in the N-SSA wish we could do away with all this electronic stuff (Me included) but this is how the world communicates now and if you want to reach folks you have to be able to communicate with them. If electronic communication is out of your grasp then you surely have someone in your unit who probably knows this stuff and enjoys using it. Work with them to learn how. Fifth, and I debated on whether or not to make this the first one because IT MATTERS A LOT. Have a Unit that is receptive and open to new recruits and that are willing to help teach without rancor. You have to make “Recruiting” a BIG part of the culture of your unit. Sixth, Follow Up. If you make a casual contact don’t just let it fall to the wayside. I have been going through a lot of old contact lists and I have to say the follow up on these folks that in the past expressed interest has been pretty pitiful to say the least. Once you get a contact you hold on to it like a Pit Bull with a beef bone and you stay engaged! This single trait wins more recruits than any other. Seventh. Have stuff ready for them to use. Now while it is true we get folks that already have rifles and such it’s not always true. You know that rifle you have in the safe that you never quite got to feel right for you? Develop a basic load and put together a kit minus uniform (because people come in all shapes and sizes) and have it ready to be a dedicated loaner. If you don’t have one then it’s a great excuse to go out and buy another musket right? The thing that really gets them hooked besides a good cultural atmosphere is getting that smoke up I their noses and letting them have a go at breaking some targets. Eighth. Be encouraging. One person that came to my team told me that they thought this might not be for them after a particularly bad session and I had told them to give it one more shot and while they were shooting the next skirmish every time they hit a target I told them “You can do this! You got this!”. They told me that because of that they were hooked for life. Some times that’s all it takes. Ninth. Get a business card made. It’s cheap now.15.00 is usually all it takes and it doesn’t have to be fancy. Just make sure it has a name, number, unit name and email address and or web address on it. It’s something tangible they can have to be able to reach you until they get to know you better. It also legitimizes you in some people’s view and believe it or not, that can matter.

The Approach

So now you are probably wondering what do I do with these tools? Ok, to start, just keep this in mind….. This isn’t a sales job…. This is a seduction. There’s a difference. With a “sale” the transaction is over once they sign up. This is a seduction and it doesn’t work like that. This is a person you hope to have around for years and years, to basically become part of your extended family. So you need to be prepared that you will always be viewed as a mentor and a guide. That doesn’t mean you need to have all the answers for everything but you do need to know where to tell them to look and look with them.. So never miss an opportunity to make new old friends. So where do I go to meet people? There are the usual things, Gun Shows, Sporting shows, Community events. But there’s always room to think outside of the box though. If you have other interests you can recruit from there too. The key is to make skirmishing somewhat a part of your identity. We are an aging organization and we need to look to the future. So try to get some young folks into this and how do you do that? Show them just how much fun this can be and show them that there is a place they can belong, really belong. You would be surprised just how many young folks that appeals to these days. Don’t judge them (we all could do with a bit less of that), help them. These things aren’t rocket science folks. There’s no magic pill and no checklist to this and with the talent, personalities, sheer dogged determination I see all the time in N-SSA this is not beyond you. You can ALL do this. I remain, Rob Harrison “Papa Rob”