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KEITH ROSEN: When it comes to getting through the gatekeeper, I see salespeople try to manipulate or avoid that gatekeeper at all costs. Think about the picture the word ‘gatekeeper’ conjures up for you—this big ogre at the other end of the line preventing you from speaking to the decision maker. Well, what if we changed the phrase ‘gatekeeper’ and called that person the ‘concierge.’ What comes to mind when you think about a concierge? Someone that helps people, giving you the information that you want. Treat the gatekeeper more like a concierge. Instead of feeling that you need to use manipulative tactics to get through them, treat them more as a concierge and realize that they are actually there to help you. Doing so will relieve the pressure for you to try to get through them and instead simply just ask for their help. Here are a few strategies that will allow you to befriend the gatekeeper every time you make a cold call and need to get to that decision maker.

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Gatekeeper Factors:

-Be Honest

Number one: brutal honesty. When you pick up that phone and that person answers on the other end, be honest with them. Something like this might work for you, “Mr., Smith, I’ve been desperately trying to get in touch with John over the last few weeks. I could really use your help. What would you suggest that might work for me to get in touch with that person?”

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Gatekeeper Factors:

-Be Honest

-Use Humor

Number two: use humor. After all, if you can get them to laugh, you can get them to buy something from you. That could sound like this. If the gatekeeper says, “And who is calling?” you could say “Well, I’m a salesperson and I’m going to hound your boss to death until I speak to them.”

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Gatekeeper Factors:

-Be Honest

-Use Humor

-Ask a Technical Question

Number three: ask a technical question. For example, if you sell printing, when the concierge asks what this is in reference to, you can respond with “Well, we’re putting together a sample brochure for you and wanted to know the dimensions of the collateral material that you’re currently using for your marketing and selling pieces, your color scheme—the number of colors, or whether or not you wanted to do this in black and white.”

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Gatekeeper Factors:

-Be Honest

-Use Humor

-Ask a Technical Question

-Say, “He’s Expecting My Call”

Number four: they’re expecting my call. Let’s say you send out a preliminary cover letter to a prospect introducing yourself and your company. When you now make that call into the prospect’s office, you can say “Oh, hi Mary, this is Keith Rosen from Profit Builders. Is John in? He’s expecting my call.”

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Gatekeeper Factors:

-Be Honest

-Use Humor

-Ask a Technical Question

-Say, “He’s Expecting My Call”

-Use E-Mail Return Receipt

And finally: use return receipt when sending out e-mails. Let’s say you spend a lot of time, like many salespeople do, in front of your computer. Well, by checking off that little box return receipt in an e-mail before you send it out to a prospect, once that prospect opens it you’re going to get that return receipt sent back to you. What does that tell you? The prospect is in their office, so pick up that phone and go ahead and make that call. Using these strategies will make you a new friend: the concierge.