Make the Gatekeeper an Ally

The tactic goes like this:

Caller: Dave Smith please. Gatekeeper: May I tell her who's calling. Caller: Yes, this is Brian Greener. Will you please tell him I'll hold? Gatekeeper: And your company? Caller: It's ABC Co.; will you please let him know I'm holding long distance? Gatekeeper: Is she expecting your call, Mr. Greener? Caller: I don't believe we have a specific time arranged, but please let him know I'm on the line...

And so on! I don't know about you, but just reading this verbal tug-of-war makes me feel uncomfortable. What do people that use this tactic think? Those Gatekeepers are imbeciles? Wimps who allow themselves to be pushed around by such strong- arming tactics? Don’t feel like you have to do this to get through. If you make them your ally you will not only get through but you will have an ally keeping your competitors out.

Your First Call:

In most cases, the Gatekeeper is your key to unlock the decision maker's door. That is, as long as you realize the Gatekeeper is not a barrier to be knifed through or steamrolled over. The Gatekeeper has one purpose, to protect the decision maker’s time. Your job, when necessary, is to explain why you are important enough to earn an audience with the boss.

Be assured that Gatekeepers can instantly spot the "Leisure Suit Larry" tactics of callers who try to sleaze through? Of course they can. They're masters. And the more someone tries to scam them, the better they get at guarding the door. Their perception of a caller's value diminishes in proportion to the shadiness of the techniques used by the caller.

And, the higher up your decision maker is in an organization, the more skilled and experienced the Gatekeeper is at reading the importance of callers. Therefore, you must approach the Gatekeeper as the professionals that they are.

What You Should Do:

1. Always use an assumptive, confident tone of voice. If you were standing in the lobby, the Gatekeeper would first size you up based on your appearance. They do the same with the way you sound. Don't sound sloppy or unimportant. You can sound confident without appearing pushy or condescending.

2. Make your request and give full identification. "Hello, Dave Smith please. My name is Brian Greener with ABC Company."

You're accomplishing several objectives here. You're using an instructional statement which doesn't ask to be put through. It assumes you're going to be. Again, you're building an image of importance here, which needs to be present in the Gatekeeper's mind. Also, you're showing that you have nothing to hide by giving your company name.

3. Be prepared with a persuasive justification statement. Using the statement mentioned in Number 2 will get you ear-to-ear with your prospect much of the time. But you need to be prepared to matter-of- factly answer the Gatekeeper's probing questions if they occur. And your answers must not make her feel like she's pulling the answers from your mouth. Your responses must unequivocally leave the Gatekeeper satisfied. They need to be satisfied that you have something of value for the boss.

Think about her job for a moment. What happens when a "Leisure Suit Larry" slithers through and wastes the decision maker's time? The decision maker likely cracks open his/her door, peeks out and in an annoyed tone demands, "Why did you let that bozo through?" You have to help her look good in the eyes of the boss.

So, when you get the "And what is this in reference to?" question, without batting an eye, you need to respond with your justification. For example: "My company specializes in helping companies in your industry increase their short-term cash flow while they're waiting for their longer-term receivables to be paid. I want to ask him a few questions to determine how big of a problem this is for him, and see if it would be worth it for us to speak further." After a pause, ask to be connected.

Here's another: "I have a few ideas I'd like to run by Ms. Pane regarding a proven system to increase sales in your franchises." Again, once you've justified your request, ask to be connected.

4. Get information on every call. My motto is "Every Call is an Information Opportunity." Even if the decision maker isn't available, employ the Gatekeeper to help you get the information you need, and even have her do some pre-selling for you. If, upon asking for the decision maker, you're informed he/she is not in, respond with, "I see. Maybe you can help me in the meantime. So that I'm prepared to take as little as Mr./Ms. Bigg's time as possible on my next call, perhaps you could help me with some information." Then begin asking simple qualifying questions. You might find out they're really not a prospect. Or maybe they're better than you thought.

It's also possible to ask the Gatekeeper to mention to the decision maker the nature of your conversation to pave the way for your next call.

True Sales Professionals don't look at the Gatekeeper as the "rejectionist" or "interceptionist" as I've heard them referred to. Gatekeepers should be viewed as an ally in your quest to help the decision maker to buy.

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