How do you overcome gatekeepers when cold calling or emailing sales prospects?

This has always been an important task and one that through the years helped me immensely since I wasn't an all-star with cold calling. However, in this day and age, this research is essential or else your communication will never see the light of day.

When I was first starting out in sales, I focused on everyone the solution could help. I eventually learned to help people who needed help. It is important to identify you will need the help. Everyone you could help may not need the help. There is approaches to identify need. The obvious is to define the exact problem and match that with leads you come across. The second and most powerful way for growth is to identify those that don't have the problem today but will need the solution to the problem in the future.

Before initiating cold calling or emailing, it's crucial to conduct thorough research and identify the most suitable individuals to contact for your offer. Utilize resources like #LinkedIn, company websites, social media, industry directories, and referrals to narrow down your prospect list and determine their relevant roles. This approach ensures that your time and effort are focused on engaging with individuals who are genuinely interested, qualified, and likely to benefit from your solution. By targeting the right people, you increase your chances of making meaningful connections and generating successful sales outcomes.

You are not always going to know the right person at every target account. It’s important to make this your first priority of every cold call or email. Verifying that the person you’re contacting is involved in the decision process should always be step one.

I always research the company and its structure first before I make a cold call. I find it important to know who (what position) in the company might be interested in my subject. If you can't make contact with an employee, don't despair, try to find an alternative. There will always be an employee in the company who is open to communication, who will be a guiding star for you.

Show me you know me! Thai is a critical step in my process as it opens doors when my prospect see that I have a strong understanding of who they are what their company does and the potential challenges they may be facing. When positioned this way it shows that I may very well be the solution to their challenges.

Personalization goes far beyond the usual these days. We are all connected. Access to information is democratized. Find what is UNIQUE to them. What they really care about. Company name, industry, common connections...all outdated. What they like, what they are interested in, what they talk about. Now that is personalization. For example, I once broke through a target account by dropping off a can of Copenhagen long cut chew to a prospect that never took meetings. 3 minutes after leaving, a phone call. Leading to one of the largest sales of my career.

After identifying your target, it's essential to customize your messaging and value proposition to address their unique needs, goals, and pain points. Demonstrating a deep understanding of their situation and offering a solution that can genuinely help them is crucial. Avoid generic, spammy, or pushy language that can turn prospects away. Employ personalization techniques such as mentioning their name, company, industry, or a shared connection. Reference specific content they have shared online to show your engagement and establish a genuine connection. By personalizing your approach, you increase the likelihood of capturing their attention, building rapport, and fostering meaningful conversations that can lead to successful sales outcomes.

The days of one size fits all emails and scripted voicemails are long gone in the majority of cases. Buyers want to know you've taken the time to learn about "them" and not hearing about "you". This is why targeting our potential account base is so important so you have the time and resources to do this extra, yet essential, customization.

Going in cold doesn’t have to be cold. Build rapport, don’t bombard them. Become familiar, be kind, add value. One “friendly” gatekeeper is better than cold pitching 100 of them otherwise.

I remember, very early in my career, going out cold calling with one of our senior sales people. We went into a business and were asked by the receptionist what we were there for, so she could direct us to the correct person. When he gave her his card and a brochure, she stated that she didn’t think they had need of our services. He replied back with “oh, so you make that decision”? To which she replied “No, I don’t, but my Dad does”. Needless to say, we never did get past that gatekeeper!

This has worked tremendously for me in the past - 99% of the time, that "gate keeper" [need a new PC word for that] actually has the principal's ear and may be more educated, in the loop, know what allocations they are looking for, etc. From being COO to Chief of Staff to going back to BD - front office associates are the first impression you make - and it is imperative to treat them with respect as if they are the decision maker - sometimes they actually are.....

THIS. They are real people and love to be treated as such. Engage with them if they’re active on social, leave them good reviews, send them recommendations of great free software or resources they could benefit from without strings attached, make intros that could benefit them… making “real friends” with gatekeepers of top prospects can and will pay dividends.

I've learned reaching decision-makers directly, especially in mid-size businesses, can be challenging. I've tried a different approach that has worked several times for me. I focus on the individuals who report directly to them. They are typically the ones dealing with the problem our service solves. By marketing to them, I address their needs and show the value of our service. By engaging with those involved in the day-to-day operations, I can bypass the gatekeeper and gain direct access to those individuals. Building relationships with these individuals turns them into advocates for our service. They become supporters who promote our service to the decision-maker, helping the sales process and increasing the likelihood of success.

Recognize that the gatekeeper can either hinder or facilitate your access to the decision-maker, and it's important to approach them with the right mindset. While bypassing them may be an option, building a positive relationship can be more fruitful. Consider calling or emailing during off-peak hours, using direct lines or extensions, or seeking referrals from others within the company to bypass the gatekeeper. Seek their help or advice, using their name and offering compliments or value in return for their cooperation. By treating gatekeepers as allies, you increase your chances of gaining their support and being connected to the decision-maker, ultimately improving your sales opportunities.

Use a hook, such as a thought-provoking statement, a compelling question, or an intriguing fact, to spark their curiosity and challenge their assumptions. This helps to establish a strong initial connection. Next, establish your credibility and authority by introducing yourself, your company, and your unique value proposition. Be concise and clear in conveying why your solution is valuable and how it can address their specific needs or challenges. By effectively engaging the decision-maker through thought-provoking hooks, establishing credibility, and actively listening to their needs, you enhance the chances of creating a meaningful conversation that can lead to successful sales outcomes.

Identifying, whether or not, there is an actual problem that you can solve, is crucial to advancing any conversation into a legitimate sales opportunity. No pain, no gain.

The basics of sales discovery and what separates the best sales professionals from all of the others. Are you able to engage, earn trust, establish a foundation as a trusted advisor, recognize that it's a buyer first world, not sell, but listen.

Take control of the conversation, using questions. You never want to end up being interviewed by a prospective client. Find out what their specific needs, likes, and dislikes are, and tailor your responses to those.

You are not selling, you are connecting Finding a solution to a bigger problem Provide expertise and credibility. Most of all: Do Your Homework.

This is likely the time when objection handling comes into play. If you weren't able to close in your initial meetings, there is something holding them back. Identify the core objection. Solve for the objection. Many times, it's due to the decision maker being multiple people vs. only the one person you met with. Get the group together, hash it out. Ask "why" until the real, core objection is uncovered. Many times, false objections kill deals. Keep asking why.

If you have followed your sales process, listened well, answered questions (overcome objections) and provided a product or service that is a solution, then that you lead you on a path to closing the business. I'm not a fan of manipulation or urgency selling. As you get more experienced you learn when it's time to ask the buyer for the business and set up the steps for getting the purchase order. "Let's review, did we cover everything. Excellent, lets move forward"

Biggest mistake I've seen here by salespeople at all levels. Ask for the business. Close. Without the ask, all the time and effort to get to this point was wasted.

I personally do not like to use the urgency close. I will accept a no as long as it is an informed no. And if not now, when? When people ask what I do for work, I tell them I talk to people all day and sometimes they give me money lol. I believe in win win win scenarios. Client, company then myself

Don't assume you're bothering your potential customer. A cold call is an opportunity to show your customer he has a need he wasn't aware of. At all levels of service/sales, one of the most hurtful thing you can do is to set your mind that it's unwanted solicitation. If you believe in what you're selling and you know there's a benefit for the customer, you're halfway there.

Thank you for sharing these valuable strategies for bypassing gatekeepers and reaching decision-makers when cold calling or emailing prospects. Identifying targets, customizing approaches, and treating gatekeepers as allies are key. Engaging decision-makers with attention-grabbing hooks and active listening is crucial. Follow-up and nurturing build relationships until prospects are ready to buy. Closing deals requires urgency and addressing objections. Excited to implement these strategies!

Building relationships followed by trust is the key to having a loyal client. It takes time to secure these relationships…Remember the client is buying you and then the rest follows..