How to improve your chances of getting past the 'gatekeeper'

I read a post yesterday where a sales leader wrote that in order to get past a 'gatekeeper' you should always work with them and never lie.

Well firstly, you should never, ever lie when prospecting full stop. The world is far too small a place and our market is far too saturated for the lie not to come back on you.

Secondly yes, working with gatekeepers can help; internal advocacy is very important. But remember their job is to screen calls and as they uncover that you are indeed a 'cold caller' looking to be put through to 'whoever', chances are you'll be blocked and told to send an email, leave a message or 'whatever'.

There is not an exact science to cold calling but there is a certain skill - an art - to it, and one of the ways to improve your chances of getting past the gatekeeper is remember that "he/she/they who ask the questions - have the power".

What does that mean I hear you ask?

Well, what that means is that when someone is asking questions they are effectively guiding a conversation down the direction that they'd like it to go. With regards to gatekeepers in particular they are shaping the conversation and funnelling you towards a predetermined answer that they have been programmed and trained to do - take a message, redirect you or basically not put you through.

Take a look at this example of a phone call exchange between a cold caller and a gatekeeper to better demonstrate my point:

GK: Good morning! ABC Ltd., how may I help you? :)

CC: Hi, I was hoping to speak with John Smith please

GK: OK, may I ask whose calling please? :)

CC: Sure it's Kurtis, Kurtis Winn

GK: Great, and where are you calling from Kurtis please? :)

CC: I'm calling from Ometria

GK: Lovely, and what was the call regarding please? :)

CC: I wanted to talk to him about how we could help him create a better customer experience for ABC Ltd.

What we can see in this example is that our gatekeeper is asking all the questions - the pendulum of power has swung in their direction - and he/she or they are in complete control.

The cold caller has been guided down a very well trodden path and has been opened by a wily old gatekeeper who now has their suspicions aroused that they are indeed a cold caller. What do you think that their next question will be?..... You guessed it!

GK: And have you spoke to John before? ??

CC: (Remembering never to lie) No we haven't spoken before.

GK: Well in which case what I'd suggest is sending an email to [email protected] or i can take a message....

We have all been here before and know the rest of the story.

So how do we take back control of the conversation and keep hold of the 'power'?

In order to do this and improve our chances of getting through to the person that we'd like to speak with we need to confidently take control of the conversation and give our gatekeeper the answers to their questions before they are even asked. Conveying a sense that we have been here before and provide the information that the gatekeeper requires before he/she/they can put you through.

Remain in control, help swing the pendulum of power in your favour by not allowing the gatekeeper to settle into their natural habitat - a place where they are comfortable and familiar with and are able to dictate the direction of the conversation.

Have a look at this example:

GK: Good morning! ABC Ltd., how may I help you? :)

CC: Hi! It's Kurtis from Ometria :) Could you put me through to John Smith please, it's regarding the recent loyalty campaign that ABC Ltd. have just delivered to their customer base. Thank you ??

You have given the gatekeeper all the information that they need in a way that beautifully flows and doesn't require the gatekeeper to think too much or ask too many questions.

They have the information that they need - it has been confidently conveyed.

You have 'asked' to - and not 'hoped' to - be put through.

The reason for your call is about 'them' and not 'you'.

You have asked the questions, you have control, the momentum is with you and you have thanked them - and now all there is left to do is wait for the gatekeeper to put you through.

Simple, right? Well not quite, as I have previously mentioned there is no exact science to cold calling, it is more of an art. An art that is certainly dying and can only be worked upon and improved via plenty of practice.

But the more you practice and the more you understand what works best for you the more you can improve your chances of getting past the gatekeeper. We are not looking for perfection here, nobody - including myself - will ever perfect the art of a cold call. But we can always look to improve.

Try it today and see how many times you are able to get past the gatekeeper by taking back control and dictating the conversation.

PS - one more tip.

Always have an alternate name of someone to speak with if 'John Smith' isn't available. Do your homework and work out who else would be a good person to speak with. If that person isn't available then ask the question :

CC: "Who would be the best person to speak with from John's team?"

If the gatekeeper doesn't know then ask another question:

CC: "When is the next free slot in John's diary so I can call back?"

Don't ever stop asking questions. The momentum is with you - don't lose it now!

CC: 12pm tomorrow you say? Brilliant, I'll call back then. Thank you so much for you time - and what was your name please?"

Suddenly you're calling Jane back and not a 'gatekeeper' tomorrow at 12pm because you know that your decision maker that you're after is in and is free to speak then!

Suddenly it's a warm call and not a cold call and you're making progress.

You never know you might even get the hang of this 'cold calling' and make some more calls ??