In this sales training video, we talk about how to get around gatekeepers that you are sure to face when cold calling.

 

Understand the Gatekeeper

In order to improve your ability to get around the gatekeeper, start by trying to understand the gatekeeper. When the gatekeeper is doing everything they can to prevent you from getting through, keep in mind that they are most likely just doing the job they have been given to keep all cold calling salespeople out.

 

Don’t Sound Like a Salesperson

And with that, it can help to do everything you can to minimize how much you sound like a salesperson who is trying to sell something. As soon as they detect that you are, they will try to do everything they can to keep you out.

 

What is this in regards to?

One of the ways that a gatekeeper will try to figure out if you are a salesperson is by asking, “What is this in regards to?”. They ask this because if you answer what your call is in regards to, you might say something like:

I am calling to introduce myself
I am calling to introduce our company
I am calling to schedule an appointment
I am calling to see if you need our services

If you say anything close to any of those, the gatekeeper will know that you are a salesperson and that he or she should prevent you from getting through. As a result, try to answer with something that does not clearly mark you as a salesperson, and one option you have is to answer with the benefits that you offer with something like this:

The reason for the call is that we help small businesses to improve the conversion rate for their website.

 

Treat the Gatekeeper Like the Prospect

If you are trying to talk to the prospect and the gatekeeper is blocking, and there appears to be nothing you can do to get around them, start treating the gatekeeper like they are the prospect. For example, if you have some questions that you would like to ask the prospect, ask the gatekeeper your questions with something like:

Well, maybe you might know the answer to this. Do you happen to know how important it is to improve your website conversion rate?

In some cases, you will be able to get valuable information from the gatekeeper. And if they do not know the answer to your question, that creates justification for them connecting you with the target prospect because they will likely know the answer.

If you would like to purchase a copy of The SMART Sales System book, you can do that here.