how to deal with gatekeepers when sales prospecting
DESCRIPTION
You can spend more than 50% of your time phone prospecting getting your calls answered by some sort of gatekeeper. These gatekeepers will usually operate with the objective of shutting you down and preventing you from talking to anybody. Do you have a game plan for how to deal with this obstacle? There are key things that you can do to get the gatekeeper to shift from being your enemy to being your ally. In this training module, we provide a methodology that you can easily implement that will provide clarity around what you should do when talking with gatekeepers. Since you will have to face them so often, by simply having some logic to use in this one area, you will immediately improve your results.TRANSCRIPT
How to Get Around the Gatekeeper
Sales Prospecting 101
Michael Halper
Why this Area is Essential
• We can spend 50% of our cold calling time dealing with gatekeepers
• Naturally fall into the role of enemy
• Have tremendous knowledge– Organization
– Projects and initiatives
– Processes
– Challenges
• Turn from enemy into ally to see immediate results
Types of Gatekeepers
Front-desk Receptionists
•High level chaotic environment– Checking people in
– Receiving packages
– Answering phone calls
•Knowledgeable about organizational details
•High focus on screening– Assigned to keep callers out
– Trained on how to keep sales people out
Types of Gatekeepers
Switchboard Operators
•Less chaotic environment– Only responsible for call routing
•Limited organizational knowledge– Typically limited to information in directory
•Low focus on screening– Only concerned with directing calls
Types of Gatekeepers
Executive Assistants
•Medium level chaotic environment– Typically busy but accessible for brief
conversations
•High level of knowledge– Organizational details
– Current processes and systems
– Current initiatives and challenges
•Sometimes has influence and power
•Medium focus on screening
Types of Gatekeepers
Automated Phone Trees
•Automated menu that answers in place of an live person
– Press 1 for (list of departments)– Enter extension for your contact
•Can sometimes be more difficult than a live gatekeeper
•More common in large businesses– Fortune 500
Understanding the Gatekeeper
“Seek first to understand in order to be understood.” Stephen Covey
"Great Spirit – Grant that I may not criticize my neighbor until I have walked a mile in his moccasins” Lakota Sioux Praye
Understanding the Gatekeeper
• A day in the life– Hectic
– High volume calls and request
– High volume of sales cold calls
– Not completely satisfying work
• One of their main objectives– Keep cold callers out
– When you get in, they stand to get in trouble
Gatekeeper Tactics
Enlist Their Help
•Try to get the gatekeeper to shift from blocking to helping
•Present yourself as lost and needing direction– “Maybe you can help me.”– “I am not really sure who…”– Speak with curiosity
•Ask for advice– Organization– Process– Scheduling
Gatekeeper Tactics
Treat Like a Prospect
•Take a step back when notice resistance and begin to go through script or pitch
“Actually, let me take a step back and tell you who I am and why I am calling.”
•Tell them (sell them) on why you are calling and why the prospect would want to talk with you
Gatekeeper Tactics
Name Dropping
•Internal contacts– “I spoke with Tom White in accounting
and now I am trying to reach someone in HR.”
– “I am planning on meeting with Tom White in accounting and before I do that, I would like to talk with someone in HR.”
•External clients– “We work with LumberLift and helped
them to decrease inventory costs.”
Gatekeeper Tactics
Mention an Initiative
•Mention a current project:– “I am calling to talk to him about the
Renew Project.”– Can be found through research
•Mention a generic project:– “I am calling to talk with her about the
current project to decrease labor costs.”– Most businesses have similar projects
going on
Gatekeeper Tactics
Ask Probing Questions
•Opportunity to extract valuable information
•Will show respect and could be an opportunity to build rapport
•Asking questions they to don’t know can help to get through them
Gatekeeper Tactics
Befriend the Gatekeeper
•Catch and use the gatekeeper’s name
•Focus on tonality– Smile– Laugh
•Share that you understand– Understand the challenges– Know they get lots of sales people calling– Are responsible for screening calls
Gatekeeper Tactics
Dealing With Automated Phone Tree
•Goal is to get to a human being
•Press “0” to get try to get to an operator
•Enter guessed extension
Gatekeeper Tactics
Avoid the Gatekeeper Altogether
•Call at a off hours– Before 8:00 am– During the lunch hour– After 5:00 pm
•Secure direct line info– Try to get direct line on first pass to avoid the
gatekeeper on second pass– “I have XXX as her direct line, is that correct?”
Gatekeeper Tactics
Don’t Take it Personally
•It has nothing to do with you and who you are
•Their rejection is toward your company and just the concept of letting someone in
•They are just doing their job
•They job is very difficult and unpleasant
Gatekeeper Objections
• The gatekeeper’s job is to give you objections
“What is the call in regards to.”
“Is this a sales call?”
“She does not take sales calls.”
“They will not be interested in that.”
“We are already using someone.”
“Can you send me your information?”
“You will need to send your info to our supplier line.”
• Only a few different responses–Redirect to value statement–Redirect to qualifying questions–Disqualify
Gatekeeper Objections
What is this call in regards to?
Is this a sales call?
•Redirect to your value statement
“Purpose for the call is that we [value statement].
(Optional disqualify) I actually don’t know if you all are a fit for what we do.
So I was just calling with a question or two.”
•Gatekeeper will not know how to respond.
Gatekeeper Objections
She does not take sales calls.
They will not be interested in that.
We are already using someone.
•Redirect to a qualifying question
“I understand. (optional disqualify) And we are actually not trying to sell anything right now as we don’t even know if you all are a good fit for what we do..
But if I could ask you a quick question, [insert qualifying question].”
•Goal is to keep call going, gather information, and ask a question that they do not know the answer to.
“I see, that is why we are trying to connect with…..”
Gatekeeper Objections
Can you send me an email with your information?
•Redirect with qualifying question.
“I certainly can. So that I know exactly what to send, do you mind if I ask… [insert qualifying question].
•Goal is to keep call going, gather information, and ask a question that they do not know the answer to.
“I see, that is why we are trying to connect with…..”
Gatekeeper Objections
You need to send an email to procurement with your information.
•Redirect to a qualifying question
“I understand. (optional disqualify) And we are actually not trying to sell anything right now as we don’t even know if you all are a good fit for what we do..
But if I could ask you a quick question, [qualifying question].”
•Goal is to keep call going, gather information, and ask a question that they do not know the answer to.
“I see, that is why we are trying to connect with…..”
Key Takeaways• You could spend up to or more than 50% of your time cold calling talking to
gatekeepers
• Many gatekeepers have an objective to keep cold callers out
• By improving your ability to deal with gatekeepers, you can likely immediately improve your results
• Gatekeepers often have a tremendous amount of knowledge and can be a good source of information
• There are very easy to implement tactics that can help
• Preparing for gatekeeper objections is a key step
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