How To Get Past Gatekeepers: 6 Expert Strategies

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Here’s a startling statistic: When you’re cold-calling, you may have to make an average of eight calls to an organization before you get through to the right person. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound good to me. That’s why people hate cold calls; they’re cold. We must determine how the company and its process are structured to get past the gatekeepers. In this short article, we’ll explain precisely how to get past the gatekeeper.

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1. Treat the gatekeeper with respect!

Remember that you’re taking time out of your gatekeeper’s busy day. Do the right thing and ask if they have time to talk with you. By asking permission, you show respect, and the person will more likely be receptive to your questions. It’s also important to build rapport with the first line of defense. Even though you’re trying to get past them, you must treat them respectfully as they could influence the decision makers.

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2. Use the gatekeeper as your resource

Thinking about challenges as opportunities will help you view the gatekeeper as a resource rather than an obstacle. Think about it: gatekeepers possess valuable information, particularly about where your prospect is, their schedule, phone number, email and so on.

Therefore, get to know the gatekeeper and use what they can provide you with; you can ask questions to do this. For example, does your company work with any of my competitors? What are your most significant pain points? Hopefully, you can build some rapport in the meantime to help prepare for your conversation with the prospect.

3. Don’t sell to the gatekeeper

Not only are you wasting your time and theirs, but because they don’t relate to purchasing decisions, gatekeepers are unlikely to understand your value. This means that they won’t report back to your prospect, so don’t sell to your gatekeeper!

4. Check if you’re connected

The brilliant thing about social media is that you can use search tools to identify the key people you should be trying to start a conversation with. Here’s where LinkedIn can come in really handy. Say you want to speak with the VP of Sales, the Marketing Director or the CEO of a particular company. Go to LinkedIn and do an advanced search on those titles and the company. Doing so will call up a list of individuals who match these criteria.

The next thing to do is to see whether you are already connected to them on social media. If the two of you are not connected, find out whether you have any connections in common with them. This is huge. We all know that when you are introduced or recommended by someone, that third-party introduction brings so much credibility.

5. Reach out

Reach out to your mutual connection. There’s an excellent feature on LinkedIn called “Get Introduced.” Click that button, tell them you want to be introduced to this particular person, and explain why. If you have a good relationship with that mutual connection, they’ll gladly help you. At the click of a button, you’ve connected with that decision-maker. No more cold calls, no more buying lists, and no more gatekeepers. Social media has changed how we sell because it has changed how customers buy. People are going online to look for people like you.

6. Be direct

People know when you’re not honest, and it ruins any rapport you did have previously if they detect you are deceiving them. So when you talk with a gatekeeper, just be honest and direct. Ensure your intentions are good; otherwise, you could waste your time.