One of the biggest challenges in sales is often just getting past the gatekeeper and some of them are very good at keeping you away from the decision maker. As a sales professional, you will never let anything get between you and your bone. Gatekeepers and cold calling are practically synonymous and, in our article last month, we already established that cold calling is no fun. Social Sales makes this easier!
Before we address this issue, we do want to keep certain things in mind …
- The gatekeeper is performing their task exactly as they have been instructed. Okay, sometimes they may be performing this task with a zeal that may be in excess of its original purpose which is generally to protect the decision maker from sales weasels and charlatans. I ass/u/me you are neither.
- The gatekeeper is a person and is deserving of your courtesy and respect. They may even be more than they might appear to be on the surface. While not necessarily the decision maker, they may be a strong influencer.
- The gatekeeper can be your biggest obstacle or they can also be a tremendous ally. You get to choose which. Rule #1 – whenever possible, be on friendly terms with the gatekeeper!
It is very difficult to discuss this topic in terms of social selling without also touching on real-life sales 101. This much we know about the gatekeeper …
- They can smell a salesperson a mile away – If you place a call and either ask to speak to whoever is in charge of “X” or, you just simply ask “Is Mr. Smith there please?” … you have already been identified and you have also invited the follow-up questions of “Who is calling, please?” “What company are you with?” “What is this call about, please?” “Is Mr. Smith expecting your call?” Not only have you been made, you are quite probably already toast. You have lost control of the call. Read on at Maximize Social Business
Craig M. Jamieson
Managing Member at Adaptive Business Services
Craig M. Jamieson is a lifelong B2B salesperson, manager, owner, and a networking enthusiast. Adaptive Business Services provides solutions related to the sales professional.
We are a Nimble CRM Solution Partner. Craig also conducts training and workshops primarily in social selling and communication skills.
Craig is also the author of "The Small Business' Guide to Social CRM", now available on Amazon!
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