The Secret Lives of Gate Keepers
What is the secret to getting past gatekeepers?
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The Secret Lives of Gate Keepers
A universal truth in sales is Salespeople hate gate keepers. This week I have some quick and dirty tips for dealing with gate keepers.
Last week while I was training my new assistant and reviewing her responsibilities, she asked me how she should handle calls from salespeople. By the look on her face I could tell that dealing with salespeople wasn’t a task she liked. It made me think about the ongoing tug-of-war between Sales Professionals, who are trying to get in the door, and the legions of gate keepers assigned the duty of keeping them at bay.
I also considered that with so many people vying for my time, both inside and outside of my organization, if I met with every salesperson who called I would never get my job done; which, is exactly why I have a gate keeper. Her most important job is to protect my time so that I remain focused on the most critical tasks. Unfortunately that puts her in the unenviable position of saying no to salespeople, which ironically, keeps a large cadre of authors, consultants and speakers (including me), in business, creating libraries of books, audio programs and DVDs all designed to teach you “the secrets” to getting around gate keepers.
A universal truth in sales is that salespeople hate gate keepers. These blockers stymie their sales efforts and keep them from getting to decision makers who can say yes to their deals. Getting in front of decision makers is the first and most important step of the sales process because, unless you are talking to someone who has the ability to buy questioning methodology, presentation skills, and closing techniques don’t really matter. The difficulty in getting past gate keepers is so frustrating that many times good salespeople just give up.
Because they don’t know how to deal with gate keepers, many sales professionals become so frustrated that they begin to experiment with tricks that, too often, make them look foolish. These schemes, unfortunately, impact both parties which is why so many gate keepers, like my assistant, would rather have their teeth pulled than deal with a salesperson.
So is there a secret? I know you are hoping I’ll say yes but the answer is no. There are no secrets or magic pills that will get you past gate keepers. The brutal reality is that in sales, only a select few will ever get through the gates. But it is critical to understand that gatekeepers are people just like you. They have emotions, worries, motivations and, like you, a boss and a job to do. Because of this, your success in getting through the gate depends on a combination of good manners, likeability, and savvy business acumen.
The Sales Guy’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Opening the Gate
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Be Likable: Project a positive, cheerful, outgoing personality. Be polite and respectful. You are guaranteed to fail with gate keepers if you are rude, pushy and ill mannered. Always leave them with a positive impression of you and your company.
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Use Please, Please: In the book, The Real Secrets of the Top 20%, the author, Mike Brooks advises that the “single most power technique” to get past gate keepers is to use please twice. For example, when a gate keeper answers the phone you might say, “Hi, this is Jeb Blount from Quick and Dirty Tips, could you please connect me to Grammar Girl, please.” Using please twice is powerful and it works because it shows respect and good manners.
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Provide Full Information: Tell the gate keeper who you are – your full name and the name of your company. To do otherwise creates a big neon sign with an arrow pointing to you that says, “pushy salesperson.” Full disclosure makes you sound professional and like someone worthy enough to pass though to the boss.
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Connect: Gate keepers are people just like you. And like you, they like people who are interested in them. If you speak to a particular gate keeper often, be sure to ask about how they are doing. Learn to listen to their tone of voice and respond when you hear something amiss. Ask questions about their family and their interests. There are gate keepers I deal with on a regular basis who I know better than the boss. When I call I will often spend more time talking to them than to my client. Because of these strong relationships they take care to ensure that my call always takes priority, that I get on calendars, and they go out of their way to help me secure more business.
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Hold The Cheese: Never use cheesy schemes or tricks. Tricks don’t work. They harm your credibility and you’ll end up on the gatekeeper’s “do not talk to” list, which means it will have to snow at the equator before you get through. Be honest about who you are and why you are calling and ask for what you want. You may not get through the first time, but your honesty will be appreciated and remembered which will play a huge role in opening the gate in the future.
This is Jeb Blount, the Sales Guy.
Salesperson image courtesy of Shutterstock