Getting Past the gatekeeper is lesson one in any sales training and is often forgotten, however it is extremely important for obvious reasons and is not always as easy as some suggest. This is increasingly difficult in a world of busy executives and efficient and prepared PAs.
There are a number of principles I always stick to which increase my rates of success:
- The PA is my friend and can help me if they want to
- Talk with confidence as though you expect to be put through
- If the executive is genuinely not available find out when he / she is
- Always answer every question and offer your own question as well
- Make sure you have good quality data
The first principle here addresses how you behave as a sales person. There is no room anymore for a brash, won’t take no for an answer type of approach as it delivers very little value. Therefore I always am extremely polite no matter the provocation. I tend to find I get treated with the same politeness and helpfulness in return.
Secondly, if you aren’t sure whether you will get put through, a modern PA will identify that straight away and you can guarantee you will never get put through. Many years ago a team member told me it was impossible to get put through to a particular contact as he was never available. She had tried to reach him every week for about 3 months. I had a small wager that I could get through on my first call. (I was taking a risk, I know) however after a brief conversation with the PA I got put through. I always explain to my team that if you phone a friend or family member at work you always get put straight through without too much fuss. This is because you sound like you know you will get put through. You have to carry this through to your telemarketing calls.
Thirdly if the executive is busy, find out when you could call back when they won’t be busy. It is important, while still being extremely friendly with the PA, to specify a time. Then at that specified time you can phone and say something along the lines of, “Hi Penny (PA’s name) it’s Richard Calling from RJR Consulting for my 2 o’clock appointment with John, can you put me through”
My fourth principle centres around the psychology of people and I will explain why. It is thought and been researched by cleverer people than me that nobody likes to say no more than five times in a row. Therefore if you can draw their ‘no’ answers out early the greater your chances of getting past the gatekeeper. The questions don’t need to be anything more than a reiteration of your polite request to be put through. The best way to explain it is through an example:
Me: Good morning. Can I speak to John Smith please?
Gatekeeper: Can I ask who is calling?
Me: Richard Rouse. Is he in?
Gatekeeper: Can I ask what company you are calling from?
Me: RJR Consulting. Can you put me through?
The important part here is to get the tone right. You need to remain friendly but assertive. Try this in a role play with your colleagues. It really does help.
My final principle is about your data quality. It is absolutely imperative to have good quality data. There is no point trying to build a database and telemarketing in the same call. If you phone a target company and ask who the Sales Director is and then ask to be put through to him or her, no PA or receptionist will ever put you through because you have already demonstrated that you don’t know them and they will definitely not know you. It will be identified as a sales call. If you haven’t got quality data it is best to have a campaign of data building, so finding out who the relevant contact is and then phoning back a few days later and saying, “can you put me through to John Smith please?”
All these elements will dramatically improve your ratios of decision maker contacts which will ultimately improve your call outcome ratios. Please also look out for our upcoming article on improving your calling and outcome ratios.
