How To Get Past Gatekeepers

How to Get Past The Gatekeeper (8 Pro Tips)

Ah, the classic dilemma for Enterprise sales development reps. You're trying to call a VP or C-level prospect but you have to get through their banana first.

Gatekeepers (AKA executive administration, receptionists, or office managers) are hyper-trained to keep common cold callers at bay. They're used to persistent SDRs and can smell a sales pitch from a mile abroad.

Unfortunately, there's no magical formula to go past the gatekeeper on the phone and pitch to your prospect – but there are some techniques that will boost your success rate.

Let's leap right in and learn how to get past the gatekeeper like a pro.

Here are the steps for getting past gatekeepers when cold calling:

Exist respectful and build trust
Be (mostly) honest
Don't attempt to sell to the gatekeeper
Phone call your prospect's colleagues
Try some other department
Use the content contributor excuse
Call outside of business hours
If all else fails, chat the bot

ane. Be respectful and build trust

At the end of the day, gatekeepers are just trying to do their job. Be respectful of their time and care for them with the same reverence equally you would your prospect.

Additionally, the more knowledgeable you are about the company and gatekeeper, the better risk you take for making a connection.

Attempt doing a little LinkedIn research on the gatekeeper. Is at that place something you accept in mutual and does it make sense to use it as an icebreaker? Review the decision-maker'southward profile every bit well. Utilise background information to allow the gatekeeper know you empathize what'southward important to the decision-maker, and that your solution will be an ally to them.

Or brush up on the visitor's social media accounts. Did they just close a funding circular? Congratulate them. Change in leadership? Allow them know you're excited to run into what innovations they bring to the tabular array.

And of course, don't forget to say thanks, utilise their first proper noun, and remind them that y'all know their job is important. Manifestly sometime good manners can get a long way in building rapport.

Don't forget to say thank you to the GK, use their kickoff proper name, and remind them that you know their task is important.

two. Be (by and large) honest

Gatekeepers know most of the tricks in the volume, and lying to them will likely make your job harder. Try leading with confidence and allow them know the purpose of your call is to discuss a solution with the conclusion-maker.

Gibran Quezada, Sales Enablement Team Lead at Predictable Acquirement advises, "Be honest with the gatekeeper and tell them this is a common cold call about your value prop (and yous're not trying to sell them a magazine subscription) and ask if your prospect sets aside time for relevant cold calls. Chances might be small-scale on the ICP actually having time set aside for cold calls, but your honesty might make the gatekeeper more inclined to aid you out with the next best thing."

Just if you're going to tell a picayune white lie, brand sure to dorsum information technology up with proof. For example, try sending the DM an electronic mail with CTA that ends with "I'll give y'all a band tomorrow at 12:00 to discuss this farther". Your follow-up call with the gatekeeper could go something similar this –

"You: Skilful afternoon, (decision-maker) please. This is (your proper name)"

"GK: What'southward this regarding?"

"You: We were supposed to talk about (your solution's value proposition) at 12:00."

"GK: They're currently in another meeting."

"Oh, I hope I'm not mistaken on the hr. Do you happen to know when they'll be bachelor? I'thousand also happy to hold."

Stay friendly and confident, just if they ask any straight questions like "Is this a sales call?" – be honest. Permit them know that you lot accept been in impact with the prospect and that you are simply calling because you truly think that yous tin help their visitor.

3. Don't try to sell to the gatekeeper

When asked "What is this telephone call regarding?", don't jump into a pitch. Gatekeepers aren't your target persona, and they don't take any interest in your product or service.

Only that doesn't hateful yous should cut the conversation short. Make certain to mention whatever prior contact you lot've had with the decision-maker and try and get as much additional information yous can. Endeavor to find out the all-time fourth dimension to call or even verify a (*coughing* invented) email address.

four. Call your prospect's colleagues

Now that many offices are fully remote, gatekeepers take even more of an excuse to send you away. If you go along getting told "I can't transfer yous through because so-and-so is working from dwelling" – try calling your prospect'due south colleagues.

Our Senior SDR Seb Sanders elaborates – "A fiddling trick that I've been trying throughout the last few months, is contacting people effectually the targeted heir-apparent persona. If y'all're trying to speak to a sure Ideal Customer Profile, there will manifestly be other people in their department close to them."

"And whether you're completely honest about it, 'I'yard looking to speak to this person' or you're a little chip more than sneaky about 'Oh, pitiful I thought this was, (your prospect's) number, don't suppose you could forward me to them?', it works."

Many times this tactic will get you lot names, electronic mail addresses, and even telephone numbers of decision-makers. Or perhaps y'all'll fifty-fifty make a champion out of the person yous speak with.

five. Try another department

Remember, not every department or prospect has a gatekeeper. And one especially helpful department is Man Resources – they know everyone in the company. So if you're looking for a prospect's contact info and you can't notice the number anywhere, perhaps give Hour a ring.

Sales is another department that's always happy to pick upward the telephone. Build rapport from sales rep to sales rep, and perchance you'll get a telephone number, or even a referral, out of it.

If you lot're looking for a prospect's contact info and you lot tin't detect the number anywhere, try some other department like HR, or the sales team.

6. Utilise the ego-hook content tactic

This is one of our nearly successful getting past the gatekeeper cold telephone call tactics that we use here at Bloobirds – but it requires a expert amount of follow-through.

Incorporating prospects into your content strategy non only helps your marketing squad create more than relevant editorials but can also help SDRs get their foot in the door. For instance, get-go a content series called Best Practices From (Insert Your Buyer Persona Here).

All you lot demand is a Google Doc with a few details and a couple of key questions. For example, try sending the DM an e-mail or LinkedIn message asking the prospect to participate by filling out a few questions. Next, attempt out this intro as a cold telephone call script –

"You lot: Expert morning time, (decision-maker) please. This is (your name)"

"GK: What's this regarding?"

"You: I'1000 supposed to have a quick 5-infinitesimal interview with him for an ebook titled Top Tips From Sales Operations Experts."

"GK: They're currently in another meeting."

"Oh, no worries. We are on a tight editorial deadline – would you happen to know when they'll be available? I'one thousand as well happy to hold."

This is also a great tip for moving from chatting with a champion to edifice a human relationship with a decision-maker. Creating relevant content and building trust and rapport with potential customers are positive side effects of this jump-the-gatekeeper sales tip.

7. Call outside business hours

To circumvent the GK completely, effort to phone call earlier or later the usual working hours. Determination-makers often arrive early or stay longer at work.

And when it comes to emails, try scheduling your message to hit their inbox on Saturday morning. Lots of execs wake up on their day off and check out emails before relaxing for the weekend.

This strategy tin exist reserved for after you've finished the full cadency or outreach sequence, or if you haven't been able to surpass the GK in any of the attempts. Success with this tactic will as well depend a lot on the market place you are calling and their usual working hours.

eight. If all else fails, chat the bot

Chatbots assistance businesses to catechumen website visitors. Only in fifty-fifty meliorate news – they tin also help you convert prospects into customers.

In general, the marketing squad runs the chatbot. And while they might not necessarily be more open than gatekeepers, they're definitely less trained in blocking SDRs.

So, try your luck and see if you tin can get referred from the chatbot. Or at least attempt to make a friend and find out more information about your determination-maker.

The bottom line

Getting past a gatekeeper is tough – only not incommunicable. Using a combination of these calling techniques and a sales engagement platform is your best bet for contacting decision-makers.

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