How To Get Past The Gatekeeper When…

“What do you say to a gatekeeper who won’t patch you through to your prospect’s voicemail and wants to take a message instead?”

If you OCCASIONALLY run into a gatekeeper that won’t even put your call to voicemail, you would leave the same message with the gatekeeper that you would have left on the prospect’s voicemail.

The key is that your message (whether left on voicemail or left with the gatekeeper) has to pique your prospect’s interest. It must have the “What’s In It For Them?” factor to get a callback.

How To Get Past The Gatekeeper Example

Here’s an example:

“We recently helped (NOW MENTION ONE OF THEIR COMPETITORS YOU RECENTLY HELPED) increase sales by 10% over the past three months by eliminating call reluctance from their team.

There’s a possibility we may be able to do the same for (Prospect), but I would need to ask him a few questions first to be sure. He can reach me at 888-264-0562.”

How To Get Past The Gatekeeper Sales Script Template:

Here’s a blank sample for you to copy and create your own:

“We recently helped (COMPETITION) gain/increase/avoid (BENEFIT GAINED) by (PAIN POINT SOLVED).

There’s a possibility we may be able to do the same for (PROSPECT/COMPANY), but I would need to ask him a few questions first to be sure. He can reach me at ___________________________ Ext. _________.”

You have to sound confident and sincere with the assistant/gatekeeper.

It’s essential to role-play and ensure your tone and delivery are spot on.

You can also ask the executive assistant/gatekeeper for her email like this:

“Why don’t I email you the info, and if you feel they want to discuss it further, you can forward it to him/her – fair enough?”

If the gatekeeper gives you their email address, you can see how the emails are formatted (example: firstname.lastname@ or FirstInitialLastName@)

And before you ask, NO, you don’t ignore the gatekeeper and send the email directly to the prospect – especially if this gatekeeper is an assistant to the executive you are trying to reach.

If you don’t hear back from the prospect in 24 hours, now would be the time to send them a direct email.

After getting the gatekeepers email, I would then also look up the prospect on LinkedIn and request a connect and a quick mention of the WIIFT (what’s in it for them)

It’s also important to have a standard “cadence” to follow. So far, this is what your touch points look like:

Day 1: Call / Gatekeeper Message + Email / LinkedIn Connection Request
Day 2: Email directly to prospect (If no reply, see day 3)
Day 3: Call

If on Day 3, you call and the gatekeeper shuts you down flat, and the prospect has not accepted your LinkedIn request nor has responded to you from your email – I would take a minute and restate my case to the gatekeeper:

“I’m sure you and (prospects name) get contacted every day by salespeople – however the reason for my call is there’s a strong possibility that we might be able to (now drop the hammer on a major hot button/pain point), but we would need to have a quick conversation to be sure. So if you were me, how would you recommend we make that happen?”

If you win the gatekeeper over with that, great! If not, it might be time to throw the gatekeeper and the prospect back in the lake and let your drip email marketing campaigns take over.

How To Get Past The Gatekeeper Who Is Persistent

A Persistent Gatekeeper Problem

If this scenario (Gatekeepers refuse to put your calls through to voicemail) is happening more than once in a while, it’s an indicator that your MESSAGE and your TONE are creating the problem.

The gatekeepers are picking up that you might not be on the prospect’s radar already and maybe deciding not to let you near them. To avoid this in the future, record your calls and have someone who doesn’t have this problem listen and critique what you are saying and how you are saying it.

Michael Pedone – Founder of SalesBuzz.com