Tom and Jerry represent the relationship between a sales rep and a gatekeeper. In the cartoon, Jerry often finds clever ways to get past Tom to get what he wants, similar to how salespeople interact with gatekeepers.
When you call someone in a company to make a sale, you often face people who control access to the decision-makers. This can make it hard to reach the right person and lead to missed sales for your sales teams. To get past the gatekeeper, there are some basic sales strategies for cold calling.
In this blog post, we will look at what a gatekeeper does, share effective strategies to get past them, and provide specific examples and scripts for different industries to help you connect with the decision-makers by getting past the gatekeeper in sales to make purchases. Letâs get started!
Understanding the Role of a Gatekeeper
Understanding the gatekeeper’s role is critical to getting past them in cold calling. Gatekeepers are usually executive assistants, receptionists, administrative individuals, or personal assistants who control decision-maker access, i.e., whom to connect with their bosses.
They do this by filtering out unwanted calls, cold emails, or even unwanted physical visits to their boss. When someone calls a decision-maker, a chief or C-level employee, or someone who stands on the hierarchical level, the gatekeeper usually grants access or control access to these individuals.
This gatekeeper of decision-makers also prioritizes important requests or messages or manages meetings deemed necessary for the organization’s well-being.
Sales reps often need to maintain a good relationship with the gatekeeper. Season cold caller and the C.E.O. of Calling Agency, James Limbert, suggests that having a gatekeeper often acts as a barrier to the sales calls as they hold the door to decision-makers.
Therefore, you will need to bypass these gatekeepers to make a good sales call and close more leads through cold calling.
After extensive research, we have developed effective cold-calling strategies for bypassing gatekeepers; let’s dive in!
Top 6 Effective Strategies for Bypassing Gatekeepers
When you find a gatekeeper, you must first convince them to get hold of the potential prospect. Below, we have outlined some practical strategies to get past the gatekeeper of your cold call:
1. Research And Preparation
According to veteran cold-calling expert James Limbert, “Research, research, research, and then preparation is the key to making a successful cold call and getting past the gatekeeper.”
Mr. James suggests that you must first and foremost research the company thoroughly. Through your research, you will need to identify key decision-makers and their job roles and responsibilities, as well as learn about the gatekeeper position, responsibilities, and potential areas of interest.
You may gather that professional information using various means, such as LinkedIn, the company website, or other social media websites.
When you are prospecting companies, understanding their industry is compulsory. Before calling, you must be mindful and learn the challenges faced or running in the industry. If possible, try to learn the pain points as well as the needs of the company.
Preparation is key. Tailoring your messages to address specific needs and interests is a must. This personal touch will make your approach more engaging and increase your chances of success.
Benefits of Research and Preparation
There are several benefits of research and preparation for effective strategies for bypassing gatekeepers, such as:
- Understanding your targeted audience
- Being well-prepared demonstrates professionalism.
- Assist in better decision-making
- Anticipate challenges and allow to develop strategies.
- Boost your confidence, as you know you are well prepared.
2. Build Rapport
The Calling Agency, which has been in the cold-calling industry for 10+ years, advises against selling anything to the gatekeeper. Instead, they recommend building a trusted, positive relationship and rapport with them.
Experts suggest building humor and maintaining a friendly, approachable demeanor to help establish rapport.
Many sales professionals need to respect the gatekeeper during cold calling. The gatekeeper plays a crucial role as a personal assistant to the C-level employee or key decision-maker. Rather than viewing them as an obstacle, treating them with professionalism and respect is essential.
As the saying goes in cold calling, politeness can go a long way in building positive relationships and increasing your chances of conversions. If you notice any shared hobbies or interests, making a personal connection with the gatekeeper can be helpful.
Additionally, many experts recommend being honest and transparent. Appropriate humor can make conversations more enjoyable and help you move past the gatekeeper to reach potential clients.
Benefits of Building a Rapport:
Here are some key advantages of building a rapport to get past the gatekeeper.
- Paves the way for smoother future communication.
- Gatekeepers may be more willing to facilitate your requests.
- They can offer advice on the best times to call or email.
- Assist in follow-ups to close more sales.
- Positive recommendations from them can increase the likelihood of conversions.
- Creates a positive image of the caller within the organization.
3. Direct and Concise Messaging
When speaking to the gatekeeper, it’s important to be direct and clear about your intentions. These administrative professionals often have limited time, so it’s essential to respect that.
Maintaining a calm, respectful, and professional tone is equally important.
When crafting your message, remember that the gatekeeper may not be familiar with industry terminology. Using simple, easy-to-understand language ensures that these officials feel included in the conversation.
Expert sales callers recommend avoiding overly salesy language or sounding too rehearsed, as this may signal that the call is just another sales pitch.
Benefits of Direct and Concise Messaging:
Here are the benefits of direct and concise massaging to bypass the gatekeeper.
- Reduces confusion and ensures clarity of purpose.
- Mitigate sales objection
- Demonstrates respect for their time.
- Allows the gatekeeper to make swift decisions about passing you through to the decision-maker.
- Projects professionalism and confidence.
- Quickly highlight key value propositions.
- Assist in B2B appointment setting
- It increases your chances of a favorable outcome.
4. Leverage Social Proof
Leveraging social proof is another effective strategy to bypass gatekeepers. “Mentioning satisfied clients, along with industry recognition and reputation, helps build trust and credibility with the gatekeeper,” says Norman O’Brian, team leader at Calling Agency.
When gatekeepers hear that respected industry leaders have worked with you or have benefited from your service, or you have any mutual connection with their company, they are more likely to trust you. Interestingly, when they learn that competitors or peers are using the service, they often feel a sense of urgency to ensure their employer doesn’t fall behind.
Sharing similar companies’ case studies and success stories further builds trust and makes your approach more persuasive. To enhance your use of social proof, include data and statistics supporting your successful claims.
Benefits Of Leveraging Social Proof
Leveraging social proof in cold calling can be convincing when getting past gatekeepers. Here are some key benefits:
- Builds credibility and trust
- Reduces perceived risk
- Creates a sense of urgency
- Convey more persuasive messaging.
- Provide a common ground for conversation.
5. Offer Value or Benefits
Offering value that the prospect can benefit from is a valuable strategy for bypassing the gatekeeper. When a caller acknowledges the gatekeeper’s role and provides the value and benefits of their service, it captivates their attention and makes them feel valued and integral to the process. This approach makes them more likely to listen to the pitch and allows you to get past them.
When you highlight how your solution can assist the decision-maker and solve specific problems, these associates are more likely to connect you to the decision-makers, knowing it’s in their company’s best interest.
You must note that you must refrain from making the sales pitch to the gatekeeper. However, you may give them a valued proportion and understand and know their pain points.
Benefits Of Offering Value
Here are some advantages of offering value or benefits in the cold call:
- Allows the conversation to be more engaging.
- Captures the gatekeeper’s attention easily
- More positive interaction with the gatekeeper
- Makes the gatekeeper more inclined to connect with the decision-maker.
6. Persistence but Respectful
You must be persistent yet respectful during your cold call to get past your gatekeeper. Demonstrating persistence while being respectful shows professionalism, builds trust, and increases the chances of reaching the decision-maker and finding leads for cold-calling.
While persistence is a good way to show interest, respecting the gatekeeper’s time and duties is equally important. This balance reflects professionalism and increases the chances of positive interactions in the future.
When aiming to connect with a chief-level person in an organization, it’s common for them and the gatekeeper to initially decline. However, by politely requesting a more suitable time for a callback, you can maintain your persistence and respect, ultimately leading to a more successful cold call.
The Benefits Of Being Persistent But Respectful
Below are the benefits of being persistent but respectful to get past the gatekeeper:
- Respectful persistence leaves a positive impression.
- It shows that you are serious and committed.
- It allows you to increase the likelihood of eventual follow-up.
- Leading to positive engagement and more receptiveness to your message
- Expand your professional network within the organization.
Industry-Specific Approaches
Not all industries are the same. You should take a personalized approach to get past the gatekeeper to the decision-makers according to their industry. In the section below, we have explained different strategies to get past the gatekeeper for cold calling:
1. Strategies for the Healthcare Sector
Generally, when planning a sales call in the healthcare sector, you need to understand to whom you are making the callâis it a physician, a procurement team, or a hospital admissions office?
To get past the gatekeeper of the specific department of the healthcare industry, you will need to focus on offering how your services can improve patient care and the overall outcome of the healthcare system.
Whether selling medical equipment, promoting new medicine, or offering software or services to enhance the administration process, you must research whom you are calling and highlight how your product and service can help with compliance and regulation of the medical industry.
Script For Gatekeepers For The Medical Sector:
Below is a specialized cold call script to get past the gatekeeper for the healthcare sector for your cold-calling efforts:
Calling Agent: Hi [Gatekeeper’s Name], I’m John Cena from Calling Agency. I’d like to speak to Dr. Johnson regarding the best time to make a cold call, but I wanted your opinion first. Could you spare 5 minutes?
2. Tactics for SaaS Companies
When you make sales calls to SaaS companies, i.e., software as a service, getting past the gatekeeper is tough. The decision-maker or the chief-level employees remain too busy to take your phone call.
Many experts suggest getting past gatekeepers by following tactics like the SaaS sales cycle or ninja techniques. SaaS sales cycles involve prospecting, discovering, product demos, proposals, and closing. Ninja techniques involve gathering intel, like email addresses, business cards, or other personal information, to contact the decision-maker directly.
To get into the decision-making process of this kind of technology company, you need to be persistent yet respectful. Furthermore, you must offer values and leverage social proof to make yourself essential to get past the gatekeeper.
Script for Saas Companies
Below is a personalized script for bypassing the gatekeeper when cold calling for SaaS companies:
Calling Agent: Hi, this is Norman from the Calling Agency. May I speak with Mr. Robert Downey Jr.?
Gatekeeper: Hello, this is Pepper Potts. May I know what this call is regarding?
Calling Agent: Hi, Miss Pepper Potts. I hope you’re doing well. Our product specializes in streamlining workflow processes of SaaS companies like yours, and we’ve successfully helped J.A.R.V.I.S. Inc., your well-known competitor. This would be of interest to Mr. Robert. Can you connect me with Mr. Robert Downey Jr?
Gatekeeper: Hello, Mr. Norman, I am getting you through. Please wait.
3. Best Practices for the Education Field
Educational institutions require various services, from student support and technology solutions to administrative tasks, classroom management, customer service, and janitorial services.
Cold calling can be an effective way to connect with these institutions. However, decision-makers, such as principals or headteachers, are often busy and use gatekeepers to filter calls.
Cold callers should adopt best practices, such as working on their best cold-calling opening lines to reach these individuals successfully. Building rapport with the staff, being well-prepared and professional, and emphasizing the value and benefits of their services are crucial.
Leveraging personal networks to make the pitch more compelling and maintaining a persistent yet respectful approach also increases the chances of success.
Script to Get Past the Gatekeeper for the Education Sector
Below is a classic script to get past the gatekeeper to your potential customer in the educational sector:
Calling Agent: Hi, this is Adam Gilchrist from the Calling Agency. Am I speaking with Mr. Leonardo DiCaprio, the principal of Bronx Science High School?
Gatekeeper: Hello Adam. This is Ricky Ponting, the secretary to the principal of the high school. I handle Mr. Leonardo’s schedule. May I know what this is regarding?
Calling Agent: Hi Ricky! I appreciate your role in managing Mr. Leonardo’s schedule. Our educational program enhances student engagement, and I believe this would interest your principal. We’ve helped various schools with our innovative solutions. Could you connect me to Mr. Leonardo?
4. Finance Industry
Cold calling can be a proactive approach to finding new clients, and the finance industry can significantly benefit from this outreach. However, getting past the gatekeeper is another story to generate quality leads in the finance industry.
Usually, a gatekeeper manages incoming inquiries, filters out unwanted calls, protects their boss from unwanted contact, and prioritizes requests based on importance and urgency.
So, a cold caller needs to do in-depth research before talking to the gatekeeper. Furthermore, they need to work on building a relationship by providing value and being prepared to manage any objections.
It’s crucial to maintain a respectful and confident demeanor, which can be facilitated by using a sales script specifically for gatekeepers. This approach helps the cold caller to come across as professional and competent in the financial sector.
Script to Get Past the Gatekeeper for the Finance Industry
Below is a classic script for the professionals in the finance industry aiding B2B sales:
Calling Agent: Hi, Brain Lara. I’m Sean Pall from the Calling Agency. I’d like to speak to Mr. Nasir Hossain about how to generate leads for financial advisors. Mr. Shane Warne told me that you are looking for a similar solution. Could you connect with me?”
Gatekeeper: Please wait; let me connect with you.
5. Retail Industry
Cold calling plays a vital role in achieving success in the retail sector. It helps businesses find new customers, build relationships, and understand market needs. It also allows businesses to address customer concerns, stay competitive, offer direct marketing opportunities, and build personal connections for long-term success.
However, getting past the retail industry decision-makers and gatekeepers is entirely different. James, C.E.O. of Calling Agency, says, “Gatekeepers aren’t foes; they are allies in disguise.” He suggests befriending them and making them your allies.
Moreover, to positively impact your cold-calling efforts and bypass the gatekeeper, you must extract value by addressing the industry’s pain points or critical challenges.
Script To Get Past The Gatekeeper In The Retail Industry.
Below is a gatekeeper script for building trust in the retail industry:
Calling Agent: Hi, I am Justin from the Calling Agency. May I speak to Miss Selina? Mr. Bruno told me Miss Selina is trying to improve your company’s cold-calling skills in the retail sector. Can you please connect?
6. Manufacturing Sector
Cold calling can be an effective strategy for selling products and services in the manufacturing industry or any company involved in manufacturing. However, reaching decision-makers within manufacturing plants requires a well-thought-out approach to bypass gatekeepers.
Experts recommend conducting thorough research to gather accurate data on the gatekeeper and the prospect. This can involve using resources like company websites, LinkedIn profiles, and social media platforms.
It’s important to remember that gatekeepers are humans, so being friendly and professional helps in building rapport.
Additionally, crafting a detailed, personalized script tailored to the gatekeeper in the manufacturing sector can significantly improve your chances of success.
Script to Get Past the Gatekeeper in the Manufacturing Sector
Below is a personalized script for getting past the gatekeeper in the manufacturing sector. It asks for the gatekeeper’s opinion.
Calling Agent: Hi Britney. Iâm Adam from The Calling Agency. Iâd like to speak to Mrs. Decaprio regarding the best cold-calling opening lines to close more sales for your manufacturing company. Still, I wanted your opinion first because Iâm unsure if it fits your team well. Could you spare 5 minutes?
Final Verdict
To make the most of your cold-calling efforts, you need to understand the gatekeeper’s role and employ an effective strategy. This understanding will enrich your chances of making a meaningful connection to further connect with the decision-maker.
Research and preparation are the foundation of a successful cold-calling strategy. They allow you to tailor your approach, build rapport, and make the gatekeeper more comfortable connecting you to the decision-maker.
Furthermore, adapting your approach based on industry specifics can also help achieve better results. Combining these strategies can turn perceived barriers into valuable supporters for your cold-calling efforts.
Cold calling is complex and has a lower success rate than any other marketing form. But for the last 10+ years, Calling Agency has pioneered the cold calling industry, with 99% of its satisfied clients.
Their extensive experience and trained agents guarantee a 100% refund if their clients don’t achieve the required success. Contact Calling Agency for a free consultation to maximize your cold calling efforts.
