Dear Ms. Marketing: Getting Past the Front Desk
Dear Ms. Marketing: Getting Past the Front Desk
Welcome to the world of the feared gate keepers. We have all been in front of the great Oz. The gate keeper is one of the biggest barriers in sales. Salespeople think they’re smarter than the gatekeeper but the opposite is true.
The gatekeeper has seen all and heard all. She or he can smell a salesperson before they get out of their cars. They can always tell when you are sincere or insincere. They will not tolerate impatient know-it-alls. Nor will they tolerate a condescending manner, or an impatient of any kind.
Now that we have that out of the way here are some ways to get past the gatekeepers and enter into the castle.
- Be friendly and nice.
- Be sincere.
- Know the name of the decision maker before you call.
- Don’t try old worn out sales tactics.
- If at all possible, tell the truth.
- Have a response for “What’s this in reference to?”
- Ask for help. Example: What’s the best time? When does he or she get into the office?
- Be original. If you don’t come up with something original to make the gatekeepers think you are the best thing, you will get nowhere.
Example: I have been giving out bowls of ice cream in this heat.
What I do is get the small individual size cups of ice cream and fill up a plastic bowl which you can get for a dollar or two now and go into the office and announce, “I have you a bowl of ice cream for you all.” It works every time.
When it comes to the gatekeepers they can be the death of you.
Be nice and be polite you never know when the boss may ask what they thought of you and this may determine your fate.
