Getting
Passed the Gate Keeper
by J.Conners
We all know the feeling of going out to make our
cold calls, only to be shot down by the person at the front desk
who looks at us as nothing more than a solicitor.
These front desk people would be otherwise known
as the gate keepers.
Lets face it, getting passed the gate keeper can
be tough, we are on their turf, what they say goes. Any slight resistance
could end up with them making a call to security.
Here are few really good tips on getting passed
the gate keeper that have been proven to work.
1. Ask to speak
with someone in the sales department.
The next time you are out cold calling, the last
thing you want to do is walk into an office building, approach the
front desk, and immediately try to sell your product.
Instead, try this approach. Walk up to the receptionist
counter, introduce yourself verbally and with a business card, and
ask if you may speak with someone in their sales or retail department.
By asking to speak with someone in a specialized
department, the receptionist will believe you are there on official
business and put you in contact with that department.
Now that you are in front of someone in the same
area of work as yourself, they will most assuredly be sensitive
to your needs, and understand your situation.
These are the people in the company that will
point you in the direction you want to go, and in the direction
of the people you want to speak with about your products and services.
2. Call ahead before
you go.
Before you go out to make your calls, place a
telephone call to the companies you plan on visiting to let them
know that you will be stopping by.
Tell them something like this.
Hello, my name is Jim Smith and I will be in your
neighborhood this afternoon. I just wanted to let you know that
I will be stopping by between the hours of twelve and two to introduce
myself. That’s it, stop right there.
Do not ask for permission to stop by. This will
give them the opportunity to say no.
Once you arrive at their office, you can than
reintroduce yourself as the person that had called earlier in the
day.
This technique makes the transition from gate
keeper to decision maker much smoother.
Getting passed the gate keeper can be very tricky,
but it can be done. By following the two examples I described above,
you should find yourself talking with more decision makers. Good
luck.
This
article may be reproduced by anyone at any time, as long as the
authors name and reference links are kept in tact and active.
Jay Conners has more than fifteen years of experience
in the banking and Mortgage Industry, He is the owner of http://www.jconners.com,
a mortgage resource site, he is also the owner of http://www.callprospect.com,
a mortgage lead company.
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