Cold Calling Gatekeepers: What to Say and Not Say
Cold Calling Gatekeepers: What to Say and Not Say
“I am in charge of cold calling companies to set up face-to-face appointments in the hopes that they may be open to changing banks. When I call and get the Gatekeeper, I mention my name, my company and the reason for the call – and ask her to put me through. The Gatekeeper will reply that their boss “is all set with their current bank, and not looking to make any changes.” How should I respond?”
If you want to get past gatekeepers, you need to fix what you are saying before her rejection. Whatever it is that you are saying in your “reason for the call” is the problem.
Common Gatekeeper Mistakes Salespeople Make
Salespeople make two common mistakes when it comes to gatekeepers:
- They say too little
- They say too much
The Evasive Approach
When you try being evasive and avoid giving the gatekeeper the reason for your call, it raises red flags for them, which causes them to hold firm and start asking more questions. That is not a winning sales strategy. You will lose more often than you will win in this scenario.
The Upfront Approach
On the flip side, when you over-explain the reason for your call, you give the gatekeeper way too much power. You gave them the ability to decide whether or not their company can benefit from your service. That kind of decision-making is not theirs to make; however, the way you approached it put them in that situation.
The Solution
If the gatekeeper responds, “we’re all set with their current bank and not looking to make any changes, ” it tells me that your “reason for the call” is the problem.
Rather than mentioning to the gatekeeper that you want to speak to the decision-maker about switching banks, make a list of the top three issues that would cause a prospect to want to change banks (these are problems that you specialize in solving) and mention that you have an idea on how to possibly help them avoid (problem).
It will be hard for the Gatekeeper to tell you his/her boss is uninterested in solving that problem.
Michael Pedone – Founder of SalesBuzz.com
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