The Selling Essentials Minute, Ep. 6: Prospecting: Talking to the Gatekeepers

Welcome to the another installment of the Selling Essentials Minute.

The Selling Essentials Minute is a series of videos that offers one sales idea in about sixty seconds. You can use the Minute to kick off a sales meeting, push an idea out to your team, start a discussion or reinforce your training.

On today’s episode, we take a look at what sales reps can do to win the support of the gatekeeper standing in the path to a sale.

Video Transcript:

They called them GATEKEEPERS. They’re the assistant, secretaries and receptionists that stand between you and the person you’re trying to reach. Get them on your side and you could end up with a sale. But treat them like the hired help and your chances of getting through are about as good as an amateur against the world’s champ.

WHY? Because that gatekeeper is smarter than you. That’s right, they know more about their company that you do, they know what their boss is interested in better than you do, and they possess the rare ability to separate the important from the unimportant. Not only to screen out time wasters but to put through people who can actually help their boss.

So, acknowledge their value and intelligence, answer their questions patiently and with the respect due a pro who knows a heck of a lot more than you. But treat them like dummies and that gate will slam shut.

By the way, in case you’ve missed any episodes, or if you want to watch one again, you can find the complete collection of Selling Essentials Minutes here.