Getting past a gatekeeper.

For a caller, getting past the secretary is one of the hardest things.

If you are doing a cold call and do not know who to talk to, there is the danger that you will get the classic 'if you send something through in the post, I will ensure if get to him/her'.

If the secretary knows you maybe they will block you from getting through (either by lying (yes this does happen) or by just not helping).

Secretaries are gatekeepers, they are the ones that stand between you and getting to your prospect - so they need to be handled in the right way.

Authority

Secretaries are used to authority so there is the concept that if you speak with authority and confidence, then they will snap into a submissive role and do your bidding.

This can sometimes work, but is a dangerous approach - if they call your bluff you could kill your chances of getting through.

Be Polite

9 out of 10 seasoned telemarketing companies will advise to always be polite to the gatekeepers.  Winning them over by flattery, compliments will work wonders.  You can hear when someone smiles on the phone, so if you do get them to smile or chuckle - then your chances are massively improved.

Using their name

This is kind of linked to the authority angle, if you have their name and use it- there is the illusion of a relationship and they will respond (hopefully in a positive way).  Some telemarketing gurus say that using a first name is intrusive and unprofessional - however if you want them to be your friend, you use their first name.

The nature of a gatekeeper

There is the myth that secretaries are standing in between you and your prospect, guarding them like a pit bull.  This is not the case and is indeed a myth.

Secretaries have two roles:

1/ To be helpful and offer advice

The secretaries role is to help, that is why they are there, to help their employer to manage calls, get stuff done and to put callers through.  Getting a secretary into 'helpful' mode is an art.  If you approach a secretary with 'I wonder if you can help me' or 'I was told that blah blah blah - what do you think' they will put their 'helpful hat' on and point you in the right direction

2/ To prevent unwanted time wasters

This is the pit bull angle - they are there to protect and prevent time wasting sales people using up important time.  To get a secretary on their guard is a highway to disaster - so opting for the helpful approach is always advised.

Times to talk to gatekeepers

At the end of the day gatekeepers are still people and no one likes calls first thing in the morning bang on 9am (or worse still, on a Monday morning at 9am).  Also, last thing in the evening just as they are packing up and thinking about dinner, what the kids are doing - to have a cold call from an upbeat sales person trying to get through to their boss.

Getting some telemarketing tips is always a good thing - as once you understand the basics of how to approach telemarketing, how to deal with unhelpful secretaries, how to structure your day - telemarketing is just about numbers and that is it.