Dealing with Gatekeepers
Jun 21, 2024
Gatekeeper Do's and Don'ts
'Getting past the gatekeeper' has been a thing ever since I've been involved in sales
Something that's even more important if we're thinking about selling at C-level
Ability to sell at a more senior level is getting increasingly important in today's environment
Getting access to them a key part of that
Let's don the orange hat and consider some do's and don'ts
🟠 Orange Hat Thinking 🟠
Working with gatekeepers
❌ Don't think of them as a 'gatekeeper'
This promotes a negative psychology that you're going to try to brush them out the way
What you do as a result probably won't work
❌ Don't use snidey little tricks.
This is likely to p*ss them off
Ultimately it isn't going to help you in the quest to get access to the executive
❌ Don't be a knob
This will p*ss them off!
Knobishness can be defined in multitude of ways
If you need a lesson in this you probably shouldn't be selling
✅ Do think of them as someone that can help you
Use this mentality to guide how you operate
Be respectful and think how you can help them do their job
✅ Do get their title right
Many will be justifiably proud of being an executive assistant - EA
Refering to them as a secretary or even PA is likely to annoy them
✅ Do remember that they understand what an executive is looking for
They're making decisions for them on a daily (hourly) basis, so will be able to judge how what you're proposing will impact the execs objectives
🔶 The execs objectives 🔶
Let that sink in
They understand these
They are there to help them achieve them
They align all activity to this
Showing YOU understand and can align to them is your primary objective
That's your key to success
Are you ready to increase your sales?
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