Last week I was talking to a client about some of his new hires. He told me that some of them are struggling to get to the decision makers, and he thought it was because they were “throwing the goalie.” I heard some of his calls, and he was right!

Here’s the mistake: Many sales reps have never been taught the proper way to deal with gatekeepers, so after being vetted by them, they adopt the attitude that “if only they (the gatekeeper) knew how much would this benefit the (manufacturer decision), then they would put me through! “Then they start throwing them …

That’s bad …

Let’s recap the role of the receptionist / doorman: the receptionist’s job is to answer calls and direct them to the right person. They are trained to gather the information needed to give the person they are transferring the call to, things like name, company name, and sometimes what the call is about.

Here’s something that many sales reps misunderstand: The receptionist’s role is not to pry, debrief, and debrief callers. They will only do this if the caller telegraphs himself as the seller. And many frustrated repetitions point this out by:

1) Just give your first name and try to trick the receptionist by pretending to be a “friend” of the person you are trying to contact.
2) Do not give the name of your company. (May’s representatives try to hide the fact that they are calling a company. This only arouses suspicion and raises a red flag.)
3) Not having a scripted approach to the question, “Will he / she know what this call is about?”
4) Not being polite and using the magic words: “Please” and “Thank you”
5) Don’t use an instructive statement.

Let me say this again: for the most part, the receptionists, doormen, etc. are not there to exclude you. They are there to capture basic information and then put the call through. Notice I said, “for the most part”. Certainly there are exceptions (in small offices etc) where your job is to exclude it, but you can still overcome many of them if you use the best practice approach below.

Here’s the script I was using last week to communicate with some high-powered decision makers. Works:

Guardian: “XYZ Company, how can I help you?”

YOU: “Hello, can I speak to {name}, please?” (Say this with a bright, warm smile in your voice. Be safe and friendly.

Doorman: “And what is your name, please?”

YOU: “Please tell him {your first and last name} is calling, please.”

Doorman: “And can I tell you from the company you are calling?”

YOU: “Yes, please! Please tell him {your first and last name again} with the {name of your company} you are holding please”

Again, smile, be kind and confident. If you follow this exact script, you will go 60% of the time without further exams.

If they ask, “And what is this call about?”

YOU reply: “Please tell him it’s about {what your call is about – ‘Your Lead Stream’}, and I’m happy to wait, please …”

Did you notice the “pleases”? What about instructional statements? Did you notice the exact order?

These techniques will allow you to get past the goalkeeper, without further controls, more than 75% of the time. You do not believe me? Try it for a week (not just one or two calls!).

What doesn’t work is throwing the goalkeeper. That only identifies you as a salesperson, and in many cases, you start to beg them to help you. And that’s the last person they’ll come across: a begging salesman.

So, make a commitment to yourself this week and start using this proven technique. You will be amazed at how many decision makers you start to communicate with.