Sales Strategy: Dealing with Enemies at the Gate

Danita Bye

Why Gatekeepers Are Your Allies in the Sales Process (and How to Convince Them You’re on Their Side)

If you’ve been in sales for more than ten minutes, you’re well acquainted with gatekeepers, those mythical trolls guarding the bridge who get a kick out of denying you access to decision makers unless you can answer their questions three – and probably not even then. Ask almost any salesperson what they think of these keepers of the keys to the corporate kingdom and you’ll often hear them called explicit names.
And that attitude is a big part of the problem.

Inside the Mind of the Gatekeeper

The reason gatekeepers are the way they are is that many salespeople are the way they are. Imagine you’re the gatekeeper. Your boss, the decision maker, has tasked you with guarding their valuable time and restricting access to the inner sanctum. Essentially, you’re a corporate bouncer. Now, you might start off your gate keeping career on a power trip – after all, the boss trusts your judgment, and that’s pretty heady stuff. You might be the type who’s earnestly interested in making sure only worthy requests get passed to the boss. Or, you might just be afraid of your boss’s wrath if you’re lax in your duties.

However you begin, though, you’ll probably end up jaded, curt, and cynical. Why? Because the people who are asking to cross your bridge minimize your importance. They try every trick in the book to sneak past you. They treat you like an obstacle – eight hours a day, five days a week, and fifty weeks a year. And in the interest of simple survival, you raise the shields and ready your no’s every time you see a salesperson coming.

Gatekeepers as Allies

Like you, gatekeepers are only doing their jobs. And, really, it’s a good thing that they are. If they weren’t, decision makers would be so busy dealing with products and services not worth their attention that yours wouldn’t get the consideration they deserve.

In truth, the gatekeeper is on your side, and realizing that is your first step toward the decision maker they guard.
Reframing your relationship in this way repositions gatekeepers as the vital, valued parts of the sales process that they are.
Equipped with that insight and the five tips coming up next, you’ll stand a much better chance of rising above the background noise that some gatekeepers have come to loathe and convincing them of your value to their decision makers.

5 Sales Strategy Tips for Opening the Gate

1. Can the sweet talk. Sweet talk, schmoozing, flattery – whatever you call it, it gets old fast. When gatekeepers hear it, they immediately begin looking for ways to get rid of you and get back to productive work. Why? Because it’s a signal that the value of your offering is weak and that you must resort to manipulative tactics to get an audience.

2. Involve gatekeepers in the sales process. If you’re sending a brochure or other materials, include a copy for the gatekeeper. Ask questions that recognize their position as decision makers themselves, such as, In your opinion; is my product something that could benefit your business?

3. Respect a gatekeeper’s time. Time is a resource that can’t be replenished, and gatekeepers never have enough of it. Call or show up when you say you will. Keep your conversations short and to the point. Ask if it’s a good time to speak or if you should call or stop back.

4. Get a referral. Because gatekeepers are so busy, they’re always trying to streamline their days. One of the ways they do that is to develop a mental list of contacts who don’t have to be scrutinized before being allowed to see the boss. Get a referral from one of these and get yourself on the shortlist.

5. Do your homework. If you can demonstrate knowledge of a gatekeeper’s company, principals, and needs, instead of appearing to be merely working your way down a cold call list, you get credibility points – and a much better shot at seeing the boss.

Get into Their Shoes. Get in to See the Boss.

Gatekeepers aren’t trolls who delight in turning away would-be bridge-crossers. In fact, most of them don’t even like saying no. But, it’s their job to do so. That makes it your job to step into their shoes, look at yourself from their point of view, and respect them as valuable human beings.

For more insights on Sales Strategy and Sales Process, visit Sales Growth Specialists website.

Bio: Danita Bye

Nationally recognized sales management and leadership expert Danita Bye built her reputation on building and inspiring process-oriented, no excuse, high-performance sales teams that deliver bottom line results. With her unique Fortune-100-turned-entrepreneur perspective, Danita helps CEOs and company presidents take their businesses to the next level.
Her practical, no-nonsense approach to sales management, combined with her leadership acumen, enables sales leadership to increase sales, creating predictable revenue streams.
As a 10-year veteran of the Xerox Corporation, Danita consistently achieved award winning sales performance before leaving to become an equity partner and national sales manager for a Minneapolis-based medical device company. In this capacity, she increased annual revenues from $300,000 to a run rate of $20 million in just ten years.
Danita has authored numerous articles on sales management and leadership. In addition, she was a featured as a sales development expert on the TV show, “The Ruthless Entrepreneur,” which is currently airing on the Oxygen Network. Leadership Shift, Management Acceleration and a library of eBooks on critical sales management issues are available on the Sales Growth Specialists’ website.

Danita can be reached at Danita@SalesGrowthSpecialists.com, 612-267-3320 or 800-256-2799.

For more insights on Sales Strategy and Sales Process, visit www.SalesGrowthSpecialists.com.