As a small business owner many times the buying decision for your product or service is often a person who is at the C-level. Unfortunately getting to these influential executives is not easy due to the gatekeepers that work for these executives. However, successfully meeting with these executives can have a pay off that is often worth the effort.
So here are a few ideas to help you deal with gatekeepers.
In any sales effort, planning ahead is critical to achieving success. Make sure that prior to making any calls you know who is your prospect and who is not. There is no sense in wasting your time on people who are not your targeted prospect.
Assume that the gatekeeper will attempt to block you immediately and dismiss you off hand. Therefore, you will need to be prepared on what to say when this gatekeeper tries to get rid of you. This can take the form of simply brainstorming the most common objections and scripting appropriate responses. Then practicing enough that you are prepared and sound natural and relaxed.
Many business owners tend to charge ahead until they get stopped. Then they try to figure out what to do on the spot. When the gatekeeper tells them that they are not interested they will simply walk away and move to the next prospect.
When we have looked at the most successful businesses, and their best salespeople they have all prepared and practiced for these circumstances in advance, and avoid leaving things to chance.
Another thing that helps in improving your success is to review the call after making it. Taking the time to notice what was done right and what could have been improved upon will help tighten the script. As we stated above, it is all about practicing the changes to polish the presentation.
It all begins with having a game plan and this can make the difference between simply wasting your time getting rejected and getting through to the key decision maker.
At the Bay Area Mastermind our members learn to use proven techniques that reduce and eliminate the need to do cold calls. For more information contact our office today.