The Receptionist Is Not Your Enemy

Cold calling seems to be a dirtier word every day whenever we talk about the sales process. People don’t like receiving cold calls and, in turn, they don’t like making them, but as an essential aid to your day-to-day prospecting, doesn’t it just make sense to try and turn the whole experience into something just that little bit more pleasant?

For many, the sales process itself falls flat at the first hurdle when the call is answered by the dreaded gatekeeper – that person whose sole purpose in life is to tell you to go away. He or she woke up in a perfectly good mood, had a lovely journey into work and then decided to hate the world just as soon as they entered the office.

And so we fear the gatekeeper. What’s more, we do our best to find ways around, over, or just plain straight through them. Seems reasonable, except it’s a mistake.

Why? Because that gatekeeper holds the keys to the kingdom. They have the power to turn your lead from a prospect who’s never heard of you, into your best customer. Granted, that last part is really more down to you, but that’s a whole other article.

So elicit that person’s help and, most importantly, include them in the sales process. You don’t need to kiss their backsides, and chances are they won’t appreciate it if you do, but how about just taking an extra thirty seconds in that call to ask the person their name, how their day is going and who they feel the best person would be to speak with about what you and your company are offering?

Will that always get you through? Of course not. Many companies have no names policies, although given that you can find a name on LinkedIn, one has to wonder why they still bother! Some gatekeepers will have been told to block all sales calls, so for those, you’ll need another route. But some are just perfectly nice people who will help you just because you asked nicely, so why not try it? Contact us today at Market Joy for other solutions to help your sales strategy.