by Matt Price: Today I want to teach you one simple telesales trick to disarm those individuals in a business who I call the “gatekeeper” or “guard dog.” These are the individuals who are the first line of defense against sales calls and consumer complaints for the business owners. Consider it an occupational hazard that businesses are not interested in any marketing calls. As telesales professionals let’s use these hazards to our advantage instead of beating our heads against the same ol’ brick wall over and over.
To be a true telesales professional you must learn to read the person on the other end of the phone line. Understanding how to use what you say and how you say it to lead the conversation in the direction you choose is one of the first things you will want to master. The tip that I’m about to give you leverages the psychological conditioning that gatekeepers experience when screening calls for their managers and employers. Using this simple idea will get you to the decision maker of the business with little or no resistance.
Keep the gatekeeper’s mindset in your thoughts as you design your scripts, especially when it comes to introducing yourself. By using this simple trick you will notice many times a less experienced gatekeeper will not even ask who you are before getting you to the decision maker. However, when dealing with a more experienced gatekeeper, you will not slide by so easily. To introduce yourself properly is very important so that you do not raise any alarms; keep those guard dogs quiet.
*SUPER TIP: Even if you know the name of the owner, use this simple line when trying to reach the owner or manager of a business on the phone:
“Hi, may I speak to the owner or manager?”
Are you surprised by the use of these simple words? Understand that how you say words can have a much greater impact than the actual words. In this instance the “gatekeeper” is accustomed to either telemarketers who have a very energetic opening statement or dissatisfied customers whose voice tone is angry or upset. Therefore, to say this line with no excitement, happy expression, or emotion is very important.
Since the business decision maker has likely given that gatekeeper instruction not to transfer sales calls, do not give him or her the power of discernment. By saying your opening line with no expression or emotion, the gatekeeper’s subconscious defenses cannot identify what type of caller you are. You will notice in most cases the gatekeepers interpret your lack of expression and emotion as agitation. This will send the gatekeeper’s mindset into customer service mode which, in turn, grants you much easier access to the owner or manager.
Tip From James: I know many of you have heard me say something almost exactly opposite to this tip. I want to explain why. My sales tips deal with face to face interaction. When you walk into a business it will be obvious that you are not a customer and so you must use other tactics to reach the decision maker. What Matt is presenting here is a simple mind trick. Make the gatekeeper think you are a customer. If they believe that, they will likely connect you with the decision maker.
My add on tip to this post is that when the gatekeeper asks the inevitable follow up question, “May I ask who is calling?” Simply respond like a customer would by providing your full name. “Yes, this is James Shepherd.” Then, if you really want to push past the gatekeeper quickly say, “Thank You” after giving your name. Here is how this would go on the phone.
You: “Hi, may I speak to the owner or manager?” (You might even try, “I need to speak with the owner or manager.” The important thing, as Matt pointed out is no emotion, if you sound like a sales person, you will not get past the gatekeeper)
Gate Keeper: “May I tell her who is calling?”
You: “Yes, this is James Shepherd, thank you…” (silence will follow for a couple seconds while the gatekeeper decides if any other qualifying questions should be asked.)
Gate Keeper: “Hold on I will see if she is available.” (Mission accomplished!)
This was a great tip from Matt! Make sure you don’t miss Matt’s 3 hour workshop on Monday from 2pm to 5pm EST. He will walk you step by step through the process of scheduling solid appointments over the phone. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE