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Cold calling is a powerful tool for reaching decision makers. However, one of the biggest challenges here is to get past gatekeepers.
They act as the first line of defense to protect their executives’ time, but with the right approach, you can turn them into allies rather than obstacles. The key lies in understanding their role and tailoring your communication to align with their priorities.
In this article, we’ll walk through five highly effective strategies to help you get past gatekeepers in cold calling. Whether you’re struggling with constant rejections or looking to refine your approach, these methods will help you improve your outreach and increase your chances of connecting with the right decision makers.
Who are Gatekeepers?
The Gatekeeper (GK) is the individual you’re likely to encounter during a cold call, tasked with determining whether your call reaches the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). Their primary responsibility is to shield the ICP from unsolicited calls or distractions that could disrupt their workflow.
For Sales Development Representatives (SDRs), the goal is to secure a meaningful conversation with the ICP. However, achieving this often requires navigating the gatekeeper. You can do it by persuading them, building rapport, or finding ways to bypass their screening process. Successfully engaging with the GK can differentiate between a missed opportunity by your sales rep and a productive conversation with the decision maker.
Sales Rep’s Call to Get Past Gatekeepers
How to Get Past Gatekeepers in Cold Calling?
The following 5 strategies will help increase your chances to get past gatekeepers and achieve your target.
1. Be Brief & Keep Silent
Ask your question directly and keep it brief, and no need to anything more. After delivering your short, scripted line, remain completely silent. You need to hold your ground and wait for the gatekeeper to respond.
Remember, whoever breaks the silence first loses.
The typical mistake you might make –
- You ask for the person directly by keeping it short and confident, which is good.
- The gatekeeper pauses, silently deciding whether you’re worth passing the call through.
- The silence makes you uneasy, so you start talking and explaining why your call matters, how you qualified the ICP, pitching your solution, or saying something unnecessary.
- In doing so, you end up sabotaging yourself.
- The gatekeeper, now convinced, blocks you and refuses to transfer the call.
You need to ask the ICP with confidence in your sales call.
Speak to the Gatekeeper with confidence. You need to feel that your call is important so you can show them it’s important. Skip the small talk and address the Gatekeeper directly. Use a calm, steady voice to sound senior and authoritative. Make it seem like the ICP expects or would appreciate your call, as this helps avoid defensive reactions. Don’t mention your company’s name or bring up any researched information about the prospect. Here are some examples:
Example:
SDR: “Juan from Finance, please. This is [Name].”
GK: “What is this regarding?”
SDR: “The implementation of the expense management solution. [or any of your other product or service]”
If the Gatekeeper doesn’t cooperate, keep firm and direct in your approach. Further possibilities:
Scenario – GK asks if the ICP expects you:
“I don’t have an appointment, but could you please tell Juan that [Name] from [Company] is on the line?”
If the GK asks you if the ICP will know what topic it is about:
“Not specifically, but you can tell Juan it is about [topic]. I am happy to wait in line, thank you.”
You should ask for a name, not a job position.
At the start of the call, we must verify if the ICP is the one who answers the phone by asking the name of the ICP: “Hello, is this Robin?”
If the Gatekeeper answers the call, we will ask for the name of the person, not their job position. For bigger companies, we should also say their last name or the department where they work, so the Gatekeeper can locate them.
“Hello, I’d like to talk to Tom (Spencer from Finance).”
If we don’t know the name of our ICP but someone else in the company, we can mention or refer to that employee if we talked or interacted with them:
“Hi, Marc from Marketing told me to get in contact with the responsible for Finance, but I just don’t remember the name. Can you pass me through to the Head of Finance please?”
A typical mistake is to ask for a person for whom we don’t know the name by asking by job position:
“Can I talk to the Finance Director?”.
Or even worse, describing the ICP’s responsibilities to the Gatekeeper to help us identify them
“I’m looking to talk to the responsible person for Recruiting please, who would that be?”
2. Be Unfriendly At First & Create Fear
Two primary concerns drive gatekeepers. Firstly, they fear forwarding a call that the ICP might deem unimportant or disruptive. Secondly, they are equally anxious about failing to pass along a call, which could be significant. This dual apprehension can be strategically leveraged to instill fear by shaping their actions to align with desired outcomes.
Example:
SDR: “Hi, who am I talking to?”
GK: “It’s Jason, who is it?”
SDR: “Hi Jason, how are you? I am [Name]. I was calling to talk with Abdul from Finance.”
GK: “What is this regarding?”
SDR: “Look, there are some financial issues with some of the international transactions I would like to talk to him to see how we could manage this.”
3. Be Complicated But ICP Targeted
The primary role of the gatekeeper (GK) is to determine whether you are pertinent or merely a timewaster for the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). When conversations veer into overly technical territory, gatekeepers might lack the expertise required to judge the relevance.
Here’s a strategy: You can introduce complexity by using sufficiently technical and perplexing language that makes it challenging for the GK to grasp the full scope of the conversation.
Yet, it’s crucial to maintain enough clarity so the GK remains confident that the ICP should handle the matter being discussed. You should focus the conversation on the ICP by explicitly referencing the relevant department or the specific responsibilities of the ICP.
Example:
GK: “What is this call about?”
SDR: “It’s about international wire transfers within the SEPA region at 0 interest rate, forever.” (when it’s actually about sending money)
4. Make The Gatekeeper Your Ally
Building trust can significantly enhance the outcomes of future interactions with the gatekeeper (GK). There are several methods to establish a connection and express empathy towards the GK:
Firstly, demonstrate your appreciation by treating them with respect and always being polite and honest. Remembering to ask for their name and using it in subsequent conversations can make a big difference.
Echoing their responses also conveys that you actively listen and understand their perspective. Engaging in light conversation, such as asking about their day or referencing a previous interaction, can further solidify this connection.
The key is to create a sense of collaboration, positioning yourself as working with the GK rather than above them, turning the gatekeeper into both a friend and an ally.
SDR Calling to Get Past Gatekeepers
If initial attempts don’t fully establish this rapport, here are the main steps to befriending the gatekeeper:
- Secure their name during the first call.
- In subsequent calls, use their name and maintain a friendly demeanor.
- Only make your request after establishing a good rapport.
Real example: [After previous conversations with the GK]
SDR: “Hi, is it Jason?”
GK: “Yes, who is it?”
SDR: “Hi, Jason, it’s me, [Name]! How are you? Look, I would like to talk to Juan.
GK: Oh! He didn’t contact you? I gave him the note…! I will remind him to call you!
5. Refer to Another Person (in The Company)
When reaching out to a Gatekeeper, always reference the name of the person who referred you, if applicable. This not only creates the impression that you’re speaking to the right individual but also elevates your perceived importance. While such referrals can occur naturally, they are not left to chance. Strategically contacting another important ICP from a different department can actively generate the referral you need. This approach ensures you’re positioned effectively and increases your chances of success.
Example:
EMAIL [Previous email sent to Abdul (Head of Finance)]
Hi Abdul,
I’ve seen that in [Company Name] you are actively executing digital marketing campaigns and that you are actually creating a new website for your brand.
We are a company specializing in marketing automation and I thought it could be interesting for you to have a quick chat about this. Are you responsible for this kind of topic or should I talk to someone else?
Thanks,
EMAIL [Response from Abdul]:
Hi [Name],
Thank you for the email. For this kind of subject, you should talk to Juan, the Head of Marketing.
Call example after the Email.
SDR: “Hi, who am I talking to?”
GK: “It’s Jason, who is it?”
SDR: “Hi, Jason! I am [Name]. I was talking with Abdul and she referred me to David. Can I talk to him?.”
Conclusion
The strategies to get past the gatekeepers will make it easier to bypass initial resistance and reach the decision maker. Each approach serves a different purpose, whether it’s instilling urgency, making the conversation difficult to reject, or positioning yourself as someone who belongs in the conversation.
Success in cold calling will always come down to execution. Simply knowing these strategies isn’t enough, as not all gatekeepers are the same, and what works for one company may not work for another. The key is to stay flexible and experiment with different approaches until you find the most effective way to break through.
