If you were to believe the receptionists or as we tend to call them “gatekeepers” that we speak to every day you would be under the impression that companies are holding meetings with senior execs making decisions about whether they can release the name or not of the directors, which are already in the public domain, but the truth is there is rarely ever such a thing. Instead there is the receptionist making up the immaculate excuse to shift us telemarketers off the phone as quick as possible with an excuse that we cannot argue against.
So, if you want to proactively get ahead of your peers and develop proactive sales meetings from your target audience then you need to "put your body on the line". By this I mean get stuck into the calling and not allow any form of obstacle "gatekeepers" get in your way.
We know that before we speak with a senior exec it is likely that we will have to pass through reception & the PA. Both have the potential of presenting you with barriers that may appear difficult to overcome. Here are the most regular blocking techniques that we see everyday in our lead generation and our basic approach to them.
1. "No names policy" – Don’t waste time debating. Just ask for the CEO's PA. Then ask them the same question. You will be amazed how many time this works. If not call back every few days and ask again and again, and again. It is highly unlikely that this is "Company policy". It is most likely the personal choice of the person you are speaking too and they have to take holiday etc eventually. Then someone else will answers the phone and hey presto.
2. "Send me information and I'll pass it on. If they are interested I will call you back" - WE NEVER AGREE TO THIS. The moment that you release information gatekeepers can block you unilaterally. We call with the express intention of holding a business discussion. Stand your ground and call back another time without sending information. Otherwise you might as well have just had a direct mail campaign.
3. "They never take cold calls" - Ask / insist the gatekeeper attempts to put the call through. This works about 30% of the time. For the balance thank them and just call back and try again another day.
4. "Tell me what’s it about and I'll let you know who would be the best person" - DON'T DO IT. Again gatekeepers will never tell you that you intended to speak to the right person, and end up palming you off to a subordinate. Ultimately, this just sabotages your sales process. Just stand your ground and if necessary call back another day.
If telemarketing was easy companies would be overwhelmed with new business. The facts show it is not. You need to be dedicated, consistent and persistent.
If you are going improve any one skill, concentrate on getting past gatekeepers. It is the single biggest factor that will increase the number of meetings you create.
Basis lead generation stats show that for every 100 calls to a director of a £100million+ company you will speak to 10 people and then make 1 meeting. Speaking to just 2 extra people a day would increase the number of meeting you can make in a full working week from 5 to 6. Take a moment to calculate through what that would mean to your business based on sales value, margin and close ratio. Then you can see the impact it makes.
So, if you want to proactively get ahead of your peers and develop proactive sales meetings from your target audience then you need to "put your body on the line". By this I mean get stuck into the calling and not allow any form of obstacle "gatekeepers" get in your way.
We know that before we speak with a senior exec it is likely that we will have to pass through reception & the PA. Both have the potential of presenting you with barriers that may appear difficult to overcome. Here are the most regular blocking techniques that we see everyday in our lead generation and our basic approach to them.
1. "No names policy" – Don’t waste time debating. Just ask for the CEO's PA. Then ask them the same question. You will be amazed how many time this works. If not call back every few days and ask again and again, and again. It is highly unlikely that this is "Company policy". It is most likely the personal choice of the person you are speaking too and they have to take holiday etc eventually. Then someone else will answers the phone and hey presto.
2. "Send me information and I'll pass it on. If they are interested I will call you back" - WE NEVER AGREE TO THIS. The moment that you release information gatekeepers can block you unilaterally. We call with the express intention of holding a business discussion. Stand your ground and call back another time without sending information. Otherwise you might as well have just had a direct mail campaign.
3. "They never take cold calls" - Ask / insist the gatekeeper attempts to put the call through. This works about 30% of the time. For the balance thank them and just call back and try again another day.
4. "Tell me what’s it about and I'll let you know who would be the best person" - DON'T DO IT. Again gatekeepers will never tell you that you intended to speak to the right person, and end up palming you off to a subordinate. Ultimately, this just sabotages your sales process. Just stand your ground and if necessary call back another day.
If telemarketing was easy companies would be overwhelmed with new business. The facts show it is not. You need to be dedicated, consistent and persistent.
If you are going improve any one skill, concentrate on getting past gatekeepers. It is the single biggest factor that will increase the number of meetings you create.
Basis lead generation stats show that for every 100 calls to a director of a £100million+ company you will speak to 10 people and then make 1 meeting. Speaking to just 2 extra people a day would increase the number of meeting you can make in a full working week from 5 to 6. Take a moment to calculate through what that would mean to your business based on sales value, margin and close ratio. Then you can see the impact it makes.
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