Sales is not for the faint of heart.

I don’t care what any of the other sales gurus say…

You gotta have a little dawg in you.

Especially when in comes to Gatekeepers.

Make no bones about it, their job is to keep you out.

And your job is to get through.

You can be Mr. Nice Guy and ask politely all you want.

But, guess what?

Debbie don’t care. She’s paid hourly to keep Nice Guys like you, out.

So, what do you do if asking nicely doesn’t work?

Here are 5 strategies you might try…

#1 Have The Balls To Call Their Cell

First things first…

The best way to get around the gatekeeper is to call the Decision Maker (DM) directly on their cell.

You can find most DM cell numbers using apps like ZoomInfo or MiEdge.

It takes balls to call a DMs cell, but boy is it effective.

You’d be surprised how many of them answer and are willing to have an impromptu conversation with you about their insurance.

Now, I know, I know… you’re probably thinking to yourself…

Max, what if I don’t have their cell phone number and I HAVE to go through the gatekeeper?

Don’t worry I got you covered there too.

#2 Act Like They’re Your Brother

I’m not suggesting you pretend to be their brother. Haha.

I’m saying ASK for them like they’re your brother.

Here’s what I mean…

Most cold calls I hear go like this, “Hey Debbie, this is Mike Deez with XYZ Insurance. Is Jeff Smith available?”

Is that how you would ask for your brother?!

OF COURSE NOT.

Every gatekeeper knows to screen that call.

Instead, ask like you’re expecting to be let through.

Something like…

“Deb, it’s Mike again. Lookin’ for Jeff.”

or…

“Jeff in?”

Debbie is trained to keep people out, but she also doesn’t want to piss important people off who are supposed to get through.

#3 Attack Their Flank

Let’s say you try Jeff a couple of times, but Debbie’s holding fast.

Next, try the side door.

Debbie won’t let you through to Jeff the owner, but I guarantee you she’ll let you through to Donny in Sales.

When Donny answers you might say something like…

“Donny? Oh, wrong department. I’m looking for Jeff.”

Donny doesn’t care about screening your call.

He’s busy scrolling YouTube, getting his daily dopamine drip.

He’ll pass you through more times than not.

#4 Call After Hours

Most DM’s are either the Owner or the CFO, which means they don’t subscribe to punching a time clock from 9 to 5.

Sometimes they get in at 6am, and most days they leave well after 5pm.

Now, Debbie the gatekeeper, she definitely punches out at 5. She’s not working a minute more.

And guess who the phones are forwarded to after 5?

You guessed it… Jeff.

He doesn’t want to miss another sale or a call from an unhappy customer. He’s gonna pick up that phone when it rings after hours.

#5 The Email Rope-a-Dope

If the strategies you’ve read so far make you feel a little queezy, you definitely wont like this one.

If I’ve had no luck with any of the above I try one last Hail Mary.

I wait a few weeks to call back in. Give Debbie time to forget my number in her sea of caller IDs.

Then I hit her with the email rope-a-dope.

You remember how she’s happy to pass you through to Donny?

Let’s use that to our advantage.

Try something like this…

Debbie: This is Acme Trucking.

Max: Hey, I’m trying to reach Donnie.

Debbie: Ok, hold on…

Max: Wait Debbie, you know what… he’s probably busy. I just need to send him over a few things. I have dparker@acme[dot]com is that right?

Debbie: No, its actually don.parker@acme[dot]com.

Max: Ok, great. Thanks Debbie.

Now, you just reverse engineer Jeff’s name into the same email format.

It’s not his cell, but, at least you have his email.

Better than nothing.

Ok, That's It For This Week

If you want to hear Micah and I discuss further, catch tomorrow’s podcast.

Sorry for the delay.

See you next Sunday.

Kick ass take names,

Maximus F. Revenue IV

P.S. The first 2 sections of The Producer Playbook are done.

Here’s a sneak peek:

More details to come.

Have a great week.