Presence of gatekeepers:
Today’s decision makers constantly struggle to keep pace with time, they have multiple tasks to perform, loads of people to satisfy. They naturally don’t want anyone to eat into their time and are likely to have one or more layers of call screeners or gatekeepers to prevent an unsolicited salesperson from reaching them. These gatekeepers may be administrative assistants, personal secretaries, direct reports,receptionists etc and they present a great challenge for B2B appointment setting companies.
Getting past call screeners:
It is imperative to be adept at the art of avoiding getting weeded out by these call screeners if one wants to get to the decision makers. Some sales people try to bluff their way through but dishonesty hardly ever pays. Here are a few tips of dealing effectively with the gatekeepers.
Call with specific information:
If your B2B appointment setting outsourcing vendor calls randomly without the exact names and designations of the decision makers, they are wasting their time and yours too. The call screeners are experienced people, they are quick to sense an intruder if the caller doesn’t know the name of the decision maker. They are placed there specifically to save the time of their superiors and won’t let you go through.
Be honest:
As mentioned earlier, dishonesty doesn’t pay,especially when you want to build trust. Call screeners virtually have a sixth sense, they know instantly if someone is trying to bluff their way through. They are obviously not going to allow a dishonest person to have any interaction with their boss. It’s always best to mention your purpose clearly and honestly and take a chance, may be your call will be put through to the decision maker.
B2B appointment setting companies must train their sales persons to be courteous, efficient and trustworthy. Doing your research and knowing the exact names and designations of the decision makers is very important, and referrals always help.