{"id":4971,"date":"2022-06-02T10:00:19","date_gmt":"2022-06-02T17:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/berkonomics.com\/?p=4971"},"modified":"2022-05-24T11:40:34","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T18:40:34","slug":"how-to-reach-beyond-the-prospects-gatekeeper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/berkonomics.com\/?p=4971","title":{"rendered":"How to reach beyond the prospect\u2019s gatekeeper"},"content":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s a gatekeeper?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Looking for an entrance into a VC, an angel group, a bank, a CxO for a sales opportunity,\"\" or any other entity?\u00a0 There are always gate keepers whose job it is to filter out the inconsequential or inappropriate and allow through those with most promise.\u00a0 That said, gate keepers can and do block some great opportunities before the decision maker even has a chance to use his or her expertise to evaluate.<\/p>\n

So how do you reconcile this?\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Getting beyond the gate keeper and finding your way directly to the decision maker(s)?\u00a0 Every salesperson with a bit of street history will resonate with this question.<\/p>\n

The third-party relationship<\/strong><\/p>\n

One answer is to find someone with a relationship to the gatekeeper of the decision\u2013maker.\u00a0 LinkedIn might be good as a start, but beware.\u00a0 Few of your contacts will be willing to use their valuable social or political capital helping you with a sales effort, and you will definitely strain your relationship with the intermediary if not a close friend.<\/p>\n

Remember your closest opportunities.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Email readers, continue here…]<\/em><\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0Using your attorney or accountant to find who is close to the decision maker sometimes works. After all, you have a paying relationship with these resources, and asking for help is not considered a daunting request.\u00a0 Do you have any contacts or friends within the target company?\u00a0\u00a0 An inside name is an excellent ice\u2013breaking opportunity.<\/p>\n

Here’s a gate-opener that almost always works. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Are you working with or selling to a particularly important competitor to your target customer?\u00a0 Dropping that name will often immediately draw a response if the decision maker is curious or particularly competitive. Just remember, selling can be a strip tease in which you reveal very little in the name of confidentiality, making it appear to be valuable comparative information.\u00a0 Let me reinforce this:\u00a0 never reveal competitive information to gain access or advantage.\u00a0 It is unethical and your target will immediately worry whether you might do the same someday.<\/p>\n

Here’s an even better way.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another way to approach the gate keeper directly is with a strategic idea or extremely profitable suggestion that he or she can make their own and enhance their standing within the company.\u00a0 You must be willing to offer this freely, obviously ultimately connected to your product or service for implementation, but never claimed by you to be your idea.<\/p>\n

Make careful use of your relationships and approach.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

One of my companies is in just such a position, able to offer an idea that is worth many millions and saving massive headaches but having to make the idea owned by the gate keeper.\u00a0 It takes careful presentation, lack of ego, and a real focus on the implementation tactics to make this work.\u00a0 But what power.\u00a0\u00a0 So, after all, do consider the gate keeper as a potential partner whose \u201ccommission\u201d on the sale is social and political approval from above.\u00a0 Or, if you can pull it off without alienation, don\u2019t take the time to consider the gate keeper at all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s a gatekeeper? Looking for an entrance into a VC, an angel group, a bank, a CxO for a sales opportunity, or any other entity?\u00a0 There are always gate keepers whose job it is to filter out the inconsequential or … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,11,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-depending-upon-others","category-growth","category-ignition-starting-up"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/berkonomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/berkonomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/berkonomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/berkonomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/berkonomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/berkonomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4971\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/berkonomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/berkonomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/berkonomics.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}