Media

David Emin, mediaweek.co.uk, 13 October 2009, 09:00am

How to to get past the gatekeepers

Q While business is tough, I have been asked to get out of the office and try to meet some new clients. While I completely understand this is the right strategy to follow, I am finding it increasingly difficult to actually make contact with these important people.

David Emin is director of advertising at Mirror

Obviously, I am not the only person trying to set up meetings and, as a result, every time I telephone to try to speak to a potential customer to make an appointment, I am met with resistance by their secretarial support. How do I get past these difficult gatekeepers?

A Time is at a premium for most of us at the moment, so it's understandable that to fully manage our time, a PA or secretary will screen out all calls and appointments they believe are unnecessary.

If you're not my boss or my wife, the chances of you getting through to me during the week when I have back-to-back meetings are particularly slim. Therefore, unless your secretary knows exactly what is important, filtering out the unwanted calls can be somewhat of a lottery.

So how can you give yourself the best chance of getting through to the decision-maker?

The first thing you can do is try getting to work early and making your call then. Believe it or not, a lot of decision-makers start work early, so making your call before 9am might just mean you call before the secretary has started work.

It is likely the person you want to see will already be at their desk, so if no one else is around, there is a higher chance they will answer their own phone.

Speaking directly to the person you want to see can be far more effective than speaking to the gatekeeper, and if this doesn't work, then at least you are at work early.

If you do end up only being able to communicate via the gatekeeper, try explaining why you want to come in and see this person's boss.

People are more receptive if you take the time to inform them of the reason why you want to come in, rather than just asking to be put through without giving anything away, apart from who you are and the name of your company.
Offering information helps you establish a rapport with the person on the other end of the phone, which will in turn help achieve your goal.

If you're still not getting through, then try writing a letter of introduction and following it up with a phone call. And remember: if you're persistent and keep trying, you will eventually get through.