Locating Decision Makers | Working with Gatekeepers | Quick Cold Calling Tips
Locating decisions makes is tough.
Locating decision makers is one of the biggest challenges in cold calling The decision maker usually wears many hats and is a hard person to pin down.
Here are quick tips that we use while making cold calls:
- Ask the gatekeeper/receptionist for help. “HI there! This is Mary with ABC Company and I am looking for the person that handles your Payroll. I have George listed but I’m not sure he is the guy who handles this, can you help me?”
Most of the time a gatekeeper will reply with “No, that’s the CEO, you really need to talk with Sherry. Hold the line while I transfer you.” Without realizing it, they just provided the Decision maker’s name.
- The second technique is what is sometimes referred to as riding the Wave. This applies when calling and asking for a specific Department but do not have a contact name. The receptionist will state she does not know who handles that but will transfer the call to another department and maybe they can help me.
The person that answers the call in the next department also might not know who handles and transfers the call to another dept and often times this flow of calls will take you to the right person or at least give you the correct contact person’s name or contact information.
Always document your chain of calls for future contact. Use the name of the internal referral with the prospect. “I talked with Suzy in HR and she mentioned you were the person who handles vendors”.
- Leave a detailed message on the Decision maker’s voice mail or with their Secretary.
- Mention to the gatekeeper you have called multiple times and cannot seem to reach the decision maker. Is there any way they could page them or tell me a better time to call.
- Ask for a direct line or email address. Acquiring this information will allow you to bypass the gatekeeper on the next round of calls.
Being prepared for a sales call and then being stalled with phone trees or not having access to the right person can be frustrating. Use the newly acquired information to help build rapport for future calls with the right contact.
Do you need help locating decision makers? Rich Enterprises Inc has a seasoned team of professionals that know how to talk the talk! Let us handle the hard work for you!
