How To Get Past The Gatekeeper
Author Name: Bernadette Doyle

If you are doing any sort of 'direct outreach' marketing, then
sooner or later you will encounter the dreaded 'gatekeeper'. In
fact, 'Getting past the gatekeeper and in front of the decision
maker' seems to be the holy grail of the sales world.  Years ago,
when I used to specialize in cold calling training, it was one
of the key questions that came up time and time again.
My preferred method is to bypass the gatekeeper all together.
Here's how...

1. Focus on a specific niche, because that automatically makes
you a specialist and a certain authority.

2. Get known as an expert in your field by speaking at events
and conferences populated by your target audience, write articles
and get them published in trade publications read by your target
audience.

3. Raise your profile in the market place by running open
seminars, training courses or events on your specialized topic.
Boost your credibility and reputation by delivering great value!

4. At the end of your article or talk, offer a giveaway such as
a free report that conveys your expertise, and provides valuable
useful content to your reader. Give this in exchange for the
reader's contact details and permission to stay in touch over
time.

5. Send a follow up sequence of messages (automated if possible)
that drip feeds further valuable content to your prospect, and
subtly conveys your expertise, your authority and lets them know
about success stories other clients are having.

6. Resist the temptation to ask for a meeting immediately, the
people who are really keen to meet you will call and ask anyway,
the others may need more time to get to know you. Don't risk
scaring them off by pouncing for a meeting immediately. Being
'needy' for a meeting hurts your credibility too, because in the
world of selling professional services, there's an unspoken
assumption that if you are any good at what you are doing, then
your diary should automatically be full (I know that's not how
it works in practice, but that's the bias you're up against!)

7. In at least one of your messages, offer a meeting, but make
sure you outline all the potential benefits of meeting with you.
It's got to be more inspiring than 'free consultation.' Ask
yourself, what does the prospect stand to gain from meeting with
you - even if he or she DOESN'T become a client immediately?
Will they learn something new, get reassurance, have their
awareness raised on a certain area? If you want to 'sell the
meeting' you have to sell the benefits of the meeting.

8. Some people will respond immediately, others will need more
time. Have a regular follow up (such as a newsletter like this)
that keeps you in contact, and continues building the
relationship with your prospects.

9. Get used to receiving calls from people along the lines of
'we're thinking of doing a new project a we're wondering how you
can help us'. Enjoy meetings which have a completely different
dynamic from the meetings you secured via cold calling, because
you've been invited in as an expert, and the prospect is already
'pre-sold' and wants to work with you. Noti䁣e that your
conversion rate is higher at these meetings.

10. Tweak the process. If yo䁵're not getting enough meetings,
what needs to change? Do you need to get more people into your
funnel at the front end, or do you need to improve your
conversion process of prospects to meetings?

11. Enjoy the process as momentum builds and the 'snowball
effect' kicks in. Enjoy being a Client Magnet able to pick and
choose from a tempting array of potential projects.

Because of the steps involved in laying the foundation, many
people shy away from the easy way. It seems like there is too
much ground work involved! And maybe there is, in the short term,
but you are laying a foundation that will continue to reap
rewards over and over. And what's the alternative? Another cold
call?

If you don't want to be at the mercy of random projects coming
your way, and you don't want to be tied to a desk cold calling
for the rest of your life, then this is definitely the path
forward that I recommend.

The steps are identical to the steps I followed when I was
running my training business. Eventually - and highly ironically
given my subject area - I didn't have to make any cold calls,
because all of my meetings were taking place at the request of
qualified, ready to buy decision makers who had already decided
that they wanted to work with me.

(c) Bernadette Doyle, 2008.  Reprints welcome so long as by-line
and article are published intact and all links made live.

Bernadette Doyle publishes her weekly Client Magnets newsletter
for trainers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and
solo professionals. If you want to get clients calling you
instead of you calling them, then get your free tips now at
http://www.clientmagnets.com