You close the door to your office and stand behind your desk. You put a big smile on your face, knowing that positive body language will help even on a phone conversation. You have your research laid out in front of you and you are ready to make the big call. It’s your top prospect. If you land this deal, it might be enough to put you back in the running to win that salesman of the quarter award. You press the dial button.
Ring
Ring
“Thank you for calling ABC, this is Linda, how may I help you?”
You’re heart stops. This secretary is about as easy to get by as the Swiss Guard. You reluctantly explain why you are calling, knowing the CEO will undoubtedly been in some sort of meeting, not in yet, or otherwise unavailable, at which time you will leave your contact number for the 5th time, knowing you just wasted your first few minutes. If only there were a way to charm Linda.
Charming Linda
There is a way to charm Linda. And if you ever want to get around the evasion tactics which are refined on a daily (and probably hourly) basis, you will find it. Here is the key, don’t treat Linda like a gatekeeper, treat her like the client. At the moment, she is the client. What things would you cover if you were in front of the client?
Probably something like this:
- Who you are
- What company you work for
- Why you are talking to them (why should they care about you)?
Too often salespeople don’t take the time to cover these three topics with Linda. Instead salespeople use doublespeak, trickery, or some other method Linda won’t appreciate to try to get to the boss. It’s her full time job to keep the wrong people away from her boss and make sure the right people get through.
You’re Asking Linda for a Referral
Every salesperson is well acquainted with the concept of referrals. What they are not familiar with is the concept of asking a gatekeeper for a referral. Everyone does this, but how and when you ask for the referral makes all the difference. Most salespeople will settle for “Hey, can I speak to Mr. Boss please?” You just asked for a referral without providing any useful information or giving a single good reason why you should speak to Mr. Boss. How and when you ask is the key.
Setting Yourself Up to Get a Referral.
As we have established, at this point in the relationship, Linda is the client. To put it even more bluntly, she is the decision maker. She makes the decision between whether you have a shot on this deal or not. It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to prove your value to Linda. At least, do a good job of proving you will provide value to her boss. How do you get a referral from a normal client? You treat them well, provide value for them, make sure they have a good experience, and answer any questions they have. Do the same thing with Linda and you are sure to get her referral.
Learning to charm Linda might be the most important step in taking your sales career to the next level. But you need proper training and techniques to accomplish that. If you would like to learn more about prospecting, getting past the gatekeeper, or general sales best practices, check out our excellent book, Prospect The Sandler Way. Learn more about how to apply these principles from Sandler Training Solutions by contacting Sandler Salefish today.
