It was my first day of cold calling for lead ggeneration. I was super confident in generating maximum appointments. I dialled my first call. The receptionist answered the phone. With a super smiling face, I introduced myself but to my surprise she said...

"He is not in the office. Please send him an email."

Our email address is...

I tried convincing her by saying - "My product will be very useful for him and your company. He will be very interested."

But she was sure of not letting me pass through and thereby making me quite dejected.

And, it was just the beginning as with every call I dialled the story continued:

- He is busy
- She is in a meeting.
- He didn't come yet.
- He is traveling
- I will let him know about your call
- Email is the best way to reach him
- Leave a voicemail

Three months into the cold calling, I knew who the villain of my story was.

So, I decided I am going to find out how to convince reception/gatekeepers and get past them.

The first technique I came across was: The Law of Familiarity

It went like this:

Reception: How may I help you?

Me - Is John in the office?

Reception: May I know who is calling?

Me - Yes, it's Raj from Mumbai regarding the Business Training discussion.

And, it worked. Yes, without saying it, just by giving an impression that I am not a salesperson but an acquaintance.

And it worked 40% of the time.

I decided I am going to figure out every possible strategy to cross gatekeepers and reach decision-makers so I can generate maximum leads and stand a chance to grow.

I learned 10 new techniques including:
- Law of Trust
- Law of Familiarity
- Law of Leverage
- Language Techniques
- Avoid the gatekeeper altogether
- Social engagement techniques
- Network and referral techniques.

And I managed to cross gatekeepers 70% - 80%. This helped me grow from Business Development Executive to Director of Business development in just 4 years.

Also read: How your sales team can be an asset for market leadership

To explore business opportunities, link with me by clicking on the 'Connect' button on my eBiz Card.

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