Quick, what’s the first challenge of getting to speak to a decision maker? That’s right: Getting past the Gatekeeper.

I’ll share 4 tips and secrets for getting past the Gatekeeper, straight through to the person who’s going to sign your contract.

We all know that the Gatekeeper’s mission is to keep their bosses unbothered by unwanted callers. If you can get past the Gatekeeper, you’ve already won half the battle.

Today’s Gatekeepers may even have the luxury of having a personal assistant, which equates to you having to get by two Gatekeepers.

Let’s get real: the majority of Gatekeepers are women. I mention this not to be sexist but to bring up the point that a woman can read a man in nanoseconds–so you’d better have your act together way before you even consider making the call. Cautionary note: If the Gatekeeper instantly dislikes you, you’re gone!   

4 Key Tips for Getting Past the Gatekeeper

Tip #1: Do your research
First, know the name of the Gatekeeper/personal assistant of your sales prospect, in addition to the name of your sales prospect. Prior to the call you should know as much about the Gatekeeper & your prospect as possible: their roles in the firm, their backgrounds, what schools they attended, sports they enjoy, etc.

What do you do when you don’t have the sales prospect correct contact name? Never ask the Gatekeeper. That instantly spells “You’re a Salesperson”–you’re gone! Here’s what you can do instead:

Access the Company Website. Many have a section on their website that profiles their management team. This section may be located under the “About Us” button or under a section called “Management Profiles.” These sections usually include a short biography of the sales prospect you’re looking to contact If you are still unable to locate the correct name of your prospect from the management team profile or if they are not listed, then at least you have a few names that you can use when speaking with the receptionist. Once you have a contact name of an executive you can now ask for that executive.   

Use LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo, and Google to search for your sales prospect. If you have the title of your prospect and need to find their contact name then use the above resources. Try using quotes around your search requests. For example, type in “[Title of your prospect]” and “[Name of your prospect’s company]”. Also, besides hitting the search button on Google there is also a “News” link right above the search box that you can also click on to see if there are any recent news stories that include information to help you in your name search.

Search Press Releases. Many companies use news distribution services such as www.prnewswire.com to distribute company press releases. If you visit these sites they allow you to do advanced searches for companies who have used their services. You can use PR Newswire to locate the name of your sales prospect by typing in the title of your prospect and their company.

Just Keep Dialing Different Phone Numbers. One option that you have to locate the name of your sales prospect is to just keep dialing different phone numbers and wait for someone to answer. Once you have the company’s main phone number it’s easy to just change around the last four digits till you reach someone and just tell them that you’ve reached the wrong extension. Then you can politely ask them for the correct name of the person in charge of [department name].

If the Company Is Public, Check out Yahoo! Finance. If you happen to be contacting a public company then visit Yahoo! Finance and type in the ticker symbol of your prospect’s company. Once you have brought up the company’s stock quote, you will see a text link on the left called “Profile.” In this screen, you will see a description of the company and a listing of all the key executives at the company. And finally, the other text link that you can click on to locate this information is “Insider Roster.”

Tip #2: When you call, be innovative
For example: “Hello [Gatekeeper’s name], this is Blogger Chuck, how are you, it’s been a long while since I last called.” This gives the impression that you are good friends, takes her guard down, and warms up the cold call.

Tip #3: Find out if your prospect is published or lecturing
Check for past Webinars, etc. This is valuable reference material and gives you some insight into the individual. Also, search for a photo and bring it up when calling–you relate better to the person.

Tip #4: Adopt a persona for each person you speak with
Mental preparation is essential. A good role is the Gatekeeper’s favorite brother, cousin, friend. This means pure genuine conversation. For example: “Hi Jennifer, are you having a good day today? Jennifer how do I get to speak with Ms. or Mr. So-and-so? I have a very important offering that I would like to introduce to her/him–is there a special protocol for me to follow?” Set your mind to being her close friend and the results will follow.