Zoominfo

MAY 6, 2018

Sales reps often refer to receptionists, assistants, and phone operators as gatekeepers—and for good reason. Essentially, gatekeepers hold the key to B2B sales success. If you can’t convince a gatekeeper you’re important, you can kiss that sale goodbye. Treat gatekeepers with respect. Keep reading!

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Gatekeeper B2B Decision Maker Cold Calling 203

Sales 2.0

MARCH 31, 2025

Often when were talking about about sales, we seem to be saying the salesperson is in charge of when deals move forward and ultimately when they close. You can influence when a sale happens, but you cannot overcome the inherent dynamics of how that customer wants to buy. Sales is a tough gig and its not getting any easier.

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Follow-up Gatekeeper Call-back Up-Sell 195

The Sales Hunter

AUGUST 20, 2019

You make the call and boom, you’re blocked by the gatekeeper. First off, remember that the gatekeeper is only doing their joy by guarding the gate. Video: How Do I Get Past the Gatekeeper: You handle each one totally different, but it’s determined quickly which category they fall into. Sales Motivation Blog.

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Gatekeeper Decision Maker How To eBook 176

No More Cold Calling

JULY 29, 2021

This broken link is to blame for sales teams’ biggest closing mistakes. “My This is the frustrated lament I hear regularly from sales leaders. But not closing sales is never the real problem. The problem is that sales reps neglect important activities during earlier stages of the sales process. It’s just a symptom.

Closing 409

Closing Sales Qualified Lead Lead Rank Lead Scoring 409

Mr. Inside Sales

MARCH 6, 2021

This may sound elemental, but I rarely hear sales reps use it when speaking with gatekeepers. Try it this week and watch yourself get further with gatekeepers than you ever have. When a gatekeep puts you through, say thank you. And watch how much further you get with gatekeepers! Get Access Today.

Gatekeeper 316

Gatekeeper Closing Face-to-face Licensing 316

Mr. Inside Sales

JULY 20, 2021

Top pros are using this time to sharpen their sales skills so they can make a killing in the fourth quarter. For a proven way to make more money, with less rejection, and a way to become more confident and make more sales, take advantage of our Summer Sale! Qualify prospects better and learn their buying motives.

Gatekeeper 315

Gatekeeper Decision Maker Face-to-face Licensing 315

Hubspot Sales

APRIL 9, 2025

Not all sales shortcuts are created equal. Some, like scheduling follow-up emails or creating a repeatable framework for researching prospects, streamline your day without harming the quality of your work. Sales Shortcuts 1. Source My former colleague from Serpstats sales team learned this the hard way. call every day.

Gatekeeper 98

Gatekeeper Decision Maker Ideal Customer Profile Real Estate 98

Mr. Inside Sales

MAY 12, 2024

Who do you think knows why your prospect buys? Who do you think knows when your prospect is going to buy? The answer, of course, is your prospect! The problem for many sales reps, is that they prefer to pitch and talk at prospects more than they actually ask questions and listen. Or who they like to buy from?

Prospecting 212

Prospecting Face-to-face Gatekeeper Decision Maker 212

Mr. Inside Sales

JULY 30, 2021

Wouldn’t it be convenient to have a list of 5 questions you could use to get your prospect talking, to get them to open up about how they’re feeling and what you might need to concentrate on? If you’re a manager, this is a great exercise for a sales meeting. You could do two: one for prospecting and one for the close.

Closing 334

Closing Gatekeeper Face-to-face Decision Maker 334

Mr. Inside Sales

JUNE 11, 2021

Sales people like to talk; if you don’t believe me, just listen to a recording of one of your reps (or of yourself!). And when your ears are closed, you learn nothing about your prospect’s buying motives, their possible objections, or whether or not they are buying into your pitch. Ask questions frequently of your prospect.

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Face-to-face Gatekeeper Decision Maker Licensing 317

Zoominfo

FEBRUARY 17, 2021

Daily, sales reps (mostly SDRs) face the daunting task of turning cold calls into warm calls. Sales reps look to increase conversion rates by upping their cold call game. Along with actionable intelligence, guidelines for cold calls allow both sales managers and SDRs to tailor their sales processes. Reason for Calling.

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Cold Calling Guidelines Prospecting Face-to-face 264

Hubspot Sales

OCTOBER 5, 2021

Sales development representatives and gatekeepers. If you're in sales, chances are you've encountered plenty of situations in which you're trying to reach a CEO or C-level executive to pitch your product or service. only to get stopped by a gatekeeper. How to Get Past the Gatekeeper When Cold Calling.

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Gatekeeper Decision Maker How To Cold Calling 133

Mr. Inside Sales

APRIL 23, 2021

First, remember: Most objections are smokescreens hiding the real reason a prospect isn’t moving forward. Here’s one way I have successfully dealt with this and gotten the prospect to reveal what was really holding them back. And then hit MUTE and listen to what your prospect reveals. ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

Face-to-face 334

Face-to-face Gatekeeper Licensing Decision Maker 334

No More Cold Calling

DECEMBER 6, 2019

Message to cold callers: Pestering strangers is NOT the way to prospect. Cold calling is a duplicitous, disingenuous sales tactic. If you make 100 calls, you’ll talk to about 20 people, schedule 10 sales appointments, and if you’re lucky, close one new deal. Why would you bother with a sales system that gets such dismal results?

Cold Calling 365

Cold Calling Social Media Telemarketing Referrals 365

Mr. Inside Sales

NOVEMBER 16, 2020

Question for you: How often do you take notes while you’re on Mute and your prospect is revealing their buying motives? Make a much better connection with your prospect or client because they will feel listened to and heard. Like so many solid techniques in sales, this one is simple—but it will only work if you commit to trying it.

Motivation 332

Motivation Face-to-face Gatekeeper Decision Maker 332

Mr. Inside Sales

MARCH 17, 2023

So many sales reps are anxious when they speak with a prospect. They know that unless they get these “tough” questions answered, there is no way to move the sale forward. Plus, they know that most of the “prospects” they speak with don’t turn into a deal anyway, so, why not learn who is a real prospect right from the get go?

Decision Maker 261

Decision Maker Face-to-face Gatekeeper Licensing 261

Mr. Inside Sales

MARCH 12, 2022

Congrats to those companies & individuals who sent in their prospecting scripts for review. Usually, they asked it this way: Gatekeeper: “Thank you for calling the Johnson company.”. The problem with this is you’re A) Identifying yourself as a sales rep, and B) You’re now inviting the gatekeeper to qualify you out.

Gatekeeper 156

Gatekeeper Prospecting Decision Maker Face-to-face 156

Mr. Inside Sales

JUNE 6, 2020

What’s the biggest mistake sales reps make with prospecting or cold calling? You know, that desperation sales people have when they finally get someone on the phone. Your prospecting will go a lot better if you do! Cold calling mistake #1: Don’t pitch the gatekeeper. and allow your prospect to engage with you.

Prospecting 161

Prospecting Gatekeeper Cold Calling Face-to-face 161

Mr. Inside Sales

MAY 14, 2022

Each time I work with a new company, the first thing I ask for are recordings of both their top two or three sales reps, and then recordings of everyone else. I’ve been doing this for over 30 years, and things have remained constant during that time: top sales reps are better for many different reasons (personality, work effort, etc.),

Gatekeeper 235

Gatekeeper Face-to-face Decision Maker Licensing 235

Mr. Inside Sales

AUGUST 7, 2020

This week, I listened to a closing call from one of their reps, and here is how the prospect opened the call: Prospect: “Let me just tell you upfront that we’re looking at a lot of different options right now of which yours is just one…”. Here’s what I teach: Prospects have all the answers. Take what a prospect gives you.

Prospecting 199

Prospecting Decision Maker Face-to-face Gatekeeper 199

No More Cold Calling

JULY 13, 2021

There are two parts to the sales process: Part One: Getting meetings with decision makers. You get an introduction to your prospect, and you get a meeting with the decision maker. The biggest challenge for sales teams is seller access , according to Gartner’s recent report, The Chief Sales Officer’s Leadership Vision for 2021.

Decision Maker 401

Decision Maker Referrals Sales Qualified Lead Marketing Qualified Lead 401

No More Cold Calling

APRIL 15, 2021

Every sales leader says their #1 prospecting challenge is getting leads in the pipe. Considering half of the deals that are forecasted to close don’t, and customer retention has decreased as seller attrition increases, sales teams are facing yet another frustrating year if something doesn’t change. Try this instead.

Lead Gen 397

Lead Gen Sales Qualified Lead Leads Marketing Qualified Lead 397

Mr. Inside Sales

JULY 6, 2021

Rookie mistake: You’ve got several products or services you can offer a prospect, and you start by offering the first, or main one, then hear an opening for another one so pivot to that one, and describe another—and then another. Stalled sale. Not only will the prospect be confused, but you will be, too. Sound familiar?

Face-to-face 317

Face-to-face How To Pivotal Call-back 317

Mr. Inside Sales

JUNE 30, 2024

If you’re looking forward to an extended holiday and want to know the best way to spend it, then I’ve got a suggestion: Why not spend some of it learning and getting better at your craft of sales? Better than the other sales reps competing with you? ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS! You owe it to yourself!

Gatekeeper 255

Gatekeeper Face-to-face Sales Qualified Lead Decision Maker 255

Mr. Inside Sales

AUGUST 14, 2020

Have you ever stopped and examined your attitude about sales? When someone asks you what you do for a living, are you embarrassed to say you’re in sales? See, I was smarter, better, had more to offer than just “sales.”. My real attitude was that sales was a pushy occupation for people who couldn’t do anything else.

Face-to-face 295

Face-to-face Call-back Gatekeeper Decision Maker 295

Mr. Inside Sales

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

We’ve all been there – you call your prospect back at the appointed time for your presentation and they tell you any of the following: This isn’t a good time, OR. First, understand what’s happening here: Remember the law in sales: Leads Never Get Better! ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS! How long will this take?”

Sales Qualified Lead 320

Sales Qualified Lead Face-to-face Scale Call-back 320

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 9, 2018

Find out how to unclog your sales pipeline. Big problem—the kind of problem that will keep a sales leader up at night, or worse, get a sales leader canned. Big problem—the kind of problem that will keep a sales leader up at night, or worse, get a sales leader canned. Why can’t they get past the gatekeeper?

Lead Generation 197

Lead Generation Sales Qualified Lead Lead Rank Lead Scoring 197

Mr. Inside Sales

AUGUST 13, 2021

But when you’ve done a presentation and then don’t hear back from a prospect, it can often mean the kiss of death. While it seems counter intuitive, I’d rather know up front if I’m wasting my time or if this is a real prospect. Speaking about prospects hiding behind emails, etc., sales reps hide behind them, too.

Face-to-face 317

Face-to-face Call-back Gatekeeper Decision Maker 317

The Sales Hunter

JUNE 25, 2019

This doesn’t just apply to prospecting but everything you do. Prospecting is already a tough task; it’s only made tougher when you fail to prepare. Below are 10 steps you need to follow to ensure you’re prepared to prospect. Focus on prospecting with the people who align closest to your perfect customer.

Prospecting 192

Prospecting VanillaSoft Gatekeeper Decision Maker 192

Mr. Inside Sales

JANUARY 8, 2021

Two weeks into the New Year, and are you already stressed about picking up the phone and making prospecting calls? Let me explain: If you’re like most sales reps, then you hate making calls because you’re either afraid of being rejected, or you’re are afraid you’re going to mishandle a call and so lose a good lead. Imagine that….

Face-to-face 313

Face-to-face Cold Calling Gatekeeper Decision Maker 313

Hubspot Sales

JANUARY 14, 2025

Have you ever wondered what sets top sales performers apart from the rest? All sales champions employ specific strategies and have particular mindsets that allow them to constantly drive deals forward. Table of Contents: What is a sales champion? How to Attract and Engage a Sales Champion Want to Seal a Deal?

Data 111

Data Hubspot Negotiation B2B 111

No More Cold Calling

OCTOBER 1, 2020

I used to think it was just sales newbies who struggled with referral reluctance. I wondered about those in non-traditional sales roles like customer success, CPAs, attorneys, architects, engineers, and consultants—who are now being asked to sell. Sales Leadership Is Missing It Big (and Here’s the Proof).

Referrals 373

Referrals Cold Calling Sales Qualified Lead Call-back 373

Mr. Inside Sales

APRIL 14, 2023

To follow up on the blog post from two weeks ago (about the one quick fix to get your VMs returned ), here is the second quick fix: Stop trying to trick your prospect! So do your prospects. Bottom line: Stop trying to be tricky, and stop sounding like a desperate sales rep. ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

Face-to-face 254

Face-to-face Gatekeeper Licensing Decision Maker 254

Mr. Inside Sales

JANUARY 22, 2021

We all know the importance of asking questions of our prospects and clients, yet how many do you ask? How many does your sales teams ask? If you’re like most sales reps, then you’re probably doing a lot more talking (read pitching) than you are listening. ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS! Get Access Today.

Face-to-face 287

Face-to-face Gatekeeper Decision Maker Licensing 287

Sales 2.0

AUGUST 28, 2024

Over the years, I have seen many salespeople and business owners taking big risks with important deals by talking to only one person in the prospect company. In this framework there are four types of people involved in a complex sale. The economic buyer The users The gatekeepers The coach 1. Be careful with gatekeepers.

Opportunity 195

Opportunity Gatekeeper Coaching Buyer 195

MTD Sales Training

OCTOBER 5, 2018

Have you ever had that feeling when you’re talking to a prospect that the person isn’t who they say they are? Doing that may well help you get to the next stage in the sale if the person does have influence with the final decision-maker. 3) Use the gatekeeper screen to get further information. Am I right with that assumption?”.

Decision Maker 242

Decision Maker Gatekeeper Face-to-face Influencer 242

Mr. Inside Sales

SEPTEMBER 25, 2021

Believe it or not, over 90% of sales reps do just that. Script #1: Make sure and have an email already prepared while you’re prospecting. The point here is whether or not your prospect will: Give you the time to speak further with them. And then wait to see if this is a real prospect or not. Get Access Today.

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Sales Qualified Lead Face-to-face Gatekeeper Decision Maker 284