As an MSP business, you’re going to have salesmen who consistently encounter “gatekeepers” that impede your ability to influence those with buying power. Receptionists, “junior” salespeople, perhaps a director of operations involved in sourcing products, or an executive assistant may play this role. Such gatekeepers rebuff conversions.
Getting Around Common Gatekeepers
So there’s no way to erase gatekeepers from the equation entirely. However, you can get around them with a few clever tactics such as the following:
Figure Out What Makes Gatekeepers Tick; Befriend Them
Some gatekeepers are truly looking out for the best interests of their company. Some of them are looking out “for number one”, as the saying goes. You’ve got to approach gatekeepers based on who they are, not who you would like them to be.
So the marketing team of your MSP business needs to identify who rests at the bottlenecks of power, and befriend them to determine the sort of gatekeepers they are. Some will respond to the straightforward exposition of your products or services, some will not care no matter how well you present this information; they’ll be interested in things that are more indirect.
Assure All Communications Are Authentically Personalized
When you personalize communications with gatekeepers, that empowers them even if only in a subconscious way. This increases the likelihood they’ll work with you.
It can be worthwhile to use customer relationship management (CRM) software of some variety and put notes in about the gatekeepers of prospective customers to help you inform outreach.
Carefully Word Requests for Those Who Make the Decisions
When you’re requesting information about decision-makers, you’ve got to word those requests as carefully as possible. Professionalism is key. A good tactic here involves the request of information. That is to say: you present yourself not as trying to work around the gatekeeper, but as needing details only a decision-maker could provide.
Using the Decision-maker’s First Name, Other Gatekeepers
When you use the first name of a decision-maker, that shows gatekeepers you know they’re not the “head honcho”, as it were, at their business. So, determine who decision-makers are. Also, if you can’t get anywhere with a certain gatekeeper, don’t be shy of going around them to other gatekeepers who may be more reasonable.
Employing Strategies Which Anticipate Gatekeepers
When your MSP business understands who gatekeepers are, befriends them, assures personalized communication, words requests carefully when requesting decision-makers, and uses the first names of such individuals, there’s a higher likelihood of getting past the gatekeeper. Also, don’t exhaust sales efforts until all relevant gatekeepers are explored. Tactics like these should produce increased rates of conversion even with difficult gatekeepers.
