The Gatekeeper!
For years I bemoaned the gatekeepers who held me back from my goals, who stood at stoic guardsmen between me and the decision makers who held my commission check in their hands.
About a year after leaving my corporate job I heard a sales rep for another company griping about the gatekeepers keeping him from his goals and how difficult they made his job and I had a shocking realization: the gatekeepers had disappeared from my life.
Not actually disappeared. That would be silly. But the problem that "the gatekeeper" represented to me, had disappeared. They weren't standing between and my prospects anymore. They were actually on my side now. Somehow they'd gone from trying to keep me from my prospects to trying to connect me with my prospects. They'd gone from doing their best to keep me away to doing their best to convince my prospects to work with me. Sometimes, they made the sale for me.
There's a whole slew of things that changed for me and I've turned it into an entire book, but the number one change I've found is my attitude.
"The best way to outsmart secretaries and switchboard operators is never to try! Be honest and sincere with them. Take them into your confidence. Never use trickery or subterfuge."
- Frank Bettger
How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling
I love what I do and it shows. It shows in my voice, my choice of words, my personality. It shows when I take personal interest in the gatekeeper and their live. It shows when I joke and laugh with them to make their day better.
It seems silly, but it's the number one change I've made. I've changed my philosophy on sales, I've changed my techniques and my scripts, but it all stemmed with my attitude. So find what you love about dealing with people and about working your job and watch your gatekeepers turn from enemies to allies.
Keep your eyes peeled because towards the end of this month as I celebrate the one-year anniversary for my first book, Friend Power (grab a copy at bit.ly/FriendPowerBook) I’ll be rolling out my second book with pages on pages of details on how to get past the gatekeeper!
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