How Do You Get Past The Gatekeeper?

Home
>
Marketing
>
How Do You Get Past The Gatekeeper?

How Do You Get Past The Gatekeeper?

The best joint ventures are with people in your own network ? those that already know, like and trust you. However, there's nothing to stop you from partnering with "cold" contacts ? those you've never associated with before, and you would therefore need to build a relationship with. This simply means it will take a bit more time to execute the joint venture because any "cold" contact would need time to evaluate your character and your business before committing to a partnership with you.

One of the skills you need to acquire if you choose to joint venture with a "cold" contact is this... getting past the gatekeeper!

Your potential joint venture partners may not pick up the phone themselves. They may have a secretary, or an assistant, or a receptionist that screens calls before putting the calls through to them, or someone that screens letters before putting the letters in front of them. These people are known as gatekeepers. Your potential partners may even have a permanent voicemail kind of set up. In this case, the voicemail is the gatekeeper.

Here are some tips for getting past the gatekeeper:

? When you call the office, treat the gatekeeper with the same respect that you would treat the potential partner. This will make them warm up to you. Sound important, but courteous e.g. "Hello there, please put me through to Joe Smith."

? Develop a relationship with a source that knows your potential partner, and then receive an introduction from that source so that you go in with the introduction from the source. So, when you call the potential partner's office and the gatekeeper asks what your call is regarding, you can say "His good friend, Jim Benson asked me to call him."

? Adopt the gatekeeper i.e. develop a relationship with them. Do this by engaging in a conversation with them whenever you call. Developing a relationship with the gatekeeper comes in handy when you've been unable to reach your potential partner because they're often out of the office.

? If you're calling from an international destination, say "Hello there, please put me through to Joe Smith, and let him know it's Tom from Italy." As a result of the time zone difference and the cost of the call, an international phone call immediately gives the impression that the call is very important. The gatekeeper is likely to put you through without asking why you're calling.

? Send a letter first. In the letter, ask the potential partner to expect your call on a certain date. This way you can say "He's expecting my call," when the gatekeeper asks what your call is regarding.

? Another approach is to email your potential partner to check if they've received your letter, and then ask for the best time to call them. In this instance, it's likely that your potential partner will let their gatekeeper know that your phone call is expected.

? If a voicemail is the gatekeeper, it's best to send in a letter first, and then follow up by leaving a voicemail message. However, if you choose not to send a letter first, then simply introduce yourself and let your potential partner know why you're calling. Don't go into detail about your proposal - just give sufficient information to get them curious enough to return your call, or email you.

Note: You are welcome to republish this article as long as the resource box at the end is included fully and unaltered.

Habiba Abubakar, a.k.a. The Profit Diva, specializes in helping small business owners who are struggling to increase their client base and are tired of earning mediocre profits. The tips in this article have been excerpted from her home-study program, "Joint Venture Profits For Small Business Owners." To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up for your FREE copy of her revealing Mini eCourse, "The Easiest Way To Skyrocket Your Profits In 90 Days Or Less," visit http://www.profitdiva.com

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Gaza violence rages on despite UN cease-fire call (AP)

AP - The U.N. Security Council called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, but an intense bombardment of missiles from Israeli jets and helicopters early Friday and a barrage of Hamas rockets indicated there may be no quick end to the fighting.

Illinois House on verge of impeaching Blagojevich (AP)

AP - Gov. Rod Blagojevich faces almost certain impeachment by the Illinois House, a historic step that would trigger a trial to determine whether the Democratic governor should be tossed out of office.

Democrats begin new session with labor bills (AP)

AP - Democrats are ushering in what they believe will be a new labor-friendly era in Washington with House votes on two bills aimed at helping women fight pay discrimination in the workplace.

Toxic coal ash piling up in ponds in 32 states (AP)

AP - Millions of tons of toxic coal ash is piling up in power plant ponds in 32 states, a practice the federal government has long recognized as a risk to human health and the environment but has left unregulated.

Cheney warns against impulsive action in Iraq (AP)

AP - Vice President Dick Cheney, warning against impulsive U.S. action in Iraq, says that whether the struggling nation backslides into a cycle of violence partly depends on how President-elect Barack Obama decides to pull out American forces.

Obama to finalize national security team Friday (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama is completing his national security team by announcing his unusual choices for CIA director and a national intelligence director who may face tough Senate confirmation questioning over how he confronted the Indonesian military when civilian massacres were occurring in East Timor.

Mini Dynasty: Tebow leads Gators past Oklahoma (AP)

AP - The game defied expectations. Tim Tebow fulfilled them. He rescued No. 1 Florida, running through and throwing over No. 2 Oklahoma for a 24-14 victory Thursday night that gave the Gators their second BCS championship in three years.

Job losses stack up as recession deepens (AP)

AP - Trying to survive a deepening recession, employers are cutting their work forces to the bone, leaving more Americans unemployed and with dim prospects of finding a new job any time soon.

Obama: Congress must act boldly and now on economy (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama implored Congress on Thursday to "act boldly and act now" to fix an economy growing perilously weaker. Democratic and Republican lawmakers complained about his tax policies, letting Obama know they intend to place their own stamp on the economic recovery effort.

Critics' final answer: `Slumdog' wins 5 awards (AP)

AP - The critics have spoken, and "Slumdog Millionaire" is their final answer.

World waits on jobs data as recession weighs (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. employers probably cut the most jobs in at least 34 years last month as the global economic crisis gathered pace and moves by policy makers took time to filter through to struggling companies.

U.N. calls for immediate Gaza truce (Reuters)

Reuters - Israel pushed ahead with its two-week-old offensive in the Gaza Strip, ignoring a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Panel steps up criticism of Treasury: report (Reuters)

Reuters - A report being released on Friday alleges that the U.S. Treasury has failed to reveal its strategy for stabilizing the financial system, not answered questions asked by a government watchdog, and has done nothing to help struggling homeowners, the Wall Street Journal said.

EU seeks gas supply return after deal (Reuters)

Reuters - Europe sought a swift restoration of gas supplies on Friday after striking a deal with Moscow on monitoring gas shipments via Ukraine that have been halted by a pricing dispute with Kiev.

Citi backs measure to help avoid foreclosures (Reuters)

Reuters - Financial giant Citigroup Inc will support a proposal in Congress to rewrite U.S. bankruptcy law to help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure, Chief Executive Vikram Pandit said on Thursday.

Illinois panel recommends governor's impeachment (Reuters)

Reuters - A legislative committee on Thursday recommended the impeachment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, citing widespread abuse of power including allegations he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Obama team amending financial rescue package: report (Reuters)

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama's economic team is urgently overhauling the $700 billion financial rescue package to broaden its scope beyond Wall Street, The Washington Post reported on Friday.

Qaeda Pakistan leader believed dead: U.S. official (Reuters)

Reuters - Al Qaeda's operations chief in Pakistan and a top aide are believed to be dead, a U.S. counterterrorism official said on Thursday, in what appeared to be the latest results of a campaign targeting the militant group's leadership.

Gaza toll mounts as UN Security Council urges immediate truce (AFP)

AFP - Israel carried out new deadly air raids on the Gaza Strip on Friday as the UN Security Council called for an immediate ceasefire to end the two-week-old conflict in the Palestinian enclave.

Hopes for Russia gas deal after EU claims breakthrough (AFP)

AFP - European states deprived of Russian gas amid freezing weather were Friday hoping for a resumption of deliveries after the European Union claimed a breakthrough in the crisis between Moscow and Kiev.

How Do You Get Past The Gatekeeper?

Marketing Marketing