What Do I Mean by That?
Salespeople often get into a situation where they create the gatekeeper because they have a single point of contact. They simply don’t have any other options. They’ve created one person inside that account who either can prevent them from getting too powerful or prevent them from getting anywhere else in the organization. They’ve done no other research and built no other relationships. More importantly, however, that is something we can absolutely control.
Don’t Create Gatekeepers in the Organization
Not creating gatekeepers sounds simple, and it is. All you need to do is make sure that you’re building out a matrix of relationships inside the account. Don’t allow yourself to fall into the trap of a single point of contact. Take an inbound lead, rather than just calling that one individual back. Research them on LinkedIn and build out multiple contacts. Research them on their website as well and reach out via email to other individuals inside the organization. Constantly encourage your contact to invite others to meetings, demos, and discussions. If you build out several contacts in the buying process, you will never have a gatekeeper. This is because you will always have someone to call. Not only will this help you close deals faster and with a higher probability, but it will also help you retain and grow those customers for life.