How Do I Get Past the Gatekeeper?

If there is one type of person every salesperson has more than a few pain-filled stories about, it is the gatekeeper. Relax! I’ve experienced my share of this too. You can’t make too many sales calls of any type without encountering one.
You don’t have to think that the gatekeeper is the person waking up in the morning with the sole intent to keep you out. No, they’re just doing their job. Let’s first look at who is the gatekeeper.  Although it may appear that they have the same job, their duties can vary significantly.
The first thing we need to do is to get rid of the name gatekeeper and view them more as a “door-opener.” You probably think this is lame, but if you start viewing them differently, you will treat them differently.
Secondly, see them as coming from two different positions. One type of gatekeeper or “door-opener” is the traditional