Definition:

A gatekeeper is the person responsible for keeping a decision maker from being bothered by irrelevant callers. The gatekeeper screens calls and visitors, typically deflecting the ones he believes are unimportant. So in order to reach the decision maker, you'll need to demonstrate to the gatekeeper that it will benefit the decision maker to speak with you.

Many gatekeepers develop a level of hostility towards salespeople.


This is understandable when you consider that salespeople frequently descend to trickery or outright lying to get past gatekeepers and reach the decision maker. So when you find yourself speaking to a gatekeeper it's vital to treat him with respect and integrity. By doing so, you make it possible to gain the gatekeeper's cooperation – which can make your sale far easier to close.

B2B gatekeepers tend to fall into one of two roles – general receptionists and executive assistants. Receptionists are responsible for taking all general phone calls for the office and are rarely involved in the decision making process, so the best tactic for salespeople is to politely push through to the decision maker. Executive assistants, on the other hand, often become involved in the buying process on at least an advisory level, so it's best to treat such gatekeepers as an extension of the decision maker.