How do you get in front of the owner?

Ask the gatekeeper who to talk to and if they know a good time for you to talk to them. Call back at that time and ask for them by name. Set up a 30 min appointment.

Or if the business is small enough just walk in when they will not be busy.

I agree with Aaron, another key is going in and talking with the gatekeeper face to face.

It makes a HUGE difference!

Start your calls off this way:

http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...ml#post5922258

Find the only reserved parking space on the company's parking lot and put a flyer on the windshield

Get out on the streets and make face-to-face contact with people. Give it the personal touch by doing this instead of hiding behind a phone or a website.

Getting past gatekeepers is an obstacle we all face. There are various techniques regarding how to do this, but they vary between your situation.

Are you cold calling or doing walk-ins?

I recommend reading Bob Ross's thread regarding selling postcards to local businesses. Even if this isn't a service you want to pursue, it discusses a lot of different methods to communicate with decision-makers.

Thank you for everyones advice! This is some great stuff. I'm pretty much doing walk ins to business owners.

A gatekeeper is not that bad if you know how to approach. I have seen so many ebooks depicting them as the guard dog when in fact its not the case.

There are many strategies that you can use to directly contact the owners; yet again it depends what are the prospecting tools you are using to actually identify those businesses as leads.

The idea you need to push to the gatekeepers is that there are issues concerning the business and you want to talk directly to the owner. If asked what are these issues; you just mention that you would like to talk privately to the owner as you do not think its suitable to tell to anybody.

Mystery - Problems - Urgency -> are just some ways you can manipulate your way in; please keep in mind that "gatekeepers" are just employees and not decision makers. Refusing you the "access" to the owner concerning the things you want to talk might land them in trouble with the owner.

Yet you did not tell them that but subliminally they already understand it this way..

You can also use the friendly approach if you are a chatty guy

They're called "gate keepers" for a reason

1) I know A LOT of companies that have given STERN instructions to KEEP OUT any and all NON-APPOINTMENT visitors. There are literally a ton of these out there and they do their job very well or they get reprimanded or worse could lose their jobs.

2) Some look down on prospectors as desperados and emphatically keep them away from their bosses. Whether that is good or bad behavior is irrelevant, they do it. I know a lot of gate keepers that do this as a matter of responsibility to their bosses.

3) Some bosses will NOT under ANY circumstance talk to prospectors. Their gate keepers are there to make sure those kinds of bosses never get disturbed. You see those DO NOT DISTURB signs on doors in hotels etc? They are gate keepers.... gate keepers that are meant to keep out disturbances, if a company perceives prospectors as disturbances, the gate keeper is under mandate to KEEP THEM OUT.

I could go on, but the fact remains these gate keepers that can't be side lined exist.

My advice is follow any advice about getting past gate keepers with a pinch of salt.

I myself have come up against nasty gate keepers in times past and I can tell you while it wasn't pleasant and while I did not always get my way, I did discover that you don't have to get intimidated. Just do this....

1) Dress neatly
2) Be polite
2) Speak up
3) Smile appropriately (not too much or too smart alecky)
4) Introduce yourself clearly
5) Make your request just as clear
6) Be brief in your introduction and request
7) Don't get offended by a brush off, stay polite and leave your business card if persistence turns out to be a waste of time or looks like it will be.

Want to understand the right 'tude?

This article never gets old, and brings a smile to my face every time I read it (at least once a month):

48 Hours with the King of Cold Calls, Market Research and Strategy Article | Inc.com

I love that article as well Jason.

It shows how powerful good cold walking can be. If you have confidence that what you sell will help your clients you have nothing to fear. You are providing value and they will see it.

How to get in front of the DM...make an appointment, show up, have something they can't say no to. Think, free, money saving, or something that no one else has. Don't think $500 set up fee, $99 per month, or anything else that 30 other people have tried to sell them this week.

Does anyone have any ideas about how to get in front of a business owner to show them what you can save them money on?

If you want to get in front of the owner, forget about cold calling and start learning more about cold visits

It is clearly in your hand to convert your cold visit to a warm one. Or even better, convert your cold visit to a new high paying client

Hope this helps

Dimitris