There will be many challenges to building your sales pipeline, but the barriers that prevent you from reaching the decision makers are perhaps the biggest.
In our blog series Barriers to the Prospect we will explore the different barriers you will face and the best practice solutions for overcoming those obstacles. The first barrier we will discuss is the CEO’s administrative assistant.
Keep in mind that it is the admin’s job to screen their boss’s calls and keep their schedules from getting clogged. That’s why breaking through the admin door is probably the most difficult task in business development prospecting.
Below are a few guidelines to making this task easier:
- Treat the admin with respect – On a daily basis admins are pushed by everyone in the office and pulled in a million different directions. Treat them courteously and be honest about the reason for your call.
- Build a relationship with the admin – Empathize with the admin. Let them know you understand they may feel overworked and undervalued.
- Follow through on requests – If the admin asks you to email information or call back on a different day, do it. The admin’s time is valuable and he or she won’t be as willing to help someone who wastes it.
- Make realistic requests – Understand that a CEO’s calendar is usually booked weeks in advance. Don’t expect the admin to be able to book an appointment for the next day or to schedule a full hour for the initial introduction.
The admin keeps the schedule of the C-Suite and is fully capable of scheduling an appointment without ever speaking to the CEO. So, getting in their good graces is the key to your prospecting success.
