Al drove by Dijon Enterprises and was excited to see the Lexus ...

[futuristic]

Al drove by Dijon Enterprises and was excited to see the Lexus with the personalized license plates parked in the president's reserved parking spot. Al knew that this car belonged to the president of the company, with whom he had been trying to meet. In fact, Al spent the last three months trying to get an appointment. Al parked his car, confidently approached the secretary's desk, and introduced himself.
 
  Hi, I'm Alfred Rodgers from the Kent Company. Is Mr. Bill in?
 
  The secretary smiled and returned his greeting. Glad to meet you. I'm Sophie, Mr. Bill's personal assistant. I'm sorry, but he's not in today..
 
  Al started to say But I saw . . .. and then hesitated while he collected his thoughts and decided how best to respond.
 
  Is there anything Al can do to get around the gatekeeper?

Question 2

Al drove by Dijon Enterprises and was excited to see the Lexus with the personalized license plates parked in the president's reserved parking spot. Al knew that this car belonged to the president of the company, with whom he had been trying to meet. In fact, Al spent the last three months trying to get an appointment. Al parked his car, confidently approached the secretary's desk, and introduced himself.
 
  Hi, I'm Alfred Rodgers from the Kent Company. Is Mr. Bill in?
 
  The secretary smiled and returned his greeting. Glad to meet you. I'm Sophie, Mr. Bill's personal assistant. I'm sorry, but he's not in today..
 
  Al started to say But I saw . . .. and then hesitated while he collected his thoughts and decided how best to respond.
 
  Does Al really want to confront Sophie (the president's personal assistant) about his belief that the president is in?

[SAUXC]

Answer to Question 1

There are several strategies sales representatives can use to get around gatekeepers and contact the buyer. Al could phone the company and ask for the president by a first nameimplying that he is a personal friendand the gatekeeper might put his call through. Another technique for getting around a gatekeeper is calling before or after office hours, or calling during lunch. If the gatekeeper is not there to answer the phone, the president may pick up. Both these tactics are risky however, since more than likely, the sales representative will have to work with the gatekeeper eventually to get an appointment. While these tactics may work in the short run, they may be detrimental long term.

If it looks like the gatekeeper is going to be a problem, Al may want to begin his sales strategy by building a relationship with the gatekeeper. Small gifts or product samples (if appropriate) might be a way to start.

Answer to Question 2

Al probably wants to be very careful here. On the one hand, if the president is in and the gatekeeper is lying, Al has a right to be upset. On the other hard, if he wants to develop a long-term relationship with the president, he will probably also need to develop a positive relationship with the gatekeeper. Confronting her with an accusation may not be the best way to begin that relationship. It would, however, be perfectly reasonable to ask about the car in the parking spot; there is always a possibility for a logical explanation (maybe the gatekeeper dropped the president at the airport and drove his car back to the office). However Al needs to be very non-confrontational when asking the question.

[futuristic]

TYSM

[at]

Excellent