Every industry has screeners, those loyal servants whose function it is to fend you, the salesperson, away from their meal tickets.  Some screeners are easy to work with, but most have been trained to get rid of you, politely or otherwise.

Screeners can make great allies, but care must be taken to build strong, long-lasting relationships with them.  The benefit is if you can handle these people, you can handle anyone.

Here are some guiding principles in dealing with tough screeners:

1.  Prepare for a lengthy courtship.  Know going in that this process may take weeks or months.  Plan realistic goals for your first call (email your literature), second call (get the buyer to read the most important areas), etc.

2.  Use reverse psychology.  Don’t expect to reach the decision-maker, in fact, avoid trying to reach the decision-maker (“Actually, Jim, I know Janelle is busy and I don’t want to bother her unnecessarily…”)

3.  Treat the screener as a decision-maker or at least a decision-influencer.  That’s because the more important the decision-maker is, the more important the role the screener plays:  “You know, Janet, you may be able to help me with this…”

4.  Tone down your voice and tempo.  Many screeners lead frantic professional lives, and mirroring their voice and tempo may be completely inappropriate.  I deliberately speak casually and slightly slower than usual, throw in humor when I can do so professionally, and avoid making my call seem a matter of life or death.

5.  Be vulnerable.  Though I try to be charmingly assertive with my message, I’m always willing to back off to a more appropriate time or reach a more appropriate person.  And if I strike out completely, I’ll ask why:  (contritely…) “You know, Judy, I’ve tried to reach Jane about eight times so far and I think I’m doing something wrong; is she the one responsible for buying _____ or ______?”

6.  If challenged, fully identify yourself and your mission.  I often state my full name, my company, and on at least my first call, a non-threatening reason for my intrusion:  “June, it’s Peter Belanger with ______; we make _____ and _____, I just wanted to make sure Judy had received our latest email catalog and I need to get her one if she hasn’t…”  When the initial wall of resistance is lowered, genuine give-and-take can begin.

If they say, “Just send the catalog…,” I will usually reply, “Well, I need to make sure it goes to (Judy) (the right person) and not wind up in the trash.  When do you think is the best time for me to try back?”

7.  When appropriate, get a name.  Screeners are much less likely to blow you off when they lose their anonymity, yet asking for a name too early on a cold call can earn you a quick rebuff:  “It’s (full name) with (company name), and who is this?”  (Frostily…) “This is the receptionist; who are you trying to reach?”  Explain who you are and your non-threatening mission before you ask for a name, and when a little rapport has been established, politely ask the screener’s name, and make a note of it (and any banter which may have ensued) for future use.

8.  Call at best times and make appointments.  Tough screeners are usually busy screeners, so it’s wise to call when they buyer wants you to call:  “Jackie, what time do you normally start your day? Or, “What’s the best time for me call to avoid your voicemail?”  It also makes sense to make appointments with decision-makers:  “Fine, how about 2:00 pm on Friday; will you be back from lunch by then?”  Not only does an appointment make you sound more professional, but the buyer feels a sense of obligation to be available at the appointed time.

9.  Don’t fawn or over compliment.  Bright screeners know bull when they hear it, so avoid being over solicitous:  “So you DID forward my literature, that’s great!  You must be TOTALLY overloaded and I want to thank you for taking all of that time…”

10.  When appropriate, get other decision-influencer names.  Once rapport has been established with a screener, you can tactfully ask who else helps make purchasing decisions:  “Is this your department or does someone else have to sign off on this?”

11.  Use literature intelligently.  Remember that from the perspective of high-visibility buyers, the literature and demo in-box is always filled virtually to the ceiling.  Highlighting and directing your prospect’s attention to small but crucial areas will increase your chance of getting through the screener in the future:  “It’s a pretty dense data sheet, Janelle, so just read page two; paragraph three, where we talk about ____.  I’ll put a highlight on that area so it’s easy to see.”

Proven Voicemail Ideas:

In many industries, you’ll be lucky to get more than a 2% response to your voicemails, but here are some ideas that work in almost any industry:

1.  Get back to the screener.  If I reach voicemail, I get through about 20% of the time when I get back to the screener and say, “James, it’s Peter Belanger with ____ and I keep getting Kelly’s voicemail (and I have some news she wanted about _____).  Have you seen her walking around or does she have an admin or someone that she works with?”

2.  Cold call voicemails.  I try to reach buyers several times before leaving a cold-call voicemail because the odds are slim I’ll get a callback.  But even a non-returned voicemail can be valuable, somewhat similar to a billboard. 

When I do have to leave a voicemail, I make sure to do several things:

A.  I’m honest, vulnerable and sincere.
B.  I’m complete.
C.  I try to intrigue the buyer with the latest news from my company.
D.  I communicate how serious I take my responsibility for being the buyer’s main contact.
E.  I use an “I’ll jump through whatever hoops you want me to jump through” headline (see my article, “Best Cold Call Approach Ever”).
F.  I draw attention to the fact that I will be efficient when he/she calls.
G.  I say the phone number at least twice (chances are he/she is fumbling for a pen the first time).
H.  I realize that I may have to leave this message more than once.

Here is a good example of a cold-call message, with some useful options:

“Jim, it’s (full name) with _____ Company.  We haven’t spoken before but _____ provides exceptionally accurate and up-to-date _____ for the _____ industry.  We’ve announced some new services and it’s my responsibility to make sure you have our latest information.  I’ll follow whatever procedure makes you comfortable to compete for some of your business and I’ll get right to the point when you call.  Please give me a call on my direct line, which is _____, that’s _____.  Thanks and hope to speak to you soon.”

Option:  After, “We haven’t spoken before but…” you might want to add “you may be familiar with us…”  The implication is that your company is well known and that the buyer should be familiar with the company.

Option:  I will often get help by the appropriate use of, “If I’m barking up the wrong tree, please let me know who I should be speaking to about this…”

Option:  If your clients have allowed you to use their company names and you don’t beat the drum too loudly, you can add spice and credibility to your message.  Instead of saying “for the _____ industry”, say, “…for companies such as B of A, Aetna Insurance and McDonalds.”

Option:  If you have a generic but truly compelling article, you can say, “(name), it’s (full name) with ____ company, we provide _____ and we’ve just written an article called “10 Mistakes Widget Companies Make in a Recession”; and I thought you might want to get a free copy.  Please reach me at (number, repeat)…”

If several voicemails don’t work, I will get someone else on the phone and communicate my passion on how much I want to do business:

“Jeremy, I’ve left six voicemails for Jim and I’m striking out left and right.  We have the best _____ and _____ in the industry and I’m almost positive Jim can use some of what we’ve got, but I’m not getting anywhere.  Have you got any ideas for me?  Should I be talking to someone else?  Am I calling at bad times?  Is he just locked into another vendor and won’t even talk about other options?  What should I do?”

3.  Follow-up voicemail.  Reduce the task you’ve give the buyer, and use humor if appropriate:  “Vanda, it’s _____ with _____ Company.  I’d gotten you the email with the green border and the video link we talked about on Tuesday.  I’d like to give you a machete to get through the material so give me a call at _____, that’s _____.  Thanks and have a wonderful day!”

4.  Referral voicemail.  Having a referral makes things a lot easier:  “Katie, I just got off the phone with June Thomas and she thought I might have something of interest for you.  My name is _____ with _____ and we provide _____.  I just wanted to (make sure you have our latest information) (see what procedure you’d like me to follow to compete for some of your business).

5.  Literature referral.  You can reverse the phone-email process by sending an email and following up with:  “Bob, it’s _____ with _____.  I’m calling to follow up on some information I sent you that you should find of value.  _____ has a long history of helping (industry) companies increase their return on investment on their _____ campaigns.  I’d like the opportunity to share some information with you, and I’ll be in the office until _____ today.  Please call me at _____, that’s _____.

6.  Fax, email or use social media.  Sending the exact same message via these methods may get you through.  You show creativity and effort by using multiple media.

7.  Humor.  A great sales tool and tension breaker if you can stay professional and you’re truly funny (although you don’t have to be hysterical.)  Note:  Humor usually requires a good relationship to exist; be very careful with humor on cold calls. 

Here’s an example of tongue-in-cheek humor based on a solid relationship with the buyer:

“Carla, it’s _____ with _____ back from the Bahamas and I can already see my tan disappearing.  There’s only one way I can pay for a trip like this and that’s for you to buy another of my _____.  Buy you’re going to have to call me soon because I’m planning a trip to Australia next year and that’s going to cost me a lot more.  Would love to speak with you; my number is _____, that’s _____.  Thanks and talk to you soon.”

8.  Persistence.  When it’s appropriate and a deal is close or there’s a time constraint, I may leave five or more voicemails in a week, but I apologize for my persistence:  “Jorge, it’s _____ with _____ and it’s noon on Friday.  Sorry we keep missing each other – I must be calling you at bad times.  I know you want to wrap up the details on that _____ program we discussed, and the discount is going to end at close of day on Monday, so get back to me as soon as you can.  You should have both numbers but here they are again:  Office: _____, and cell, _____.  Thanks and I know we’ll be speaking soon.”

I’ve saved the best for last:

9.  Warmth and accessibility.  A major computer company multiplied their voicemail response four times when they eased up on their formal approach and provided the client with extraordinary accessibility and a view into the salesperson’s personal life:

“John, it’s Jackie at _____ getting back to you regarding _____.  I’m leaving the office early today because I promised my daughter I’d watch her Little League game but I know this is important and I want to be accessible to you.  If you don’t get me here feel free to call the house at _____, that’s _____.  Joel and I should both be up till about 10:00 pm tonight.  Of course the office number is _____, _____.  Thanks and talk to you soon.”

Jackie provided even more than her cell number here, and this won’t be appropriate for many situations, but here’s what really happened:  Almost no buyers called the house – nearly every buyer who got the voicemail called the office or the cell, because this company was clearly doing everything it could to make the customer happy. 

And just imagine future conversations between this buyer and seller – there will be a great deal of talk about family and friends, with the strong possibility of creating the most profitable relationship of all; a relationship for life.