The Dummy Gatekeeper

As you all know, I am a strong proponent of calling into companies to gather information, particularly the employee name/title/contact info kind of information. You also know that I am an advocate of first going directly at the Gatekeeper and asking her for precisely the information that is being sought. The "trick" is in the asking - if you ask for ONE THING AT A TIME you are far more likely to achieve your goal than if you demand of her, "I need to know who all thirteen of your sales reps are on the West Coast," numerical information you divined from some unwitting soul on an earlier call into same company.

Although most Gatekeepers are way beyond the usual sets of intelligence most of us possess, occasionally, and I do mean occasionally, you'll get someone who truly lacks the knowledge you seek.

"Hello, Cindy, this is Maureen Sharib. May I speak with your Director of External Reporting?"

"I don't know who that is."

"Then can you connect me to your finance department?"

"I don't think we have one."

When this happens, you have to help this poor soul help you. Glancing quickly at my screen and the list of executives Hoovers provided to me when I set the job up, I note the CFO's name listed four slots down on the pecking order organizational chart.

To read the whole Sourcing Script for a Director of External Reporting go here.