Tips

Follow these tips:

• Always try to get something from a conversation with a gatekeeper. Obtain business intelligence on every call.

• Make sure to get the proper spelling of the prospect’s name, along with the title, the e-mail address, and a complete telephone number.

• If the person you’re trying to reach has a gender-neutral first name such as Sam, Pat, Devon, or Taylor or a name from a different culture that you aren’t sure about, ask the gatekeeper whether the person is a woman or a man. Better to ask the question up front than to be embarrassed by guessing and addressing your correspondence incorrectly.

• If the gatekeeper/administrator/receptionist identifies himself or herself by name, make a note of that too. Remembering that person’s ...

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