How do you coach reps to get past gatekeepers?

Question

Pulse RevOps · The Machine · Accepted Answer

### Direct Answer

To coach reps past gatekeepers, stop teaching tricks to "get around" the gatekeeper and start coaching reps to treat the gatekeeper as an **ally and a source of intelligence**. The core move: diagnose whether your rep's problem is **mindset** (they fear or resent gatekeepers), **skill** (weak opener, vague reason for the call), or **targeting** (calling the wrong person at the wrong number). Then run a **GROW-model 1:1**, give the rep verbatim language that is **honest, respectful, and confident**, and drill it through live role-play until the rep can say it without a script. This is a behavior you build through repetition, not a one-time pep talk — and in 2027, with more multithreaded buying committees and AI-screened phone lines, the rep who treats the assistant as a partner gets the meeting.

## Why This Happens — Diagnose Before You Coach

Before you coach, find the real cause. Reps fail at gatekeepers for four very different reasons, and the fix for each is different. Coaching the wrong cause wastes everyone's time.

- **Will / mindset:** The rep sees the gatekeeper as the enemy, gets nervous, sounds apologetic, or tries to "trick" their way through. Tone leaks through the phone. This is the most common root cause.
- **Skill:** The rep has the right attitude but a weak opener — they ask "Is the decision-maker available?", give a vague reason, or fold the moment they hear "What's this regarding?"
- **Knowledge:** The rep doesn't know enough about the prospect or the value to give the gatekeeper a credible, specific reason to connect them.
- **System / targeting:** The rep is calling the wrong number, the wrong title, or a company where the buyer never answers the phone. No script fixes a bad list. This is a **RevOps and territory** problem, not a coaching problem.

Listen to three or four of the rep's recorded gatekeeper calls in **Gong** or **Chorus** before the 1:1. You will usually hear the cause in the first ten seconds — the energy, the opener, and the reaction to pushback.

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    A[Rep struggles past gatekeepers] --> B{Listen to 3-4 recorded calls}
    B --> C{Right number and title?}
    C -->|No| D[Targeting problem: fix list with RevOps - not a coaching issue]
    C -->|Yes| E{Tone: confident and warm or nervous/pushy?}
    E -->|Nervous or pushy| F[WILL: reframe gatekeeper as ally - mindset coaching]
    E -->|Confident| G{Clear, specific reason for call?}
    G -->|No, vague| H[SKILL: rebuild opener and pushback responses]
    G -->|Yes| I{Knows prospect and value?}
    I -->|No| J[KNOWLEDGE: research and value-prep before dialing]
    I -->|Yes| K[Skill mostly there: drill volume and consistency]
```

## The Coaching Conversation

Run this as a 1:1 using the **GROW model** (Goal, Reality, Options, Will). Do not lecture. Ask, let the rep self-diagnose, then co-build the language. Here are the verbatim words.

**Goal — "What are you actually trying to get from the gatekeeper?"**
Most reps say "get past them." Push deeper: *"If the assistant is on your side, what do they do for you?"* Get the rep to see the gatekeeper as a router, not a wall. The real goal is **a warm internal referral**, not a sneaky transfer.

**Reality — "Let's listen to this call together. What did you hear in your tone?"**
Play the Gong clip. Ask: *"What did the gatekeeper do right there, and why do you think they did it?"* Let the rep notice they sounded rushed or evasive. Self-discovery sticks; your verdict doesn't.

**Options — "What if you treated the assistant like the smartest, most connected person in the building?"**
Then hand them the language. The opener I coach is honest and warm:

> *"Hi, I'm hoping you can help me. My name is Maria with Acme — I work with operations leaders on cutting invoice errors. I'm trying to reach the person who owns AP. Is that Tom, or am I off base?"*

Three things make that work: **a request for help** ("I'm hoping you can help me"), a **specific, plain-English reason**, and a **named guess** that lets the gatekeeper correct you. Coach the rep to never say "decision-maker" — say the function ("who owns AP").

For the inevitable screen, drill these verbatim responses:

- Gatekeeper: *"What's this regarding?"* → Rep: *"Totally fair to ask. We help AP teams cut invoice errors — I have a quick question for Tom about how you handle that today. Is he the right person?"*
- Gatekeeper: *"Send me an email."* → Rep: *"Happy to, and I will. So I send something useful and not generic — what's the best way Tom likes to hear about this?"* (This turns a brush-off into discovery.)
- Gatekeeper: *"He's not interested."* → Rep: *"Appreciate you protecting his time. Quick check so I don't keep bugging you both — is AP error rate even on his radar this year, or should I close the file?"*

**Will — "Which of these will you commit to using on your next ten dials, and when?"**
End every coaching conversation with a **specific commitment and a check-in time**. "Try ha

How do you coach reps to get past gatekeepers?

Direct Answer

Why This Happens — Diagnose Before You Coach

The Coaching Conversation

The Coaching Plan / Cadence

Drills & Role-Play

What to Measure

Common Mistakes Managers Make

FAQ

Bottom Line

Sources

How do you coach reps to get past gatekeepers?

Direct Answer

Why This Happens — Diagnose Before You Coach

The Coaching Conversation

The Coaching Plan / Cadence

Drills & Role-Play

What to Measure

Common Mistakes Managers Make

FAQ

Bottom Line

Sources

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