Great question Jana, and not an easy one to answer as it varies depending on how much your product or service costs. The bigger the potential value of your sale, the more attempts you should make to speak to each decision maker.

Perseverance is without doubt the most important quality you need to become a great salesperson, so provided the potential sale value justifies the effort, keep plugging away. You will get through to the decision maker eventually!

I’ve lost count how many times I’ve made a number of calls to the same company, trying to get through to the decision maker. Then when I finally manage to speak to them, they’ve offered me a job or asked me to train their sales team, because they’re so impressed with my determination to make contact with them!

Being single-minded in your determination to speak to decision makers is crucial, but sometimes you need a few more tricks up your sleeve to help you get past the receptionist. Here’s a method which has helped me enormously over the years – if you’re struggling to get through to a particular decision maker, try calling before 9am or after 5pm.

The receptionist generally won’t be in the office at those times. Usually whoever answers the phone isn’t as worried about filtering out sales calls, which means you’re more likely to be put through to the person you need to speak to.

Plus your decision maker usually won’t be in meetings at those times, which means they’re more likely to be at their desk and able to take your call. Try it out – I guarantee you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results you get!