The first time an assistant asked me "What is this regarding?", I said "It's about a partnership". Silence. Then: "He's not interested." She did not even know what I was selling. Neither did I, apparently. Thousands of calls later, I have learned one thing: you do not force your way past a gatekeeper, you get through with the right lines and some respect. Here is exactly what I say, what I never say any more, and how I call around the gatekeeper when I can.
In short
To get past the gatekeeper, ask for the decision maker by first and last name, calmly, like someone who is expected. If you are asked what the call is about, give a concrete topic that matters to their role, in one sentence. Treat the assistant as an ally: ask her name, ask her questions, thank her. And to get around the switchboard when cold calling, call before 9 am or after 6 pm, and use the direct lines and mobile numbers in your CRM.
Why the gatekeeper exists (and why it is not personal)
Put yourself in the executive assistant's shoes for two minutes.
She gets dozens of calls a day. Suppliers, recruiters, photocopier salespeople, people who "won't be long". Her boss told her something simple: "Only put through what matters."
Her job is to protect someone's time.
So the real question becomes: how do I prove, in ten seconds, that my call matters?
Honestly, once you see it that way, everything changes. You stop trying to be clever. You go back to being a professional calling a professional.
Word-for-word lines that get you through the switchboard
The opener: assertive, not pleading
What I say:
"Hi, Cyriac Caillive here, I'd like to speak to Thomas Martin, please."
First name, last name, "please". No "I was wondering if by any chance it might be possible to…". The longer your sentence, the more you sound like a salesperson.
If I do not have the decision maker's name:
"Hi, I'm trying to reach the person who runs the sales team at your company, could you tell me who that is?"
An open, specific question that is easy to answer. Most of the time, I get a name.
"Who's calling?"
"Cyriac Caillive, from Flunter."
That is all. I do not add "a cold calling solution that lets you…". Nobody asked.
"What is this regarding?"
The moment of truth. The answer has to speak to the decision maker's role, not to my product:
"It's about how his sales team organises its calling sessions."
"It's about the time his reps spend hitting voicemails."
One concrete topic, one sentence, then I stop talking.
"He's in a meeting"
"No problem. When am I most likely to catch him, early morning or end of day?"
I do not ask "when is he available". I offer two options. It is much easier to answer.
"Send me an email"
"Happy to. Which address should I use? And so he actually reads it, what would you put in the subject line?"
That second question has opened more doors for me than all my scripts put together. The assistant knows what her boss reads.
What I answer to the gatekeeper's questions
You hear | What I answer | What I avoid |
Who's calling? | My first name, last name, company | A 30-second pitch |
What is this regarding? | A topic tied to their role, in one sentence | "A partnership", "an opportunity" |
Does he know you? | "Not yet, that's exactly why I'm calling" | Lying and saying yes |
He's in a meeting | "Early morning or end of day?" | "I'll call back" without noting anything |
Send an email | "Which address, and what subject line?" | Hanging up with a thank you |
We're not interested | "I understand. Is Thomas the one who handles this?" | Arguing with the assistant |
The "Does he know you?" line matters. I never lie. The day the decision maker says "I don't know this guy", you are burned with the assistant forever. And she has an excellent memory.
Turning the assistant into an ally
This is the best advice in this article, and almost nobody follows it.
Ask her name. "Sorry, who am I speaking with?" Then use it. Next call: "Hi Natalie, it's Cyriac, we spoke on Tuesday." You are no longer a stranger.
Ask her questions. She knows the org chart better than LinkedIn does. "Is he the one who decides for the sales team, or is it more the CEO?" She saves you three weeks chasing the wrong person.
Tell her the truth. "I'll be honest, this is a prospecting call. I think it could interest him, but if he's not the right person, you'd save us both time." It disarms people. Often, she smiles.
Thank her, and mean it. Even when she puts nobody through. You will call back in two weeks, and she will remember.
My personal best: an assistant who said "Hang on, I'll go and get him from the coffee machine". Three calls earlier, all I had done was ask how she was doing.
What you should never say
"It's personal." No it is not, and she knows it.
"He's expecting my call." If he is not, you are done at that company.
"It's about a partnership." What the assistant hears: "a salesperson".
"I won't be long." Everybody says it. Nobody believes it.
"Can you put me through to the manager?" Which one? You do not know who you are calling.
"I'll call back." Without asking when, without noting her name. You just wasted a call.
An annoyed tone. She is doing her job. If you get irritated, she is right to block you.
Going around the gatekeeper: when and how to call
The best gatekeeper is the one you never meet.
Call early or late
Decision makers often get in before their assistant and leave after her. Between 8 and 9 am, or after 6 pm, they regularly pick up themselves. I go through my slots in the best time to call B2B prospects.
Use direct lines
When the assistant gives you a name, also ask: "Does he have a direct line, so I don't bother you next time?" She says yes more often than you think. It is one less call for her.
Pull the mobile number from your CRM
If your contact record has a mobile number, start there. On a mobile, the person answers, not a switchboard. Just make sure you log the call properly so you know which number worked.
Plan for volume
On a list of switchboard numbers, a good share of calls land on an automated switchboard or a voicemail. That is where a parallel dialer changes the session: Flunter dials up to 5 numbers at once, filters out automated switchboards and voicemails with its in-house detection engine, and only hands me real people. I save my energy for the assistant and the decision maker.
Write everything down
The assistant's name, the decision maker's hours, the direct line, the subject line for the email. With Flunter, the call is recorded, transcribed and summarised by AI, then pushed to your CRM (integrations): I find "back from holiday on the 14th" without having written anything. For the rest of the follow-up method, see how to call prospects back.
Three real scenes at the switchboard
The receptionist who knew me better than I did
A manufacturing SME, fourth call in two weeks. The receptionist picks up: "Oh, it's you again, the phone guy!" I have never sold phones. But she put me through to the sales director and said "He's in a good mood, go for it". She was right.
"I'm his assistant"
I ask for the CEO of a startup. A voice says: "I'm his assistant, what is this regarding?" I give my topic. She asks me three very sharp questions about our product. At the end: "Well, actually I'm the CEO, we don't have an assistant. Send me a demo." I have rarely been so glad I had done my homework.
The "call back in ten minutes"
An assistant tells me: "Call back in ten minutes, he's coming out of a meeting." I set a timer. I call back on the dot. She bursts out laughing: "Nobody ever calls back." Meeting booked for the following week. Lesson: when someone gives you a time slot, it is a gift.
My takeaway
The gatekeeper is not a wall. It is a person, with a job, who would very much like people to stop wasting her time.
One line to introduce yourself, a specific topic, and the truth if she asks. Ask her name. Go around when you can. And when you cannot, make the assistant want to put you through.
For what comes next, once the decision maker is on the line, we wrote a word-for-word cold call script] at Flunter(/en/blog/cold-call-script/). And if you would rather spend your time talking to people than listening to voicemails, take a look at [Flunter pricing: there is a 7-day free trial, no credit card needed.
Read next: cold call openers and discovery questions.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get past the gatekeeper on the phone?
Ask for the decision maker by first and last name, calmly, without justifying yourself. If asked what it is about, give a concrete topic tied to their role in one sentence. Ask the assistant's name and treat her as an ally.
What should I say to "What is this regarding?"
A specific topic that matters to the decision maker's job, for example "how his sales team organises its calling sessions". Avoid "a partnership" or "an opportunity", which scream salesperson.
Should I lie to get past the switchboard?
No. Saying the decision maker is expecting you or that it is personal burns you with the assistant for good. Honesty ("this is a prospecting call") works better than you would expect.
When should I call to avoid the gatekeeper?
Early in the morning, before 9 am, or late in the day, after 6 pm, when decision makers are often alone in the office. Also use the direct lines and mobile numbers in your CRM.
How many times should I call a switchboard back?
As long as you learn something on each call (a name, a time, a direct line), keep going. Log every exchange so the next call picks up where you left off.