Hand Hygiene Specialist with Deb Canada. Founder of Hand Hygiene PRO
It's simple. 99% of the people out there will attempt to use tactics and tricks to get past the gate keeper. Instead try seeing things from the gatekeeper's perspective. When they receive a random phone call from someone they don't know they automatically think, "What does this person want? They're probably trying to sell something to me, etc."
So I want you to try this approach. When the gatekeeper answers the phone first introduce yourself and then say these words "and I want to be 100% respectful of your time." You will be amazed how much more receptive the person will be on the other end of the phone.
Try this on your next 10 cold calls and tell me if you notice a big difference.
Good luck!