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Gatekeepers HATE this approach
Plus: Mark Cuban's early-bird strategy for bypassing gatekeepers completely...
Jordan Belfort
February 19, 2025
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👋 Time to face facts about gatekeepers — they're not your future friends, they're trained to thwart you. That's literally their job. But here's the good news: while they're trained to screen out salespeople, they're not trained to handle someone who sounds like they belong.
In this edition:
How to defeat the gatekeeper
Mark Cuban keeps “edge” hours
Get connected to decision makers
Read time: 4 minutes | 710 words
INSIGHT
🎯 How to Get Through the Gatekeeper
From the Desk of Jordan Belfort:
Forget everything you've been taught about gatekeepers. That "make friends with the receptionist" nonsense? It's time to face reality about what actually works.
The Gatekeeper's True Purpose: Let's get one thing straight – gatekeepers aren't your potential allies. Their primary mission is to screen out salespeople like you. They're called gatekeepers for a reason: they guard the gate. Accept this reality and you can start playing the game to win.
The Numbers Game Reality: Here's what nobody tells you – 99% of the time, trying to befriend the gatekeeper is a waste of precious selling time. You can't spend 45 minutes chatting up every receptionist hoping they'll eventually break down and put you through.
The High-Value Exception: Yes, there are rare cases – like in Wall Street when Bud Fox worked on Gordon Gekko's secretary – where building a relationship makes sense. But that's for whale hunting, not your day-to-day sales work.
You're not in the friendship business – you're in the sales business. Every minute spent trying to charm a gatekeeper is a minute you're not spending with decision-makers.
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STORY
📞 How Mark Cuban Outsmarted the Gatekeepers
In 1983, Mark Cuban was a 25-year-old bartender who'd just been fired from his software sales job. Instead of looking for another position, he decided to start his own company - MicroSolutions (read more).
Like every unknown entrepreneur, Cuban faced a classic dilemma: how to reach decision-makers when you're a nobody in the industry. His solution was deceptively simple: show up when nobody else would.
Cuban discovered that corporate offices operated on predictable rhythms.
Before 8 AM, gatekeepers hadn't arrived.
After 6 PM, support staff had left.
But decision-makers often worked these "edge" hours.
He'd arrive at offices either extremely early or stay notably late. During these hours, he'd often find executives answering their own phones, walking their own halls, and more willing to talk to a hungry young entrepreneur.
But Cuban didn't just make the pitch and leave. He'd read every manual he could find about the software, learn the technical details inside and out, and be ready to answer any question a client might have. He showed up prepared to solve problems, not just sell.
This approach helped build MicroSolutions into a leading systems integrator. By 1990, the company had reached over $30 million in revenue and built a reputation for solving complex technical problems. That same year, Cuban sold MicroSolutions to CompuServe for $6 million. He was 32 years old.
As Cuban often says: "It's not about the idea, it's about the execution." His early morning/late evening strategy wasn't revolutionary - it was just consistently executed when others wouldn't make the effort
ACTION
🌟 How to Get Past the Gatekeeper
After 35 years in the trenches, here's the most powerful method I've discovered for getting past gatekeepers: Sound like you belong.
The Perfect Pattern:
Use fewer words (less is always more)
Adopt a familiar tone
Master the power of silence
The Exact Script That Works: ❌ NEVER SAY: "Hi, this is John Smith from XYZ Company calling for Mr. Johnson..." ✅ INSTEAD USE:
👨💼 "Hey Tom please" [pause]
☎️ "Who's calling?" → 👨💼 "It's John" [silence]
☎️ "John who?" → 👨💼 "John Smith" [pause]
☎️ "What's this regarding?" → 👨💼 "Personal business"
☎️ "What company?" → 👨💼 "He'll know the company"
Gatekeepers are trained to handle sales scripts – they're not trained to handle strategic silence. When you remain quiet after each short response, they don't know what to do next.
The Power Move: Even if they suspect you're a salesperson, maintain the familiar tone. Nine times out of ten, they'll put you through anyway. Then it's all about nailing those crucial first four seconds with the decision-maker.
MEME
