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Getting Through the Gatekeeper

By Doug Farrick

In order to advance in this world you need key people (and influential) people on your side. But how can you contact them for help when they employ a hardened gatekeeper to filter all the good from the junk? Here's a foolproof way to do it.

Everyone, including me, has difficulty from time to time trying to reach influential people. And getting through the gatekeepers (assistants, administrative assistants, etc.) is not easy - after all, that's their job.

But there is a way - and it's *usually* foolproof.

Send the package via Fed-Ex. Yep. Not Priority Mail, DHL, UPS or anything else. Fed-Ex ONLY.

Here's why: the first battle is getting your request seen by somebody, so you've got to make sure that it gets to the right person. And NOTHING does that better than a Fed-Ex package.

Don't ask me why, and NO, I don't own stock in them. But, you can write the best letter ever, but if nobody sees it, it won't do you a darn bit of good.

Fed-Ex ONLY.

And this is where you can be really creative. Ideally you would have done your homework and researched the individual. Do they like golf, cooking, sailing, mystery novels?

Along with the letter (which states the reason you are contacting them) include something that reflects their interests (as mentioned above)

I mention this because someone recently send me a Fed-Ex package with a particular golf gadget enclosed and a request to help them find contacts in a particular industry.

Not sure how they knew this but I immediately got on the phone to thank the person and now will be introducing them to a few select contacts of mine.

Talk about targeting marketing.