Gatekeepers often need to be courted as hard as
prospective buyers do. They generally have a lot of
information about what’s going on behind the scenes
and a certain amount of informal power. If they like
you, you’re in a good position as a seller. If they don’t,
your job is going to be much harder. In the case of
textbook sales, the gatekeepers are often faculty
secretaries. They know in advance which instructors
will be teaching which courses and the types of books
they will need. It is not uncommon for faculty
secretaries to screen the calls of textbook sales
representatives.