Who should you talk with at a company? Is it the Human Resources department, the CEO (Chief Executive Officer), CFO (Chief Financial Officer), or the sales manager? There are a couple of techniques I have used to get around the gate keeper, often the executive secretary which have been very effective. First, call before 8 am or after 5 pm. The decision makers are on salary and rarely keep the typical office hours. They work long hours and often answer their own phones lines outside of office hours.
Another method of making contact in a company is to attend events where they attend and you’ll meet them on equal grounds. One of the other techniques is to meet sales people within the company and they will introduce you to their company decision makers.