Permission Gates Are Real

In partnership with

Driving Sales…Driving Awareness

We talk about sales and marketing in a funny way. We are always DRIVING something…traffic, conversions, closes, clickthroughs, sales…we take a lot of responsibility (linguistically, anyways) for creating desired outcomes in sales and marketing.

That’s kind of the whole gig - right? Great marketers and sales people MAKE things happen…

That’s a bunch of poppycock, hooey, BS, blah, blah, whatevs.

Here’s the real deal, skippy → as marketers and salespeople we rarely “drive” anything. We are mostly good at getting people to open their “permission gates”.

What In The Flibberty-Flabberty is a “Permission Gate”?

Well, it’s a gate that your audience, prospect, client, whomever, has to open in order for you to take the next step. We don’t push our way into awareness and sales, we create an atmosphere where it is OK for someone to let you in.

Think of it this way:

→ You send the most perfectly crafted email & if it isn’t opened, it is worthless. Luckily the combination of your brand, your subject line and your preview copy ALLOWS that lucky reader to feel like it's okay to give you permission to let your words into their eyeballs.

→ You want to make an offer, but until your prospect opens their permission gate to let you have a conversation in order to make the offer relevant. It's just potential energy that hasn't been expressed. In your conversations leading up to the offer, you're making it safe for your prospect to open their permission gate.

You’re not the driver.

You’re not in control.

You’re in a queue, maybe twiddling your thumbs, hoping that you’ve done your job well enough to influence the environment so that it is conducive to you receiving permission.

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So What Does Permission Look Like?

It’s an action.

In order for you to know you have permission, the audience, prospect or person that you are influencing, they have to do something active.

• An open. They click your email.

• A reply. They say, “Tell me more.”

• A click-through. They stop scrolling, mash that button

If none of that happens, you’re not being rejected, you’re just haven’t earned permission yet. But you’ve set the stage to receive permission to move ahead well before the time it is granted

So how do you create an environment where permission gates naturally open?

You don’t push, and you design for trust.

You don’t force action.

You create safety.

You make the next step feel so logical, it would be weird not to take it.

Here’s what that looks like:

1. Make it feel like you already know them

When someone reads your email, your post, your site, do they feel seen?

Seen , as in, “Oh $#!t, that’s exactly what I’ve been thinking but didn’t have the right words”.

That’s not copywriting.

That’s mirror-holding. It builds instant trust.

2. Don’t skip steps

Permission is progressive. If someone barely knows you, don’t ask for a 30-minute call and a $10K proposal.

Offer micro-steps. Small commitments. Curiosity-level invites.

Permission builds with momentum.

3. Give more than you take

Every great permission-based brand gives value before ask.

Insight. Humor. Clarity. Relief. Something that people crave.

When people trust that opening the gate gets them something good, they start opening more often and more fully.

4. Build bridges, not cliffs

The next step should feel like a gentle incline, not a leap of faith.

→ A clear “Here’s what happens next.”

→ A no-pressure “Want to dig deeper?”

→ A “This might help you even if you never buy from me” kind of vibe.

That’s what creates low-friction, high-trust environments.

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Content Is A Trust Amplifier

Trust is the doorway to permission, & content is the electricity that lights the whole thing up.

Great content says, “Hey, I’ve been thinking about your problems even when you weren’t paying attention.”

It builds a track record of relevance.

Done well, your content does three magic things:

1. Signals safety

Not “I’m trying to sell you,” but:

“I understand what you’re going through. Here’s what might help.””

That slaps some WD-40 on gate before you ever step into the queue.

2. Clarifies your POV

Your audience & prospects don’t just want a solution that might work for them. They want someone with a point of view that feels like it would be theirs if they were sitting in your shoes. It doesn’t have to sound like them, or mimic them, it just should be aligned so that it feels reasonable, rational & relevant. Content shows them how you think, how you move & how you exist.

It makes you feel familiar without feeling boring.

3. Gives them reasons to take action

Content isn’t just comfort food. It’s fuel.

The right story, metaphor, or insight at the right moment can tip someone from “just browsing” to “Okay, fine, let’s talk.”

What if every piece of your funnel earned permission?

That’s exactly what GEN+ helps agency founders build.

→ We map the gates your prospects care about.

→ We craft messages that make them want to open.

→ We build a content engine that keeps permissions coming.

If your emails, posts, pitches aren’t opening doors, GEN+ is the key.

Did I influence you well enough to grab 30 minutes to find out how you can accelerate trust?

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Our sponsorships are ads (obviously - duh). But some of the companies or services linked in our content may pay us a minimal commission if you buy something from them. Potential payment is never a factor in what we link to, and we have direct experience with every company or service where you can buy something that we mention in our content.