The strategies were developed during an 8-year study of drug dealers in New York City. A key element in gaining the ability to talk with and observe drug dealers and their families was the availability of funds to compensate respondents for interviews and other expenses associated with building and maintaining rapport. The "right contact" was a critical element in the strategies. The "go-between," a trusted associate of a dealer who performs various roles and assumes risks the dealer wishes to avoid, was also important. He or she explained the ethnographer's role and helped arrange initial meetings. The article examines the ritual of initial conversation within its cultural framework. Because drug dealers' self-esteem and prestige is generally tied to their drug dealing activities, signs of respect are critical in obtaining repeated appointments and conversations. Gaining access was broken into two components: obtaining permission to engage dealers in in-depth interviews and obtaining permission to directly observe the actual activities of selling. Notes, references