How Signal 88 Sales Training Helps Convert Former Police Officers to Sales People

About three quarters of Signal 88 Security*’s franchise system comes from a law enforcement or military background because they embrace and are familiar with serving and protecting their local communities. Even though the passion for the community is strong with this demographic, becoming a business owner can be scary for anyone.

Signal 88 has recognized this fear and has dedicated time to creating a unique process that truly helps train new franchise owners that has a law enforcement background by tapping into their experience and expanding on it.

“I think the first thing is to help them understand that they have always known the steps of sales,” said Reed Nyffeler, CEO of Signal 88 Security. “Essentially, when they do a pre-call plan, they watch all the prospects drive by and assess if they’re a likely candidate they need to meet for speeding. Then, they decide to meet and ask for contact information, their name, registration and license. At which point they continue the process with a series of questions to ask the person they pulled over if they know why they were pulled over. They come to fully understand a situation and offer a proposal as to why they were pulled over. The conversation then ends in a nice manner to which they move forward and move on.”

Although a police officer most likely wouldn’t have imagined pulling someone over down the highway to mirror a sales process, Nyffeler breaks down the situation to show how similar they are. The sales process may sound daunting, but the approach Signal 88 has for their business model creates an opportunity for people to realize it’s already in their blood.

Once the new franchise candidate has formed a mutual interest and understanding with Signal 88’s process, he or she begins training with their business professionals to eventually create their own successful franchise.

When Nyffeler asked franchise candidates about how they learned law enforcement their answers all were similar, “We were trained to understand the elements of the law.” Nyffeler clarifies that law enforcement training is no different than Signal 88’s business training. They follow the same process.

The former police officers admit that they were nervous the first time they pulled someone over and those are the same nerves that form when starting a new franchise, but Signal 88 provides multiple ways, such as a personal business coach, to help eliminate such nerves. Of course, the first time handling a sales meeting may not go perfectly, but staying committed to responsibilities will help gain confidence over time.

“We relate experiences in training they’ve had through their professional career, if not their entire life,” said Nyffeler. “We discuss being very systematic and applying that same training mentality to a different process.”

One thing that Nyffeler focuses on when helping former police officers in their training is to help them understand how to deal with rejection because police officers aren’t used to hearing ‘no.’ He explains that the biggest thing for police officers to understand is that the word ‘no’ is acceptable in this format and you cannot make someone say ‘yes.’ This is where the previous training becomes beneficial and the police officer must use what he or she has learned to get that potential client to want to say ‘yes.’ Instead of using force, they learn new techniques to create the response they want in their client, such as asking more questions. He comments that a major turning point for former police officers is when they can pivot in their mind and understand that they’re not stopping something, they’re helping someone. Once they understand that they’re helping that person resolve a problem instead of stopping one from happening, that is where the see true success. If you ask a police officer for directions, they’re helpful because you’re not perceived as a threat. When they learn to follow that methodology in a helpful scenario, they become more confident and comfortable.

Another benefit that Nyffeler mentions that allows former police and military to excel at Signal 88 is the fact that they are familiar with being in a situation where they don’t know what they will encounter. That trait can benefit them because they know how to think on their feet, and better yet, the training continues after the initial franchise training.

After learning the general overview and fundamentals of the sales process, the franchisee launches in a specific market with a franchise business coach. With ongoing support, Signal 88’s team will coach the franchisee through issues that arise for them to adjust accordingly. The experience former police and military have in leadership is important because they can translate those experiences into the professional sector and correlate leadership into their successful franchise business.