Fire & Life Safety Compliance Talking Points for Sales Teams

Understanding and communicating fire safety regulations is vital for commercial service sales teams specializing in fire and life safety. It’s not only about compliance. Sellers should aim to ensure the safety and security of employees, customers, and company assets.

Clear and effective talking points in fire and life safety boost a sales team’s ability to engage clients meaningfully. In this article, we’ll explore a few key talking points for commercial service sellers in the fire and life safety sector.

What are important talking points for commercial fire safety sellers?

Fire and life safety sales teams must focus on a few important topics to effectively support potential customers and serve as knowledgeable partners throughout the sales cycle. These topics include fire safety education, risk prevention, system efficiency, emergency preparation, and planned check-ins and improvements.

FEMA estimates 116,500 fires occurred in non-residential buildings nationwide, and resulted in 115 deaths, 1,025 injuries, and $3.69 billion dollars in losses during 2021 (the latest figures available). These alarming figures highlight the importance of prioritizing the following talking points.

Awareness and education

Talk about the importance of staying current with fire safety regulations and standards. Emphasize the need for businesses to train their staff regularly and conduct surprise drills. Explain how well-informed employees can evacuate quickly and safely during a fire, reducing injuries and property damage. Highlight that this knowledge leads to faster recovery and fewer business interruptions after an incident.

Risk assessment and mitigation

Encourage your prospects to check their workplaces for fire hazards regularly. Come prepared with the common causes of commercial fires and know how to prevent them. 

Use recent data to urge prospects to adopt or improve their risk management plan. For example, between 2012 and 2021, unintentionally or carelessly set nonresidential fires increased 55 percent and these incidents have steadily increased over time.

Emphasize that effective mitigation involves specific actions to reduce fire risks efficiently, such as upgrading sprinkler systems and fire alarms or updating electrical systems. 

Efficiency of systems

Safe and efficient fire systems require regular maintenance. Buildings need efficient systems, because a small flame only takes 30 seconds to turn into a major fire, so every second counts.

Proper and regular maintenance means fire detection systems function their best when needed, ensuring peak performance and timely response in critical moments. Sellers should stress the importance of innovative technology and proactive, predictive, and outcome-based service models. 

Emergency response and evacuation

Guide clients on the importance of creating clear and well-marked evacuation routes and procedures. Stress how detailed plans ensure quick and safe exits for everyone in the building during emergencies.

Highlight the importance of having a simple, effective way to communicate during emergencies. Good communication helps speed up evacuations and keeps everyone safe, which is a key part of managing fire safety.

Continuous monitoring and improvement

As technology advances, remind prospects to update their fire safety systems to the latest standards for the best safety. Stress the importance of reviewing and updating fire safety plans, using data and anything learned from safety drills to make improvements.

Also, advise prospects to revisit their safety measures as their business size changes. What works for a small company might not be enough for a larger one. This ongoing attention to fire safety keeps their workplace safer and occupants more prepared.

Are fire extinguishers and fire alarms always required?

Fire extinguishers are always required in occupied business spaces. They offer an immediate response during the early stages of a fire, and potentially save lives and properties.

Highlight that while specific fire extinguisher and alarm requirements vary based on the building’s size, structure, and usage, it’s always best to have them. 

If prospects say they don’t need extinguishers, be ready with a rebuttal. For example, small standalone offices or buildings with specific features like fireproof materials might not legally require alarms, however, installing extinguishers is still a best practice.

Stress that fires can happen unexpectedly, and these safety measures are crucial for early detection and proactive fire management.

How long should a commercial fire alarm system last?

Typically, a commercial fire alarm system lasts between 10 and 15 years.

Remind prospects more than 75 percent of smoke detector failures occurred due to missing/dead batteries or failure of hardwired power.

The choice between wired, battery-operated, or wireless fire alarm systems will affect how long the system lasts, how easy it is to maintain, and how reliable it will be.

Factors affecting longevity

When talking with clients, sales reps should highlight the key factors that affect a fire alarm system’s longevity. This ensures clients understand how to maintain their system’s effectiveness over time and longevity conversations also open the door to upsells along the way.

Important factors to discuss are:

• System age
• Maintenance frequency
• Installation environment (temperature, humidity, weather)
• Technological updates
• False alarms

Why do fire alarms need to be replaced every 10 years?

The NFPA recommends replacing fire alarms every ten years.

Explain that alarm sensors lose effectiveness over time, and newer systems are more reliable due to technological advancements. Underscore how updating fire alarms every decade is key to minimizing false alarms and ensuring ongoing safety and compliance in their buildings.

Example compliance questions sales reps can ask

Commercial service sales reps in the fire and life safety industry play a crucial role in ensuring that commercial buildings avoid the most common fire protection compliance issues.

To assess the condition and compliance of these systems, reps should pose direct questions. Example questions for commercial service sellers to ask:

1. Is the fire sprinkler or standpipe gauge too old?
2. Are the fire sprinkler or standpipe pipes obstructed?
3. Are the fire pump packing glands overtightened?
4. Does the sprinkler system have a fire sprinkler head wrench?
5. Is the fire protection system missing the required signs?
6. Has the fire department connection (FDC) had a hydrostatic test within the last five years?
7. Do you have enough spare fire sprinklers in storage?
8. Are any tamper or water flow switches missing covers?
9. Are any of the fire sprinkler heads painted or loaded?
10. Does the system have a legible, complete hydraulic calculation sign?

Conclusion

By highlighting the importance of compliance, safety, and risk mitigation, sales reps can ensure their clients’ well-being as well as build trust and credibility.

These talking points provide a roadmap to engage clients meaningfully and demonstrate the value of their services. Leveraging compliance questions to assess fire protection systems, sales reps position themselves as knowledgeable partners.

Reps drive sales growth, foster long-term relationships, and contribute to safer workplaces by aligning their strategy with compliance and proactive maintenance.

Schedule a demo to learn how Convex simplifies prospecting and elevates your fire & life safety sales conversations.

Recommended reading

• 7 Tips for Bypassing Gatekeepers in Commercial Services Sales
• 5 Main Challenges for Commercial Services Sales
• 5 Ways Commercial Service Sales Professionals Improve Efficiency
• Why Is Account Based Marketing Important for Commercial Services Sales?