Solve today. Then talk about forever.
No cool, no hot water, a door that won't open, a breaker that won't hold. The first thing they say is about today. These close well — if you don't slow them down.
Play Card
Before You Knock · Emergency Play- When did it start?
- What have you been doing to cope?
- Has this happened before?
What it means, and how you know it's right
What it means. Something is broken now. No cool, no hot water, a door that won't open, a breaker that won't hold.
You know it's right when the first thing they say is about today. 'It stopped working this morning.'
How to run it
- OpenSolve today
- 'Let's get you running. Then we'll talk about forever.'
- AskThree questions
- When it started; what they've been doing to cope; whether this has happened before.
- Sell onSpeed and certainty
- What you can do right now, and the honest read on whether it'll happen again.
- If price comes upTwo numbers, in order
- Give the fix-it-today number first, cleanly. Then the forever option, if the system deserves it.
- CloseFast and clear
- 'I can have you cool by tonight with the repair, or replaced by Thursday. Which one?'
The card, in this play
A homeowner in a hurry will decide today if you make the decision easy. Cool by tonight or replaced by Thursday is a choice, not a pitch.
Slowing them down. Diagnosing the whole system before restoring service, or leading with the forever option before the today problem is solved.
When to switch into it — and out of it
Every play has a tell. The Before You Knock card on newer briefs lists them; here's the table for older ones.
| If you hear… | Switch to | First move |
|---|---|---|
| 'It stopped working this morning' | Emergency (you're in the right play) | Fix today, then forever |
| 'The last company…' / 'How do I know…' | Trust | Prove before you propose — and don't over-sell; it kills Trust for the next visit |
| 'What's this going to run me?' (first thing) | Value or stay in Emergency | Give a clean number, then the reasons |
| 'Let me ask my…' | Family | Get the other person on the phone before the forever option |
Where you'll see it most
Job families are matched from the words in your job type names, which is why names that say what the visit is beat codes.
| Trade | Job families where this play shows up | First move at the door |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC | Repair / service call — no cool, no heat | Solve today; give the honest read on the system's future. A 108° week changes this read. |
| Plumbing | Water heater repair · Drain cleaning · General | Get hot water back, then the honest read on the tank. Emergency shows up more in plumbing than any other trade. |
| Roofing | Repair · Storm damage | Stop the water; then the honest read on the rest of the roof. |
| Garage door | Spring / cable — a car trapped behind the door | Nobody touches the door until it's safe. Then what let go, and the other spring installed the same day. |
| Electrical | Service — tripping, flickering | Fix it; look at the panel while you're there. |
What the office does with it
Emergency is usually your best-closing play — 62% company-wide in one real account, with nearly everyone decent at it. That makes it the play to protect from over-selling, not the one to coach hardest. Speed is the play; over-selling on an emergency kills Trust for the next visit.
For dispatch: emergency and repair calls are where a strong diagnostic tech wins. Comfort advisors don't need to run every no-cool call. Send whoever is fastest and calm, and track the repair-to-replacement conversion on that job type on its own. Dispatch optimization.
Questions people ask
Why give the repair number before the replacement number?
Because they called about today. A clean fix-it-today number earns the right to show the forever option. Reverse the order and the visit feels like a bait-and-switch, even when the system genuinely deserves replacing.
Should I send my best closer on emergencies?
Usually not. Almost everyone closes Emergency reasonably well; send the tech who's fastest and calm. Save your closers for the replacement estimates and the Research and Comfort visits that carry the big tickets.
Will the play be on the brief for a same-day emergency?
The play is chosen about 90 seconds after the brief is built, so a job added seconds ago may not show it yet. The brief itself is there; the play fills in by the time the tech opens it.
Does Emergency ever become a Family Play?
Yes — when the forever option comes up and a spouse is at work. Fix today, then offer to walk the other decision-maker through the replacement on the phone right then.
Keep reading
See a Scout Brief built on a real appointment from your schedule.
A 30-minute walkthrough. We pick a recent sales visit, build the brief and the audio, and walk through Today's Play as if your tech were about to knock. You decide if it changes the call.