The right play to run before the knock — and, after enough visits, proof of who runs it best.
This is the part of ServiceScout that turns a brief from information into a decision. Instead of asking a tech to read a page and figure out the angle, the brief names the angle: run the Trust Play; win on Peace of Mind.
Sales Plays
Six plays · seven win conditionsThe six plays
A play is chosen from the job, the call notes and the household picture. The tech's first job at the door is to confirm it. The second job is to run it.
Value Play
They want to see the math work. Sticker price is not the question; total cost of owning is.
How to run it →Research Play
They've read up. They know brand names, SEER numbers, or what the neighbor paid — and want to buy right.
How to run it →Comfort Play
The house doesn't feel right. Uneven rooms, noise, humidity, a bedroom nobody sleeps in during July.
How to run it →Emergency Play
Something is broken now. No cool, no hot water, a door that won't open, a breaker that won't hold.
How to run it →Trust Play
They've been burned, or they're wary. A previous company no-showed, overcharged or over-promised. Sometimes they're just careful.
How to run it →Family Play
More than one decision-maker. Two names on the booking, a spouse at work, an adult child handling a parent's house.
How to run it →What happens after enough visits
Close rate per play, per tech
You learn that one tech closes Emergency calls at 64% but Trust calls at 15%, and another is the opposite. That is a dispatch decision waiting to be made. Optimizing dispatch by play.
A company-wide read on your market
Which plays show up most, which close, which carry the biggest tickets. In one real account, Trust was 53% of visits and the weakest closer — the single biggest lever in the business. The case study.
Coaching that names the skill
'Work on your close rate' is useless. 'You lose Trust visits in the first two minutes — here's what Josh does differently' is a plan. Technician coaching.
The Sales Plays report
The grid is close rate per play per tech. Under it: the company by play (share of business, close rate, average ticket), the company by win condition, and the briefs that couldn't be classified.
| Tech | Trust | Emergency | Research | Comfort | Value | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon | 52% | 67% | 58% | 48% | 62% | — |
| Josh | 46% | 64% | 58% | 51% | — | — |
| Robert | 38% | 55% | 71% | 44% | — | — |
| Jourdan | 15% | 49% | — | 36% | — | — |
| Ronnie | 13% | 45% | 40% | — | — | — |
Sample grid from a real account, names changed. Faint cells mean too few visits to judge. Read across a row to coach a tech; read down a column to decide who gets that play.
Three questions to ask the report every month
Which play is most of my business, and how does it close?
That's your biggest lever, even if it isn't your worst number.
For that play, who's at the top and who's at the bottom?
The top tells you who to route to. The bottom tells you who to coach — and the top tech is usually the best coach.
Which play has the biggest tickets?
Make sure those visits go to closers, not to whoever is nearest.
Win Conditions
The play is how the conversation will go. The Win Condition is what the homeowner most wants to be true — Reliability, Comfort, Lower Bills, Peace of Mind, Convenience, Safety or Home Value. Whatever the tech proposes, they describe it in those words. Every brief carries one of each, and the Before You Knock card makes the win condition specific to this house.
Plays by trade
Emergency shows up more in plumbing than any other trade. Trust dominates after a storm. EV charger visits are Research Plays.
| Trade | Job family | Plays you'll see most |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC | Replacement estimate · Repair · Maintenance | Comfort, Value, Research, Family · Emergency, Trust · Trust, Comfort |
| Plumbing | Water heater replacement · Drain cleaning · Repipe | Value, Research, Comfort · Emergency, Trust · Trust, Family, Value |
| Roofing | Storm damage · Full replacement · Inspection | Trust, Emergency · Value, Family, Research · Trust, Research, Value |
| Garage door | Spring / cable · Opener · Door replacement | Emergency, Trust · Comfort, Value · Value, Research, Family |
| Electrical | EV charger · Generator · Panel · Rewire | Research, Value · Research, Family, Value · Trust, Value · Trust, Family |
Who it's for
What the owner gets
The north-star report: close rate per play per tech, and the quarterly math that turns 'the weakest play × the strongest tech' into a dollar figure.
What the office gets
The tie-breaker on the board: job type ranks the techs, the play chooses between the top two or three.
What the tech gets
One recommended way to run the conversation, a way to confirm it in three questions, and a way to switch when the house disagrees.
Questions people ask
How is Today's Play chosen?
From the job, the call notes and the household picture as a whole, about 90 seconds after the brief is built. It is never chosen from income, net worth or credit, and never used to set a price. The tech's first job at the door is to confirm it.
What if the play is wrong?
It happens. The brief said Comfort and the first thing they say is 'the last guy ripped us off' — that's Trust. Switch. The Before You Knock card on newer briefs lists exactly this: 'if you hear this, switch to…'.
Does the reporting work if the card isn't on my briefs yet?
Yes. Reporting works on every account; the card on the brief is turned on per account. Past briefs can be classified so the close-rate-per-play report works from day one.
Which play carries the biggest tickets?
Often Research — the customer has decided to buy and wants to buy right — or Comfort, a whole-house fix. Those visits go to closers.
How many visits before I can trust a tech's number on a play?
Under about eight ran visits, the ranking is noise; the report fades those cells. Use 30 days for coaching and 90 days for dispatch rules.
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.