Which of these two numbers would you rather pay for the next ten years?
They want to see the math work. Sticker price is not the question; total cost of owning is. They ask what it's going to cost over time, mention their utility bill, or compare options on their own.
Play Card
Before You Knock · Value Play- What do you pay in a bad month?
- How long do you plan to stay?
- What's been repaired in the last two years?
What it means, and how you know it's right
What it means. They want to see the math work. Sticker price is not the question; total cost of owning is.
You know it's right when they ask 'what's this going to cost me over time', mention their utility bill, or compare options on their own.
How to run it
- OpenThe bill, not the equipment
- Open with a question about the bill or the running cost.
- AskThree questions
- What they pay in a bad month; how long they plan to stay; what's been repaired in the last two years.
- Sell onCost of owning
- Energy, repairs avoided, the warranty, the rebate, the financing. Put it on one page.
- If price comes upPer month, either way
- 'Let's look at what this costs you per month either way.'
- CloseThe comparison
- With the two numbers in front of them: 'Which of these would you rather pay for the next ten years?'
The card, in this play
A homeowner asking about cost over time has already decided the old one is expensive. Show them the second number and the replacement sells itself.
Leading with sticker price, or discounting to close instead of showing cost of owning.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 'What's this going to run me over time?' / the utility bill | Value (you're in the right play) | Open on the bill |
| 'The last company…' | Trust | Prove before you propose — then the math |
| 'I read that…' / a model number | Research | Ask what they found; answer price straight |
| 'That room never…' | Comfort | Go to the room |
| 'We'll decide together' | Family | One person's comfort, the other's budget — get both in |
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 | Replacement estimate — a twenty-year-old system on the old refrigerant | Ask about the bill before the equipment. Every repair from here is money they'd rather have put toward the new one. |
| Plumbing | Water heater replacement · Repipe | Ask how the household uses hot water before showing tanks. |
| Roofing | Full replacement · Inspection | Ask what they've been told already; then the cost of another patch versus done. |
| Garage door | Opener · Door replacement | How they use the door every day; what the house should look like from the street. |
| Electrical | EV charger · Generator · Panel upgrade | The car, the daily routine, what has to stay on when the power goes out. |
What the office does with it
Value visits are where a one-page cost-of-owning comparison beats a brochure. The office's job is to make sure every tech has that page — energy, repairs avoided, warranty, rebate, financing — ready before the visit, because the play tells you it's coming.
In the Sales Plays report, Value is often a smaller share of visits with a wide spread in average ticket: the techs who sell the second number win the replacement; the techs who discount to close win a repair. Watch average ticket per play, not just close rate, when you coach Value.
Questions people ask
Isn't every homeowner a Value customer?
Everyone cares about price; a Value customer cares about the math. The tell is the bill, the 'over time' question, or comparing options on their own. If the first thing they say is about the last company, that's Trust; if it's a model number, that's Research.
What goes on the one page?
Energy, repairs avoided, the warranty, the rebate, and the financing — as a monthly number today versus after. The close is putting both numbers in front of them and asking which they'd rather pay.
What's the mistake to avoid on a Value visit?
Discounting to close. The Value homeowner wants the math to work, not a lower sticker; the tech who drops price instead of showing cost of owning wins a smaller job or loses a bigger one.
How does Value pair with the PACE badge?
PACE is a financing-fit flag for the office and dispatcher in eligible counties — not something a tech brings up unprompted. Financing options are part of the cost-of-owning page; the decision belongs to the lender.
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.