WHAT SHOPS DO TODAY
The four honest answers.
THE DEFAULT Do nothing. The default. Techs notice work, mention it or don't, and it evaporates. Costs nothing today. Costs the most over time, because the leak never shows up in a report. You can't miss revenue you never measured.
PEOPLE-LED Ride-alongs and coaching. Works while the coach is in the truck. The habit fades when they're not. Improvement is real but per-tech, per-quarter, and it walks out the door with turnover.
SKILL-LED Sales training. Teaches techs to have the conversation. Doesn't fix the capture problem: a great conversation still dies if nobody writes the estimate. Training plus no capture system is enthusiasm with a leak in it.
INCENTIVE-LED Spiffs and upsell bonuses. Pays for closing, not noticing. The tech who spots a failing unit on a routine call gets nothing unless they sell it on the spot. Rewards pressure over observation, and your quietest sharp eye stays invisible.
WHERE MENTAT SITS
Capture at the source. No behavior to change. Every option above tries to change what techs do. Mentat doesn't.
HOW IT COMPOUNDS
It captures what they already notice, in a minute of talking, and turns it into a priced draft estimate. Training and spiffs get better with it, not replaced by it: attribution finally gives you something fair to spiff.
Five answers, five questions.
| Question | Do nothing | Coaching | Training | Spiffs | Mentat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Captures found work | No | While coached | No | If closed same-day | Every visit |
| Survives turnover | — | No | No | No | Yes |
| Builds property record | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Credits the spotter | No | No | No | Closer only | By name |
| Ongoing cost | Hidden | High | Per-session | Per-sale | $29/location + 2.9% recovered |
Fair questions
Does Mentat replace sales training?
No. Training improves conversations. Mentat makes sure what gets noticed becomes an estimate. They compound.
Is there software that does this already?
FSMs record jobs, not observations. Quoting tools price work someone already decided to quote. Mentat covers the step before: capture.
What does it cost to find out if it works?
Nothing for 90 days. No card. If it hasn't paid for itself, walk away and your records stay readable.