Ever feel like you're working harder than ever but your profits don't show it? You're not alone. In this eye-opening conversation, America's service coach Joe Crisara reveals the exact strategy that took him from $500,000 in debt to completely debt-free in just three years—without working more hours or finding more customers.
The secret? The Pure Motive Service Approach. Joe walks us through how blue collar businesses consistently undervalue their expertise and leave massive profits on the table. Through real-world examples from plumbing to HVAC to excavation, he demonstrates how presenting premium, mid-range, and economy options transforms customer decisions. "If you only give one price, you're usually going to give the cheapest one," Joe explains. "But if you offer premium, mid-range, economy, where you start with the premium price first, then 80% will upgrade."
What makes this approach so powerful is its focus on thoroughly diagnosing problems rather than rushing to solutions. When you clearly identify both technical issues and emotional impacts, customers naturally gravitate toward comprehensive solutions. The results speak for themselves—Joe's first attempt at this method turned a $75 repair into a $1,250 sale.
Beyond pricing psychology, Joe shares candid insights about profit margins (you need at least 65% gross profit), the importance of team training, and why most contractors unknowingly sabotage their own success. His philosophy is refreshingly straightforward: "I don't participate in a bad economy." Instead, he creates his own economic reality through strategic pricing and pure-motive service.
Whether you're struggling with razor-thin margins or simply looking to take your business to the next level, this conversation provides actionable strategies you can implement immediately. Connect with Joe at www.servicemvp.com to learn more about transforming your blue collar business through the science of service and sales.
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More About this Episode
Why Pure Motive Sales Could Be the Most Profitable Tool in Your Blue Collar Business
When I say “sales fixes everything,” I don’t just mean getting more jobs or closing more deals. I’m talking about transforming the very foundation of your business—profit, performance, retention, referrals—by fundamentally changing how you sell, not by pushing harder, but by thinking smarter.
In a recent conversation with Joe Crisara, founder of https://servicemvp.com/ and America’s Service Coach, we dug deep into what actually drives successful sales in blue-collar businesses. And let me tell you—if you're a contractor, tradesperson, or service business owner, this isn’t the typical LinkedIn-meme advice you see floating around. This is a practical, tested-in-the-field methodology that could literally 10x your revenue per job.
And the magic phrase? Pure Motive Service.
The Sales Struggle You Know All Too Well
If you’re like most blue-collar business owners—myself included—you probably started out believing that if you did high-quality work, word would spread, and the business would follow. You probably undercharged, thinking being “fair” would win the job. You probably incurred costs you shouldn’t have because you weren’t confident in your pricing. You probably thought being the cheapest was your best shot at staying busy.
Joe lived it. He was $500,000 in debt by 1991—which is equal to $2.5 million today—all because he was doing great work but was making terrible business decisions. Why? Because he didn’t know how to price, sell, or communicate his value.
Sound familiar?
What changed the game for him—and what he now teaches thousands of contractors to do—is stop trying to sell based on price and start selling based on pure motive.
What Is Pure Motive Service?
Pure Motive Service is built on this idea: Your job is to genuinely help the client get the best solution for their problem—even if that means the higher price.
Joe breaks this down into a simple but incredibly powerful structure called Tiered Pricing:
- Permanent Solution (Premium) – The fix that solves the problem completely, prevents future issues, and delivers long-term peace of mind.
- Professional Solution (Mid-Range) – A reliable fix that handles the issue but may not prevent future related problems.
- Temporary Fix (Economy) – The quick patch-up. Lowest price. Also, it is usually the lowest impact.
He found—and now proves time and time again—that when presented professionally, with empathy and facts, 80% of customers upgrade from the bottom-tier fix to a better solution. That includes residential and commercial clients. Municipalities. Developers. Homeowners. Everyone.
Because, as Joe says, "If someone’s going to complain about $1,500, give them $15,000 to complain about. At least then you’re solving the whole problem."
Why Tiered Pricing Works (and What You’re Doing Wrong)
Most contractors quote a job one way. You give the customer a price and pray they say yes. And when they don’t? You think it was too high. You lower it. Rinse and repeat.
What you’re missing is this:
- People buy with emotion and justify with logic.
- People need to see contrast to make decisions.
- People value options that give them control.
Tiered pricing gives them that contrast. When you show them:
- The quick fix for $500,
- A reliable fix for $2,000,
- And a full, permanent solution for $8,000,
You’re allowing them to choose what’s best based on their needs—not yours. And even if they pick the bottom-tier option, they’re now educated on the problem and more likely to come back when it reappears.
You’re Not Selling a Product—You’re Selling Relief
One of the biggest mindset shifts Joe teaches (and one that’s hit home for me) is this:
Stop selling the equipment, the labor, or the parts. Start selling the outcome. The relief. The peace of mind.
You’re not digging a trench—you’re solving a drainage issue that’s flooding their home.
You’re not fixing a wire—you’re making sure their family sleeps safe at night.
You’re not replacing a pump—you’re preventing $30,000 in future flood damage.
When you frame the solution around the customer’s pain and the emotional impact, they stop seeing your price as a cost—and start seeing it as an investment.
This Applies to Every Blue Collar Business—Yes, Even Yours
Joe’s got a killer ability to break this down for any trade. HVAC, plumbing, electrical, concrete, locksmiths, excavation—you name it.
Here are just a few examples we talked about:
- Garage door guy? Your customer wants a new opener. But do they also have a cracked torsion spring? Missing weatherstripping? Mice in the garage? Those are premium-level upgrades.
- Locksmith? Don’t just change the lock—fix the striker plate, align the jam, and secure the threshold. Offer a “door safety package,” not just a lock swap.
- Excavation? You’re digging a trench. But who’s backfilling? Grading? Re-sodding? Cleaning up? Those scope gaps are profit goldmines when packaged the right way.
The difference isn’t what you do—it’s how you present it.
Customers Want the Better Option—But They Need You to Show It
Here’s something wild. Joe's worked with cities and municipalities where the buyer only asked for the bare minimum—because that’s what they thought was possible within their budget.
Once they were shown a premium option with better long-term value, they found a way to appropriate more funding for the project. Why? Because no one wants to make a short-term fix that leads to long-term problems. Especially in public-facing jobs.
People will spend more when they believe:
- It solves more of their problem
- It prevents future issues
- It makes their life easier
- It’s being recommended with their best interest at heart
The Sales Metrics That Actually Matter
If you're in a high-volume service business (plumbing, HVAC, electrical), these are the numbers Joe says you must be tracking:
- Gross Profit Margin (target: 65%) This tells you how much money you're actually making on the work you're doing. If you're below 50%, you’re undercharging—or overdelivering with no boundaries.
- Average Ticket Value You don't need more jobs. You need to get more out of each job. Raising your average sale by offering premium options is easier and cheaper than finding new customers.
- Break-Even Point Know exactly how much revenue you need every month just to cover your costs. Then price jobs above that to hit real, sustainable profit.
The Real Reason You’re Stuck
This one hit hard for me, and maybe it will for you, too.
Joe said:
“Dysfunction loves routine.”
You might not realize it, but you could be running the same unprofitable patterns day after day, hoping something changes. And unless you intentionally step back, educate yourself, and try something different, you’ll keep getting the same results.
Joe’s advice to get unstuck?
Take action. Read the book. Go to the training. Take a solo road trip and binge on Audible on the way. Learn. Test. Grow.
And stop waiting for the perfect conditions to make a change. The universe doesn’t reward those who sit still.
How to Get in Touch with Joe
If anything here resonated with you—and it should—Joe’s team at ServiceMVP.com is built to support contractors just like you. From one-man shows to multi-million dollar companies, they help blue-collar businesses sharpen their sales process and scale with confidence.
Want to talk to him directly? Head to https://servicemvp.com/ and click the chatbot. Ask for "Uncle Joe" and tell him Sy from the Blue Collar Business Podcast sent you.
You can also grab his Amazon bestseller, What Should We Do? It breaks down this entire sales philosophy in step-by-step detail.
Final Thoughts
If you’re out there sweating in the attic, knee-deep in mud, grinding in a crawl space, or sitting in your truck wondering how you’re going to pay next week’s payroll—listen up:
You don’t need more hustle. You need more strategy.
And if you adopt Pure Motive Service in your business, you’ll stop surviving and start scaling.
Until next time, be safe, be kind, and be humble.
—Sy Kirby
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