Something special happened in Carlsbad, California on February 6 — and I don’t say that lightly, y’all.
I had the honor of delivering the keynote session for the Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals (AOLP), and let me tell you… this group of contractors showed up hungry. Hungry for clarity. Hungry for direction. Hungry for systems that actually work in the real world, not theory cooked up in some ivory tower by folks who’ve never made payroll.
About 150 outdoor lighting contractors packed the room for a session titled “Exceptional Profits with Exceptional Systems.” And right out of the gate, we talked about something most business owners never hear enough of:
You are part of the 2%.
Out of 340+ million people in the U.S., only about 8.2 million are employers. If you’ve got employees depending on you, customers trusting you, and Fedzilla watching every nickel you touch — you, my friend, are an American hero. That message landed hard and set the tone for the entire session
From Hustle to Systems
We spent the bulk of our time digging into how to move from working IN your business to working ON your business. Hustle is noble, but systems are what multiply wealth, free up your time, and keep you from burning out before your kids finish high school.
Three areas really stood out to the contractors in the room.
- Crew Productivity Starts with Trucks, Tools and Supplies
You can’t expect exceptional profits when your crews are wasting time hunting for tools, searching for supplies, climbing over equipment, or improvising every morning like it’s their first day on the job.
We talked in plain English about truck and tool organization — not as a “nice-to-have,” but as a productivity system. When everything has a home, storage is clearly labeled, work gets faster. When work gets faster, labor cost drops. When labor cost drops… profits go up. Simple math. Powerful results.
- Sales Improve When You Stop Giving One Price
One of the biggest “aha” moments came from the sales discussion. Too many contractors are still handing out a single price and hoping for the best.
Hope is not a strategy.
We walked step-by-step through the 3-option pricing strategy — Gold, Silver, Bronze. Or Deluxe, Standard, Basic. When you present three prices in the right order, your close rate improves 10–20% almost immediately. Research backs it up. Experience backs it up. And the contractors in that room knew instantly how this would change their sales conversations forever
- Train Your Team to Capture Testimonials in Real Time
Here’s a big one: compliments are wasted if you don’t capture them.
We trained contractors on exactly how to respond when a customer says, “Y’all did a great job.” Instead of smiling and walking away, we showed them how to politely ask for a quick video or a Google review — on the spot. Scripts. Examples. No guessing.
Those reviews don’t just build credibility; they boost SEO, lower advertising costs, and make future sales easier. That’s systems thinking in action.
The Real Proof Happened After Hours
Now here’s the part I didn’t put on the slides.
Later that night, at a late-night 90’s rock-and-roll bash (with lobster, no less), I spent time shoulder-to-shoulder with contractors just talking business and life. Over and over again, they told me the same thing:
“Tony, we appreciated how specific this training was.”
Not hype. Not motivation fluff. Real “how-to” detail they could take home and put to work Monday morning.
That kind of feedback humbles me.
A Record-Setting Event
I was honored to play a small role in helping make this AOLP event the largest in their 25-year history. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when an association serves its members with real education — and when contractors commit to continuing to learn.
Because at the end of the day, the only sustainable competitive advantage any of us has… is learning faster and applying it better than the next guy.
Carlsbad reminded me of that loud and clear.
And I’m grateful.
Here’s to your success!
— Tony Bass
PS – Due to the late night party and coast to coast travel, we provided this training on a unique schedule.
Here’s the good news…
Profit Builder is open…register here.
