The Level 10 Contractor Daily Podcast

Another Monday means it's time for another installment of our “5 Ways To Monday” series… That something this round is tactfully market against your competitors. We're not talking about taking the gloves off and hitting below the belt–but we are talking about honestly and accurately measuring how YOU do vs. how your competitors do–and using that information to your advantage.

It's another Sunday podcast, and as you know, this is where Rich turns to subjects more in the realm of spirituality and self improvement. Today… we tackle self-improvement. Rich shows you how to identify and tackle opportunities that are all around each of us all the time--but that we probably don't even notice. There is a little bit of business-related stuff in here, but a lot of the content applies to your personal life. If you like to hear RIch tell stories, you're going to love this podcast… every concept is illustrated with those trademark Rich stories.

Every Saturday, we showcase a topic important to you by rounding up the greatest highlights and clips from Level 10 Contractor's ENTIRE podcast run.Rich reminds time and again that effective marketing is good storytelling. That is what we are focusing on today: how and why it is crucial to tell your company's story in a way that explains–without a doubt–why you are the absolute best buying decision for your prospects.

This episode is all about Farming. As in advertising farming. As in… radio and television advertising that is designed to nurture the audience over time so that they automatically know to call you whenever they decide that they need whatever it is that you sell. Rich is going to walk you through the process of determining how big your “farm” is… each TV station and each Radio station is compared to a piece of land--some big and some small, depending on the audience size and associated cost to reach them. Rich will show you how to figure out how big the entire farm is, so that you can then choose which pieces and parcels of land within that farm to start, well, farming.

It's another Throwback Thursday, where we dig into the vault and find gold from days gone by. Today's episode is from a webinar Rich did called the Tuesday Morning Ad Clinic, where contractors used to submit ads for critique and improvement. Today a window company from Ohio submits an ad for a mailing program that is pretty weak sauce… so Rich gets to work on rewriting it, focusing on the headlines. This is pretty cool--you get to be a fly on the wall as Rich breaks down the identity points of this company and then translates them into headlines that are a lot more likely to move the needle than what they started with.

Rich compares unforgettable classic rock intros to the opening lines of advertising. Just like great songs hook you instantly, ads must grab attention fast—or risk losing listeners. Discover why a strong intro is everything in marketing, with real radio ad examples that prove the point.

When a client's print ad fell flat with a cheap gas-card gimmick, Rich stepped in. By weaving in Clemens Home Solutions' authentic story and values, he transformed the ad into identity-driven marketing that actually connects. Discover why telling your story always beats shallow offers.

Another Monday means it's time for another installment of our “5 Ways To Monday” series… This round, we're talking about how to tactfully market against your competitors. We're not talking about taking the gloves off and hitting below the belt–but we are talking about honestly and accurately measuring how YOU do vs. how your competitors do–and using that information to your advantage.

Welcome to the Sunday Podcast… as you can see from the title of today's episode, it's about that famous scripture in the Bible about how it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven.

Every Saturday, we showcase a topic important to you by rounding up the greatest highlights and clips from Level 10 Contractor's ENTIRE podcast run.This week, we focus on joint ventures. What's a joint venture? It's when you work with other companies to leverage either their brand or their customer list to generate leads and sales. Rich covers three instances of joint ventures in this episode. First, becoming a content provider… second, what he calls “left field endorsements,” and third “when you have something to sell no one has ever heard of.” Sit back and take notes. The answer to your question about where to locate more leads might just be your neighboring businesses.

This episode is a hidden marketing opportunity, just waiting for you to discover it! New Movers! Not so sure? Rich will have you convinced that this is a good way for you to market in just 15 short minutes.

It's another Throwback Thursday, where we dig into the vault and find gold from days gone by. In 2008 to 2014 Rich hosted a webinar series called “Innovation Hour” where he would work on innovation strategies for various kinds of businesses. That's what we're grabbing for today… and honestly, this is pretty freakin' cool. Rich uses an innovation formula he calls “Captain Obvious” to ask this question: What things could we do to make it 100% super obvious that we deliver on the brand promise we're making in our identity?

If you had a brand new company, and were starting your marketing on a shoestring budget, what would you do to generate leads? That's exactly the question that this owner of a startup window company asked Rich… who, as you can imagine, had some really good answers. Hunting vs. farming. Identity vs. tactical execution. PPC vs. Facebook. It's all covered in this conversation–and in a lot of detail.

Rich and Max Meade from Alivo explore four unique AI personalities designed to handle leads and customers. Discover how these AI tools improve response times, build trust, and create better customer experiences for contractors aiming to elevate their marketing and sales performance.

Another Monday means it's time for another installment of our “5 Ways To Monday” series… Is your website generating all the organic leads that it could… and that it should? The truth is, it's probably not even close… and the truth ALSO is that you probably don't even realize it! On today's podcast, Rich dives into FIVE ways your website is failing you… including fat themes, missing directories, lazy content… and more… This is a great episode. I encourage you to pay close attention, and then audit your website when you're through.

It's another Sunday podcast, and as you know, this is where Rich turns to subjects more in the realm of spirituality and self improvement.   

Every Saturday, we showcase a topic important to you by rounding up the greatest highlights and clips from Level 10 Contractor's ENTIRE podcast run.This week, we talk about offers. From discounts to educational material to running contests, offers can be a great way to move a prospect along in the buying cycle. People ready to buy will be incentivized to act immediately or pass up a juicy discount, while shoppers less far along in their decision-making process will gladly fork over their contact details to gain a helpful guide. Contests and sweepstakes too can spur a buyer into action. Rich discusses each and why they are crucial to your marketing success.

If you've listened to this podcast consistently over the last two years, you've heard Rich allude to the fact that his company, Y2Marketing, crashed and burned in spectacular fashion in 2004. Today, Rich tells the whole story to a group of conference attendees. Trigger Warning: there is a lot of crazy stuff you're about to hear… backstabbing, sabotage, intrigue. This could be a movie… I'm not kidding. Take a listen and see what you think!

It's another Throwback Thursday, where we dig into the vault and find gold from days gone by. Here, we join Rich on a Tuesday Morning Ad Clinic, where a client submitted a large, gangly folder for Rich to critique. The folder was to be handed to customers after a job was over, with the goal of asking--and getting--referrals. It was very complex, and also involved a reloadable Visa gift card. Rich listened patiently to the explanation, then gave one of the best 25-minute explanations of how to REALLY get referrals you'll ever hear.

In this episode, Rich Harshaw chats with Tricia Drake to unpack the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) · what it is, how it works, and why remodeling businesses should care · in just 45 minutes of practical, game-changing insights.

In this episode, you'll hear a behind-the-scenes look at Rich Harshaw collaborating with Shugarman's Bath to develop radio ad concepts. The discussion highlights how the company's guarantees, values, and customer promises can be translated into compelling advertising that connects with listeners.

Another Monday means it's time for another installment of our “5 Ways To Monday” series… Today, that something is “getting more utility out of all these great blog posts that you are creating.” After all, if they just sit there on your website, they are underleveraged! So here are some good ideas on what to actually do with them!

It's another Sunday podcast, and as you know, this is where Rich turns to subjects more in the realm of spirituality and self improvement.

Every Saturday, we showcase a topic important to you by rounding up the greatest highlights and clips from Level 10 Contractor's ENTIRE podcast run.This week, we talk about Level 10 Contractor's Secret Sauce: Identity. You've been listening to Rich talk about Identity for a million years now on this podcast… And he's been talking about it for a lot longer than the podcast has been around, trust me! But how, exactly, do you determine what your identity points are… then execute on your identity? Glad you asked! On today's showcase we hit the ABC's of Level 10 Contractor Identity.

Rich and Chad Morgan discuss Quick Page, a video-based follow-up tool transforming contractor sales. They reveal how personalized video builds trust, boosts engagement, and closes more deals faster than traditional methods.

It's another Throwback Thursday, where we dig into the vault and find gold from days gone by. Here, we've pulled out one of Rich's old “Open Forum Webinars” where members could participate and ask any question they want. In this episode, a contractor has committed $2,000 for a home show, and wants to find the best way to maximize her investment there. Rich gives her plenty of good advice, including a couple of his favorites: sweepstakes, and the big bill.

In this MetalCast episode, Heidi J. Ellsworth is joined by Rich joins Heidi J. Ellsworth from the MetalCast podcast. Rich shares how Operation Lead Surge marketing event is transforming the way contractors generate and close leads, with proven strategies that deliver 200–500 qualified leads every month. From real-world success stories to actionable marketing tactics, this conversation is your intel briefing for building a lead-generation system that works like clockwork.

This episode is the first in a series of 3 talks that Rich gave and recorded at a recent conference he spoke at. Instead of focusing on marketing, he instead decided to focus on what it takes to be successful as an entrepreneur. Today's episode is Entrepreneurship 101.

Another Monday means it's time for another installment of our “5 Ways To Monday” series… We're going to visit Wall Drug… that middle-of-nowhere tourist trap somewhere in South Dakota that has a million billboards that try to coax you to stop and buy a doughnut or look at their dinosaurs. If that all sounds weird, just listen to podcast #576  from April 6, 2021. Bottom line, we're here today to talk about different ways to hit people over the head with a message a million times–in a really compact timeframe… to enhance the likelihood of said messages being seen and absorbed.

It's another Sunday podcast, and as you know, this is where Rich turns to subjects more in the realm of spirituality and self improvement.

Every Saturday, we showcase a topic important to you by rounding up the greatest highlights and clips from Level 10 Contractor's ENTIRE podcast run.This week, we talk about online reviews. Everybody knows that online reviews are super duper extra important, right? Well then why do we see so many contractors and so many websites that either don't have any at all… or just sort of tack them on as a little extra thing, almost as an afterthought? Today, we talk about the importance of social proof when convincing prospects to buy from you as opposed to buying from anyone else, specifically utilizing online reviews. If you aren't turning your happy customers into raving fans, you're losing sales before you even have a chance to sell them.

Rich interviews Chuck Thokey of Top Rep about scaling remodeling companies through stronger sales leadership and coaching. They discuss shifting from owner-driven sales to professional teams, proactive versus reactive management, modern training methods, and Top Rep's innovative AI sales simulator that sharpens skills, boosts closing rates, and drives growth.

It's another Throwback Thursday, where we dig into the vault and find gold from days gone by. Here, we're going to join Rich on what they used to call their Tuesday Morning Ad Clinic; a client with a Siding Company asks Rich to critique some neighborhood mailers they got from their manufacturer… and when Rich took a look, the mailers basically just said “we're in your neighborhood.” Suffice it to say, he wasn't thrilled with that, so he gave them some advice as to what might work better.

This discussion with the founder of gFour marketing, Brian Kaskavalciyan, is all about how to use follow up emails, texts, and mailers to MASSIVELY increase repeat & referral business. Rich gets really worked up about this… and at the end, he basically says you are, well, stupid… if you don't take Brian up on his services. That's a bold claim… take a listen to see what that's all about!

Rich interviews Heidi Ellsworth, founder of Roofer's Coffee Shop, an online community for contractors. They discuss its evolution from classifieds to a multimedia hub offering podcasts, webinars, articles, directories, and forums. Heidi also shares insights on women in roofing, industry innovation, and expanding into specialized “coffee shop” platforms.

Another Monday means it's time for another installment of our “5 Ways To Monday” series… Today's topic: Social Proof. What we're talking about here is showing people that OTHER people who have used you actually LIKE you… here's how to get it done.

It's another Sunday podcast, and as you know, this is where Rich turns to subjects more in the realm of spirituality and self improvement.

Every Saturday, we showcase a topic important to you by rounding up the greatest highlights and clips from Level 10 Contractor's ENTIRE podcast run.This week, we talk about search engine optimization, most commonly known as SEO. This includes coding and content put in place on your website to get Google's attention so Google serves you up to their customers and your prospects. We will discover today that the practice of SEO has been unnecessarily shrouded in mystery. It is actually as simple as casting a hook on a line in the ocean. Yes, it requires work to get a bite and even more when you do, but you'll learn today SEO is something any of us can understand… and win at.

 If you've read the book, Unlocking Unlimited Lead Flow, then this will be very familiar to you. This is the story of the 172 hardwood dowel rods… going way, way back to the very beginning of Rich's career, and his client who made pool tables, air hockey tables, and video game cabinets, Dynamo. This version of the story has a few extras not found in the book… and is a fantastic example of how to build an identity with high levels of power, precision… and passion.

 It's another Throwback Thursday, where we dig into the vault and find gold from days gone by. Here, we're going back in time to December, 2012… and if memory serves, that's when the world was supposed to end because of the Mayan Calendar, or something… Rich sounds awfully calm in the face of impending doom as he discusses creating incentive programs for people who give you referrals.

Rich Harshaw talks with Tim Brown Jr. of RGS Exteriors, discussing the strategic makeover that elevated net profit from 5% to 15% in just three years. They unpack actionable tactics, mindset shifts, and operational strategies tailored for remodeling pros aiming for sustainable, high-margin growth.

Rich's keynotes energize contractors to “make the jump” to $10 million+. He lays out identity-based websites, top-rank SEO, guaranteed PPC leads, and strategic radio/TV media—all integrated to deliver real lead volume, differentiate brands with precision and passion, and empower sustained, market-dominating growth.

Another Monday means it's time for another installment of our “5 Ways To Monday” series… There are a few building blocks of the Level 10 philosophy that just never change… that you can take to the bank. Identity, Engaging Content, and Farming are three that come to mind. And also Diggable content. Yes, you have to have interesting, relevant ENGAGING content… on your site, in your ads… anywhere you are marketing. But the key is to make sure that people actually SEE it. That's what DIggable content is all about--making sure your awesome content is seen.

It·s another Sunday podcast, and as you know, this is where Rich turns to subjects more in the realm of spirituality and self improvement.

Every Saturday, we showcase a topic important to you by rounding up the greatest highlights and clips from Level 10 Contractor's ENTIRE podcast run.This week, it's all about Fun! Specifically, it's a challenge to you to find ways to make doing business with your company more exciting and pleasurable! It's not only possible, it might actually be a big competitive advantage for you.

Have you ever bought leads from Home Advisor or Modernize or similar companies? How'd it go? If you're like most companies--not all that well. But there is a small group of contractors out there who have cracked the code and are making money hand over fist from what Rich calls “aggregated” leads… and in this episode, he covers both the pros and cons of pursuing them… and if you do, how to capitalize.

It's another Throwback Thursday, where we dig into the vault and find gold from days gone by. Here, we dig deep into the archives for a webinar Rich did on Canvassing in 2013. The information is still good… he covers why traditional canvassing approaches can be problematic, and three different ways to approach it that might be better and more effective. If you have any interest in knocking doors, this is the podcast for you.

Rich frequently talks on the podcast about the importance of building your brand; today Rich is going to talk about raising your prices so you can AFFORD to build your brand. He's going to share the story of the Ignition Code--which is all about having the swagger that comes with KNOWING you're the best. When you get there, it's time to raise those prices and get paid what you're really worth. Your sales staff might not like it--and Rich has a solution for that, too. You might want to take this one sitting down.

Have you ever thought about running a contest in your business as a lead generator? You know, like a sweepstakes… or a giveaway? As you're about to hear, contests can be very effective--if you have the right tools and the right plan in place. On the podcast, Rich is going to give you some quick tips on how to run a contest.

Everybody knows that reaching out to your existing customer base is a great way to generate incremental sales… but for many contractors, it's one of those “should do” things that they never really get around to. Consider today's podcast a little nudge in that direction… a little inspiration to get you moving.

It's another Sunday podcast, and as you know, this is where Rich turns to subjects more in the realm of spirituality and self improvement.