The Level 10 Contractor Daily Podcast

Welcome to another Sunday edition of the Level 10 Contractor Daily Podcast. As usual, today's Sunday podcast is going to focus on topics in the realm of self improvement and spirituality. Now you might be wondering about the title today… about God loving the druggies. Rich is going to tell you a story about a guy named Zak who thought that God was looking out for him… but as it turns out, God was actually using him to look out for somebody else.

Today continues our series of Topic Showcases, where we focus on a crucial topic by rounding up the greatest highlights and clips from Level 10 Contractor's ENTIRE podcast run. That's over 2500 episodes of fantastic treasures and marketing gold to curate from! As faithful listeners know, if you want to grow to a $10 million company, you had better be branding… and specifically farming. Farming is when you spread the seeds today with your marketing in order to reap business tomorrow… or next month… or even next year. The best places to farm? Television and radio. For many, getting into media advertising is a b...

Today's podcast title might seem a little odd… but as you're about to hear, it's true! Rich is going to give you a great analogy today to help you understand how important it is for your website to STAND OUT from the crowd! He's gonna cram a lot of great metaphors into a really short podcast--shoe stores, shopping malls, Miss America contests, firing your salespeople--it's all in there.

The key to improving your marketing is to figure out how to generate more leads! Right? Well, yes, more leads is always a good thing… but what if you could get more of the leads that you already get to convert into customers? Today's topic is pre-positioning, which means to CONDITION your prospects to want to buy from you… BEFORE your sales person ever sets foot in the home. How does that happen? Well, it's a combination of your website, phone scripts, emails, text messages, and reports. Rich is here to tell you all about it on this Throwback Thur...

Home shows will be back before you know it! And that means you need to be ready to maximize… and that's what we're here for today--to give you specific ideas and strategies for getting more leads and sales from every event you do. Rich has nine tips for you today… from integrating your identity, to using a giveaway, to following up with Hatch, to choosing the right booth location.

Today's podcast is a strategy session that Rich has with an aspiring entrepreneur… Rich met him at the Closet Conference where he spoke earlier this month, and as you will hear, he was in the tech world for 30 years before deciding to buy some woodworking equipment and indulge his passion for building things. The problem is that he's four years into it and he's dinking around with making and selling cutting boards… and making basically very little money. Rich explores the situation a little bit--you know how he always does--then laser focuses in on a plan to build high-end, cust...

Everybody wants to sell you streaming TV advertising. But what are you actually buying? Rich Harshaw exposes five OTT sales pitches that can mislead contractors, plus the truth about free commercials. Learn what to ask about lead generation, blended CPMs, premium inventory, attribution, and commissions before spending another marketing dollar. Get a smarter strategy for reaching homeowners and building recognition.

As you know, on Sundays, Rich turns his attention to topics more along the lines of personal development and spirituality. Today's definitely does a cannonball into the deep end of spirituality. He's going to talk about having perspective to deal with the inevitable hard things that are going to hit all of us sooner or later in life… and how to handle them without becoming angry with God.

Today continues our series of Topic Showcases, where we focus on a crucial topic by rounding up the greatest highlights and clips from Level 10 Contractor's ENTIRE podcast run. That's over 2500 episodes of fantastic treasures and marketing gold to curate from! This week, we shine our flashlight on this particular pillar of your marketing Identity–workmanship–and explain how you can transform this value into an interrupting, engaging, and lucrative ad. Not sure you remember what Rich means by Identity when it comes to marketing, or completely baffled when I mention 5 pillars? Don't worry. We start the clip show with a re...

Getting prospects to choose your business starts long before you ask for the sale. Rich explores how clear messaging, a compelling identity, and consistent marketing help contractors build trust and stand out. Discover how showing homeowners who you are, what makes you different, and why it matters can make your business the one they want to work with first.

It's Throwback Thursday and this is a classic! Why keep buying new leads when there's money sitting in the ones you already have? Rich explains how rehash programs give contractors another shot at homeowners who didn't buy the first time. Learn why an old "no" doesn't mean "never," and how consistent follow-up can turn forgotten opportunities into sales while squeezing more value from your existing marketing investment.

I've got a short little podcast for you today where Rich gives you a controversial idea about the best way to use customer references. Take a quick listen and see what you think.

Today's episode is a strategy call that Rich did with a carpet cleaning company right there in his backyard in Utah. They are a small company with no real marketing presence… that has been built up slowly over the years by, well, just being there and existing. So when Rich gets ahold of them, he asks them, basically, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" If they choose to remain small and they are okay with slow growth, then no action is required. But if they want to grow, then the website has to be burned do...

How would YOU like to increase your sales peoples' conversion ratios in the home? Of course you would like that! But how do you actually make that happen, besides a good dose of sales training? The answer can be found on today's podcast… Rich has 5 ways… of course it's 5 ways--it is "5 ways to Monday" today… he has 5 ways to get those closing ratios up, including things you might expect like branding and Identity… but with a twist… and some things you might not expect like pre-positioning, outlandish warranties, and negative selling.

As you know, on Sundays, Rich turns his attention to topics more along the lines of personal development and spirituality. There's an old saying that goes something like this: "The biggest liar you'll face all day is staring back at you in the mirror while you shave your face." Okay, so maybe not exactly applicable to the ladies out there… but you get the idea. Today's topic is hypocrisy… and how to hopefully eliminate it.  In this podcast, Rich tells another story about running, and even though running may not be your thing, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to re...

Today continues our series of Topic Showcases, where we focus on a crucial topic by rounding up the greatest highlights and clips from Level 10 Contractor's ENTIRE podcast run. That's over 2500 episodes of fantastic treasures and marketing gold to curate from! This week, we shine our light away from our usual topic, marketing, and instead highlight the sales side of the business. You invest a lot of time in your marketing and spend more than a little to make sure it reaches your prospects, but what do you do once you're finally inside their home for your sales meeting? Well...

After renewing radio and TV schedules for 12 clients, Rich shares eight lessons contractors should know about traditional media. From surprisingly stable TV pricing and negotiating better deals to catching rep mistakes and getting freebies, he breaks down what he learned firsthand—and explains why radio and TV remain powerful, viable tools for contractors willing to buy them intelligently.

It's Throwback Thursday again, and today we are going to continue our topic of Turning One Sale into Many from a 2015 webinar Rich did. The first half of the webinar was covered LAST Thursday on the podcast, and was on the topic of Proximity Marketing. Go back and take a listen if you missed that one for some reason. Today Rich is going to talk about how to get more referrals… or for a lot of you listening, I should say… how to get any referrals. Yes, I know most of you get some referrals… but they tend to be ran...

Today's podcast is all about FUN! Specifically, it's a challenge to you to find ways to make doing business with your company more fun! It's not only possible, it might actually be a big competitive advantage for you. Without further ado, here's Rich talking about having a little FUN!

The traditional marketing funnel is dying. Today's customers don't want to be pushed from awareness to purchase—they want to explore, interact, and learn on their own terms. Rich explains how contractors can build a marketing "playground" using surveys, social media, videos, podcasts, giveaways, lead magnets, and other tools that keep prospects engaged until they're ready to buy.

As you know, on Sundays, Rich turns his attention to topics more along the lines of personal development and spirituality. Today's podcast title is "Let's Talk About Hopelessness," and it gets really personal. Rich tells a couple of stories about his own family and friends, as well as one about a 1990s infomercial star… the common connection in all three stories--people who had lost hope. How did they gain it back--let's listen and find out.

Today continues our series of Topic Showcases, where we focus on a crucial topic by rounding up the greatest highlights and clips from Level 10 Contractor's ENTIRE podcast run. That's over 2500 episodes of fantastic treasures and marketing gold to curate from! This week, we drill down into one of the 5 pillars of identity: specifically Bedside Manner. If you aren't sure what identity is or what the 5 pillars consist of, don't worry, we have you covered on this episode. We'll remind you what you need to know and then show you 5 ways you can improve your bedside manner with customers. Suffice...

Today is the second in a two-part series featuring two and a half hour training sessions that Rich gave last week for GAF in Texas–first in San Antonio (yesterday's podcast) and then in Austin–today's episode. In last week's intro, I gave a detailed overview of how the two presentations are the same, and how they are different, and why it's probably worth your while to listen to both. So crank up last week's pod for that explanation. Now I present to you without further comment or introduction, the Austin Training.

 It's another Throwback Thursday… and today we dip into the vault to pull out a webinar Rich did about 5 years ago on the topic of Turning One Sale into Many. The webinar is pretty long, and covers two distinct topics, so I'm going to give you the first half today--proximity marketing… and the second half next Thursday… getting referrals. In both cases the idea is simple and easy to understand: Leverage your customers to get them to help you find MORE customers. Today, Rich will go through his Super Robust Proximity marketing program… including touching the neighbors several times with diff...

What can you learn from contractors who've built nine-figure businesses—and the mistakes they'd avoid next time? Rich and Qualified Remodeler's Pat O'Toole preview TOP 500 LIVE 2026, from growth and profitability to lead generation, AI, and sales leadership. Hear why Rich keeps coming back for the speakers, the trade show, and conversations with people doing the work.

Today is the FOURTH volume of our series called "10 Identity-Based Radio Ads in 10 Minutes"...and as the name would suggest, I'm going to play 10 ads for you… each is a minute long… so that's 10 minutes. You'll hear 2 ads each from 5 different Level 10 Clients… These are ads that are on the air, working hard to get great results for our clients!  This is what you can expect from Level 10 if we help you with your radio–or TV–in your market.

You don't need a Bud Light budget to become the contractor homeowners remember. In Part 2 of his OTT series, Rich reveals six ways to use streaming TV alongside direct mail, canvassing, storm response, home shows, and traditional TV. Learn how to target the right neighborhoods, reinforce your existing campaigns, test commercials, and turn repeated exposure into more appointments and sales for your company.

As you know, on Sundays, Rich turns his attention to topics more along the lines of personal development and spirituality. Do you like Mac-a-roons, you know those cute little cookies that look like little brightly-colored hamburgers? Or are they called Mac-a-rahns? Well, it doesn't matter what they're called. Or… as Rich found out--maybe it does. Today he's going to explore the topic of being either an accuser… or an advocate… and why, all things considered, being an advocate is probably better. It all starts down at the local mac-a-roon… eh… mac-a-rahn shop.

Today continues our series of Topic Showcases, where we focus on a crucial topic by rounding up the greatest highlights and clips from Level 10 Contractor's ENTIRE podcast run. That's over 1000 episodes of fantastic treasures and marketing gold to curate from! This week, we head out to the mailbox to discuss the magic of postcard advertising. Rich reminds us often how our marketing has to fight for a prospect's attention. A postcard allows you to interrupt their busy minds with a bold headline or striking image. Like a billboard in the post. You have the time it takes for the...

Hear Rich Harshaw's San Antonio presentation for GAF, where he goes off script with stories, insights, and a deep exploration of why identity is essential to every part of your marketing—including digital.

There's an old saying in marketing that says "if you want to know why John Smith buys what John Smith buys, you've got to see the world through John Smith's eyes. That seems pretty obvious, but it actually goes a lot further than just knowing what your target prospect--John Smith--likes and dislikes. It often entails knowing what John Smith wants before he even knows he wants it… so you have to understand how he receives information… how he processes it… and how he reacts to it. You have to literally be able to think like John Smith to be able t...

Today we have a random episode for you. This is where Rich covers multiple topics in rapid fire fashion… usually little nuggets and tidbits he's observed… and he rolls them all out in one episode. Today he's going to talk about the world's greatest flight attendant, onboarding best practices, credit card lounges, Betty Crocker–yes, I said Betty Crocker… the psychology of time, and something about a haircut. Yes, random. That's the point!

10 Kick Butt Ads that are killing it from 5 Level 10 Clients! Enjoy these great commercials - and consider using Level 10 To write and produce your own TV and Radio Messaging!

Today Rich is going to talk about 5 Ways to Create offers in your advertising. It's a little bit different than normal because it's not "5 Ways" as much as it is "5 Kinds"... but you'll get the idea. From Buy Now and we'll give you a big discount… to no offer at all… and 3 other levels in between, Rich is about to teach you how to create 5 different kinds of offers--complete with examples.

 As you know, on Sundays, Rich turns his attention to topics more along the lines of personal development and spirituality. Today's episode is definitely more on the spiritual side… as Rich talks about miracles, and how they may not be quite as rare as you think.

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 time to speak about conversions. You have the leads, they're pouring in, but when it comes time to close the deal, you're fumbling the bag. What are you doing wrong? Rich has a few ideas on the matter, that begin with how well you're selling yourself in the first place and end inside the home.

Does your company need a new domain name for your website? Or do you think that MAYBE you need a new domain name? Well you've come to the right place. On today's podcast, Rich walks you through the do's and dont's of choosing a good URL for your company… and in some cases, your company name. This one's pretty quick--but jam packed with a lot of great info.

Today's podcast is all about CREDIBILITY… it's a TBT, so I've dipped into the extensive archives and found a webinar on this topic that Rich did in 2015… and it's extremely good. Topics covered include "the ignition code," drawing a line in the sand, using powerful language, social proof, and evidence. I mean it all comes down to being the best… believing you're the best… and communicating that you're the best in a powerful, believable way.  As for killing credibility… it has to do with the way you treat people. As usual, Rich is going to share about 1,000 examples to make everyt...

Today's podcast is a fun little story about Daniel, the world's friendliest McDonald's employee. Rich accidentally found this guy while grabbing a burger one day… and was so impressed, he decided to enshrine the guy by putting his story on the podcast. This one is short, but man is it good.