our first home show of 2009.... - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

handyhands · 01-29-2009, 11:57 AM

We just did our first home show for the year,.....of course I was a little nervous the day before it opened, thinking we very well could have just put loads of money into getting a double booth, only to hang around all day doing nothing but talking to a room full of contractors, considering that most people either read the paper or watch the news to hear that our economy is in the crapper.

Low and behold, each of the 3 days the traffic was great, much better than I had originally anticipated. All said and done, we don't do anything "gimmicky". If i give out candy, it's from my house on Halloween. No "sign up here to win a house full of windows". Sure, you may get a 1/2 way decent stack of crap to call, but to spend a day calling it only to hear "I just wanted to win"--forget it.

Unlike most vendors, I prefer to greet people that walk by with a smile, a brief hello, or a "what brings you folks to the home show" type of greeting, while passing them a business card. If they're kind enough to stop and answer me, I briefly tell them about my company, our services and explain just how it is we may be able to help them.

Walked out of there with a total of 38 names and numbers, and out of them 18 scheduled appointments for estimates (these were all set at the home show). Since the show, set another 6 estimates.

Keeping my fingers crossed....

vinylguy · 01-29-2009, 12:07 PM

thats awesome handy! our 1st show starts the 19th of feb and i to am nervous about the turn out. we typically get alot of biz from the shows. i'll let ya know how ours went when they happen.
but like i said its always good to hear positive feedback out there in todays economy.

Logic · 01-29-2009, 02:00 PM

Handy,

What state are you in? We did our first 2009 homeshow 1/16-1/18......not good at all......

handyhands · 01-29-2009, 05:14 PM

WE COVER SOUTHERN MAINE, NEW HAMPSHIRE AS WELL AS CERTAIN PARTS OF MASS.

LIKE I SAID,...WAS I ANTICIPATING THOSE KINDS OF RESULTS? NO. ALL THE ESTIMATES I SCHEDULED ARE FOR THIS WEEK AND NEXT, SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING HOW IT GOES,...

-MY ONLY CONCERN IS ALTHOUGH IT SEEMS WE GOT A DECENT NUMBER OF ESTIMATES, IM HOPING THESE PEOPLE AREN'T SETTING TONS OF ESTIMATES AND SIMPLY SHOPPING FOR THE BEST PRICE.

AGAIN,...KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED.

--GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR SHOWS!

vinylguy · 01-29-2009, 05:25 PM

close em handy don't just estimate em!

handyhands · 01-29-2009, 05:34 PM

mmm hmm mmm hmm, i liiiiike it!

marc · 01-29-2009, 05:41 PM

What show were you at?
Was it Manchester?
I was told it was an excellent show. Our sister company was set up there and did very well. We were set up in Boston and also had a very good show.

handyhands · 01-29-2009, 06:05 PM

It was. Great traffic, all 3 days (and as you know, Friday is usually a wash).

Nice to see Jack actually charging to get in, as opposed to giving free passes out to everyone. I much prefer doing a show when people have to pay to get in,-you know they're going there for a purpose as opposed to filling their trick-or-treat bags.

-How'd you do in Boston? I heard it was dead.

marc · 01-29-2009, 06:08 PM

It wasn't bad. We got 24 names and we've set 14 so far.
Very serious buyers in Boston. I believe it's $10.00 to get in and it's $12.00 just to park. Not a lot of tire kickers there.

Maybe I'll see you in Portsmouth in a couple of weeks. Next week we are in Fitchburg and our sister company is in Wilmington.

Rock Headed · 02-03-2009, 03:38 PM

Hey guys,

I am doing my first home show ever at the end of this month.

I have been procrastinating about exactly what my display booth will look like for some weeks now and I will admit that I am feeling a bit overwhelmed right now?

Any advice? Resources? Feel free to laugh at and make fun of a n00b if you want. Any help will be appriciated.

Some details that might help you to help me :
I have a 10x10 booth space. A company that mostly does hardscapes, mostly built of natural stone.

Thanks in advance, you fellas rule.

marc · 02-03-2009, 04:48 PM

People like pictures. We do siding, windows and sunrooms and I don't have a window or even a piece of siding in our booth. What I do have is a nice back drop with 3 20 x 30 backlit photos and a 28" monitor that costantly shows a new picture. I think we have about 150 pictures in the slide show. The key to making a home show successful is to ask EVERYONE if they have an interest in your products and services. Without being pushy. We simply say have you been thinking about siding, windows or a sunroom? If they say no....move on to the next person. If they say yes strike up a conversation, get their information and try to set an appointment. The person working the booth is 100 times more important than what's in your booth or the size of it.

Logic · 02-03-2009, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marc

People like pictures. We do siding, windows and sunrooms and I don't have a window or even a piece of siding in our booth. What I do have is a nice back drop with 3 20 x 30 backlit photos and a 28" monitor that costantly shows a new picture. I think we have about 150 pictures in the slide show. The key to making a home show successful is to ask EVERYONE if they have an interest in your products and services. Without being pushy. We simply say have you been thinking about siding, windows or a sunroom? If they say no....move on to the next person. If they say yes strike up a conversation, get their information and try to set an appointment. The person working the booth is 100 times more important than what's in your booth or the size of it.

well said.....

silvertree · 02-03-2009, 06:15 PM

My big show starts February 19th, to 22, St paul River Centre.
Its a pay to get in show, I have a 30' booth for my display truck. I got a lot riding on this. We need 2 people to work the booth. I will be handing out gift cards to some people and making expresso and cappuchino for the hot prospects. 4 days! Whoo!

RCPainting · 02-03-2009, 06:34 PM

We went to the IHBA show in Las Vegas last month, a couple of things I noticed.
All attendees were given a card to swipe at the booths to give your info, pretty cool, I usually take some address labels.
The booths that someone was doing a demo at were always crowded, don't know if that translates to sales.
I liked the booths where there was actual product to touch.
I hated the booths where someone just sat waiting to pounce the minute you slowed down. I agree with Marc!
Good Luck to you!
Silvertree, i hope you do well, I thought of your truck, this show I only saw one "mobile display" and took pix! Sorry for the poor image. New phone!
It looked pretty popular!

AutumnWood Inc. · 02-03-2009, 07:14 PM

Home shows are tough for a small company like ours, we did 5 shows last year and only got a couple of small job's... We could only afford a 10x10 booth, It seems the larger well placed boothes do the best, But they are so expensive. I will say put all the bells and whistles you can.

pcplumber · 02-03-2009, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AutumnWood Inc.

Home shows are tough for a small company like ours, we did 5 shows last year and only got a couple of small job's... We could only afford a 10x10 booth, It seems the larger well placed boothes do the best, But they are so expensive. I will say put all the bells and whistles you can.

I agree with you.

Use everything you can to get people to your booth to get both appointments and long-term exposure. I am doing a home show in Los Angeles in two weeks. We are going to have our 10 inch x 6 foot Acrylic candy tube filled with Jolly Rancher candy and Mickey Mouse lollipops, thousands of ink pens where people can grab hands full, magnet calendars, 5,000 balloons with helium, 5 people manning the booth, and if you are really nice you will get a giant cookie (store-bought) to take home. I will take a lot of pictures and post some video. When people go to the home show they will come to our booth one to three times and they won't forget us when they leave the show.

silvertree · 02-03-2009, 08:37 PM

Wow, I saw that truck and thought "I don't remember being there. Thanks for the photo.
Here's mine again. And I added a few more things since this photo.

kevjob · 02-03-2009, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silvertree

Wow, I saw that truck and thought "I don't remember being there. Thanks for the photo.
Here's mine again. And I added a few more things since this photo.

How is it going with the mobile showroom? BTW

pcplumber · 02-03-2009, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silvertree

Wow, I saw that truck and thought "I don't remember being there. Thanks for the photo.
Here's mine again. And I added a few more things since this photo.

A long time ago, you mentioned you used the truck at a home show and the results were bad. Sorry, but I feel compelled to give my opinion regarding the use of these vans. From the beginning, I thought they were a bad idea because most people just want to stroll down the aisles and browse. If your cabinets were exposed, the beauty of them could attract people closer to the booth. Since people cannot see your entire display without going into your truck, they are less inclined to go inside. That means only the people who go inside will see the kitchen compared to having every person at the show see your kitchen. Every vendor could put their displays inside a truck and there are reasons they don't. I think a few beautiful cabinets and huge posters of beautiful kitchens would be more effective. Your van kitchen may be beautiful for a van but it does not have the appeal of a beautiful home.

Sorry, but just my opinion and I hate to see you waste money. I think the vans and the size booth you need are not a good value.

silvertree · 02-03-2009, 10:02 PM

PC, you could be right, I hope you aren't.
But I'm selling a big ticket item and the fact that everyone won't see it is just something I'll have to overcome. If I can get a conversation going I'm part of the way there.
You have some great ideas, but I don't agree with you on this.
The show you refer to had only a few hundred people all weekend, the other vendors were like vultures at a carcass. It was one off those shows where they give out 100,000 free tickets and only 300 people show up.
This next show is an event.

We do agree that a smaller booth is easier and can be as effective, but I need exposure for this truck so this is it.