April, 2007

How to Work a Home Show

Prepare, execute, and follow-up afterwards to turn a home show into a sales-lead bonanza.

By Bob Heidenreich

A “home show” can be a great lead generator for a lumber/building material business—especially one that sells decks or other products installed. But only if you handle the preparations, follow-up, and show presentation right. If you do it wrong, you might as well stay home.

Creating and properly staffing a booth for a home show requires time, money, and energy. I’ve learned a few tricks that have helped us maximize our performance at the dozen or so shows our company attends every year.

First, know your audience. Talk to the people who are presenting the show, and find out about any competitors that might be there. You also need to nail down the details: What kind of display space will you have? What are the restrictions on set-up? Will you have access to electrical outlets? What are the costs? (A visible display location, preferably at the end of a central aisle, is invaluable.)

You also need to realistically assess your expectations for the show, and weigh them against the costs. Don’t forget to factor in labor for building the displays and working the show; materials for the displays and literature, fees, transportation, parking, clothing, hotel rooms, food, and so on. Understand how many leads you must generate for a particular show to make economic sense for your business.

Once you’ve decided to participate, it’s time to develop a comprehensive plan. What products should you showcase?  What will make your display superior to that of your competition? Each person on your staff should have a scripted sales line that highlights your products, experience, and other important factors about your company.

Make sure your booth attracts attention and is well lighted. A clean, neat, and orderly booth gives the impression that your work will show the same attention to detail.

Have plenty of literature available to share, and attach personalized labels to tag your brochures. Have staff wear company shirts that promote your business. 

To sell decks effectively, a professional project photo portfolio is essential, and the projects you show set the standard for your work. Include a list of names and addresses of your past customers.

To collect leads, encourage attendees to fill out a card that includes their name, address, phone number, any products/ services they are interested in, and also ask if they’d like to schedule an appointment with you. Explain that you will follow up with them with a letter and more information, but that you will not call them unless they request it.

As you work, try to qualify potential customers as to location, and their budget. Show time is expensive, and you don’t want to waste it on customers that will never develop. And remember: Working a show can be exhausting.  Wear comfortable shoes, get plenty of sleep, and pace yourself.

After the show, you must properly manage your leads. Create a spreadsheet with information collected from the lead cards and draft a personalized follow-up letter to remind your potential customers of your contact at the show. Emphasize your company’s reputation and accomplishments. Use the letter to encourage scheduling a sales appointment. Mail these shortly after the show closes. It’s also important to track appointments and sales made from each show so that you can evaluate your results. This hard data will help you learn as you go, and it will also help you cost-evaluate attendance at that show in the future.