First Home Show - looking for advise | Making the SPF Industry Better | Spray Foam Technical Questions and Answers | SprayFoam Magazine Q&A Forums

Q&A Forums

First Home Show - looking for advise Post New Topic | Post Reply

Author	Comments
james keegan Posted: Mar 22, 2013 08:55 PM	First Home Show - looking for advise Hey everyone, have a homeshow coming up in about a month or and I was hoping to get some advise from this group. I have just started to put together print and signage. I guess I'm hoping to pull some business out of the show, but I expect more likely it will be about education and hope something comes from it. I have the hotbox ready to go, just wondering what if any handouts I should have. Any pointers or tips things to do or avoid? Any free giveaways or draws? Just looking for some expertise..any help or suggestions greatly appreciated...thx..J
maurice richter Posted: Mar 31, 2013 11:52 AM	I'm just a homeowner, very happy with my sprayfoam-ed house! it has been years since wife and I went to a home show, but we go to our county fair every year. (I've learned county fairs are not the same everywhere... there are booths from businesses with reps to talk with interested attendees). Along with what you've written, I would suggest a sample of your foam that attendees can touch, smell, pinch, etc (open, closed,...)maybe if you have space, fab up a sample wall foam applied. Are you aiming for new construction or retrofits (like my house is)? Your sample wall could show new or retrofit. What turns my wife and I OFF at events is the idea of signing up for a free drawing and risking a "used car salesman" WILL call. We do sign up sometimes, but we gotta be excited at the business (example - I want to more info on insulating my house, so I may take a chance that the company rep won't be like "Herb Tarlick" of WKRP tv show). If the booth rep has a like-able personality I am more likely to stop and learn more. Only trying to encourage you, not trying to scare you. I noticed no one had replied, so maybe this can help?
mason Posted: Apr 01, 2013 01:47 PM	Make sure you have a nice brochure with examples of your work, background and training of your crew, testimonials, any specialities (residential, commercial, cold storage, etc.) and the region you work in. Make sure your brochure has contact info up front and easy to find. Place it on every page. Tri-folds work well. You can do it yourself with Micro soft publisher or IMACs, Pages. Take some videos of your crew spraying foam and pay particular attention to how well you mask off and keep overspray off of things. Your supplier may have some videos you can use as well, discussing how foam works in a house. Run a continuing loop on a TV monitor at your booth Mock ups are good, but make sure they show how you really spray foam, not an artificially beautiful wall that no one on your crew can spray. Be prepared to answer questions about real benefits, don't exaggerate or minimize exposure risks When recording leads from the show. categorize them at the same time you are talking to them, No star; kicking tires, 1 star, mildly interested or interested but no money, 2 stars interested but not ready to buy now, 3 stars interested and ready to buy. Send additional information immediately to all 3 stars and then follow up with a phone call to make an appointment. Send info to 2 stars immediately and stay in contact. Don't be a pest though. Find out when they are really going to be ready. As for give-aways, it depends on the show and the folks attending. We used to do school maintenance shows and gave away a half a dozen nice fishing rods. Got a lot of folks to come by. I know one foam contractor who gives away coffee mugs with his company info on it. I love it and I use it every day. What ever you give away, make sure it works great! Remember it is a direct reflection on your quality. So, if it is pens, make sure they write well and don't skip. If it is pen knives make sure they don't break easily and will hold an edge. Many home shows allow you to give a presentation on your services, Take advantage of it, but make sure whoever is your spokesperson knows how to do public speaking. Ask your supplier to help out with costs, literature, or someone to help work the show.
ChrisIgna Posted: Apr 03, 2013 07:26 AM	we have done many shows, in fact got one this weekend. The hot box is your best sales tool place it out front in the most highly visible place. NExt I would say is the loop video, so everyone can see exactly how it is sprayed in and shaved off the wall, oh and how well it expands!!! they eat that up! #1 rule set apt at the show if possible #2 rule follow up #3 rule Do not over promise be accurate and clear about the products #4 rule they are people just talk to everyone, ((NOT SELL EVERyONE)) i cant count the times that I just started a conservation with a person walking by them they get 2/3 booth away turn around and come back!!! YOU NEVER KNow who you are talking to!!! funny story my largest customer came from a home show. Older guy walking around drinking a soda, walked by the booth a couple times, then i was joking with him about being lost and did he need help to find his way. we talked for a minute then he looked up at my booth and said "oh you do that foam stuff?" turned out he was a retired HVAC contractor. His sons now run the business, we now do alot!! of work for this company. you have to look at it as you only need 1/2 jobs for the show to be worth while. most of my work from home show come from the person that comes up when you are talking to the tire kicker! They just take your card an move on. About a day or so after the show i get the phone call, i stopped by the booth and you where busy so i just picked up a card. make sure you cards are in plan site!

Author

Comments

james keegan

Posted: Mar 22, 2013 08:55 PM

First Home Show - looking for advise

Hey everyone, have a homeshow coming up in about a month or and I was hoping to get some advise from this group. I have just started to put together print and signage. I guess I'm hoping to pull some business out of the show, but I expect more likely it will be about education and hope something comes from it. I have the hotbox ready to go, just wondering what if any handouts I should have. Any pointers or tips things to do or avoid? Any free giveaways or draws?
Just looking for some expertise..any help or suggestions greatly appreciated...thx..J

maurice richter

Posted: Mar 31, 2013 11:52 AM

I'm just a homeowner, very happy with my sprayfoam-ed house! it has been years since wife and I went to a home show, but we go to our county fair every year. (I've learned county fairs are not the same everywhere... there are booths from businesses with reps to talk with interested attendees). Along with what you've written, I would suggest a sample of your foam that attendees can touch, smell, pinch, etc (open, closed,...)maybe if you have space, fab up a sample wall foam applied. Are you aiming for new construction or retrofits (like my house is)? Your sample wall could show new or retrofit.

What turns my wife and I OFF at events is the idea of signing up for a free drawing and risking a "used car salesman" WILL call. We do sign up sometimes, but we gotta be excited at the business (example - I want to more info on insulating my house, so I may take a chance that the company rep won't be like "Herb Tarlick" of WKRP tv show). If the booth rep has a like-able personality I am more likely to stop and learn more.

Only trying to encourage you, not trying to scare you. I noticed no one had replied, so maybe this can help?

mason

Posted: Apr 01, 2013 01:47 PM

Make sure you have a nice brochure with examples of your work, background and training of your crew, testimonials, any specialities (residential, commercial, cold storage, etc.) and the region you work in. Make sure your brochure has contact info up front and easy to find. Place it on every page. Tri-folds work well. You can do it yourself with Micro soft publisher or IMACs, Pages.

Take some videos of your crew spraying foam and pay particular attention to how well you mask off and keep overspray off of things. Your supplier may have some videos you can use as well, discussing how foam works in a house. Run a continuing loop on a TV monitor at your booth

Mock ups are good, but make sure they show how you really spray foam, not an artificially beautiful wall that no one on your crew can spray.

Be prepared to answer questions about real benefits, don't exaggerate or minimize exposure risks

When recording leads from the show. categorize them at the same time you are talking to them, No star; kicking tires, 1 star, mildly interested or interested but no money, 2 stars interested but not ready to buy now, 3 stars interested and ready to buy.

Send additional information immediately to all 3 stars and then follow up with a phone call to make an appointment.

Send info to 2 stars immediately and stay in contact. Don't be a pest though. Find out when they are really going to be ready.

As for give-aways, it depends on the show and the folks attending. We used to do school maintenance shows and gave away a half a dozen nice fishing rods. Got a lot of folks to come by. I know one foam contractor who gives away coffee mugs with his company info on it. I love it and I use it every day. What ever you give away, make sure it works great! Remember it is a direct reflection on your quality. So, if it is pens, make sure they write well and don't skip. If it is pen knives make sure they don't break easily and will hold an edge.

Many home shows allow you to give a presentation on your services, Take advantage of it, but make sure whoever is your spokesperson knows how to do public speaking.

Ask your supplier to help out with costs, literature, or someone to help work the show.

ChrisIgna

Posted: Apr 03, 2013 07:26 AM

we have done many shows, in fact got one this weekend. The hot box is your best sales tool place it out front in the most highly visible place. NExt I would say is the loop video, so everyone can see exactly how it is sprayed in and shaved off the wall, oh and how well it expands!!! they eat that up!

#1 rule set apt at the show if possible
#2 rule follow up
#3 rule Do not over promise be accurate and clear about the products
#4 rule they are people just talk to everyone, ((NOT SELL EVERyONE)) i cant count the times that I just started a conservation with a person walking by them they get 2/3 booth away turn around and come back!!! YOU NEVER KNow who you are talking to!!!

funny story my largest customer came from a home show. Older guy walking around drinking a soda, walked by the booth a couple times, then i was joking with him about being lost and did he need help to find his way. we talked for a minute then he looked up at my booth and said "oh you do that foam stuff?" turned out he was a retired HVAC contractor. His sons now run the business, we now do alot!! of work for this company.

you have to look at it as you only need 1/2 jobs for the show to be worth while.

most of my work from home show come from the person that comes up when you are talking to the tire kicker! They just take your card an move on. About a day or so after the show i get the phone call, i stopped by the booth and you where busy so i just picked up a card. make sure you cards are in plan site!

You need to login to reply to this topic. Please click here to login.