Hi all,
Just finished up a Home Show here in Eugene, OR. It’s my first time in and I’m pretty pleased with the results. I’ve got 20 bids out right now, 4 have come back YES, 2 NO, and I’ve got a stack of “Please send me info, I want something built this summer” cards that I still need to follow up on.
I’m curious as to what experiences other folks have had with displays in Home Shows and any thoughts on attracting additional business from it.
I’ve attached a pic of my 10’x10′ booth display.
Replies
Good question. Maybe they should offer a corral for consumers (homeowners) looking for services to stand in like cattle waiting for a contractor interested enough in their problem/project to come take them into consideration. It should work both ways, I think.
I've been to a home show twice. The first one was around 1995-6 and it was rather large and informative. The second time I went around 2000 and was smaller and the overall feel of some of those I spoke with placed me, the happy homeowners, in a corner to not be dealt with while the reps chatted with other reps or most prospects for multi-million dollar homes.
Oh well, the shows are what they are. Sounds like it was a worthy effort and you got some leads and business. Was the cost to you expensive?
The booth set me back $750, materials for the display were around $1,000 and I lost three weeks of work setting up for and working the show. I worked a deal with a local redwood lumberyard - they gave me the materials for the deck free for advertising. I posted a sign for them in my booth and gave them the deck after the home show. It will work out to both our advantage, they get a cool display for their showroom and I get advertising all year long.I was hoping to land $60,000 in contracts from the show. Once all the bids I have out right now come back, plus the eight that I still need to work up, I have a good chance of hitting that goal. I know I'm going to lose some of them because I don't do a hack job and I don't charge Wal-MArt prices. Some folks around here seem to think that they should get a Ferrari job for a Geo Metro price. I don't understand that thinking myself but I deal with it often.My wife came up with a good sound bite for me when responding to someone who feels my bid is too high. "I'd rather explain a high price today than explain a poor quality job for years to come." Zig Zigler
Nice display! If this is representative of your work, maybe you should link up with Lawrence (on this board). He gets a lot of work via internet, and (I think) is always looking for talent to bring into his group. (I thought it was gardenstructures.com, but I can't get that website to come up right now. If I find it, I'll edit and add the link)
Hey,
Nice booth.
We do a lot of shows all around the country, too.
Did you see that article in Permanent Buildings and Foundations Mag from January? It was really good......had some fabulous insights and tips. I've got it around here somewhere..
christi
Let the beauty of what you love be what you do. ~ Rumi
Thanks,Nope, I haven't seen that magazine. What was the article on?
Tips on home show effectiveness, how to make them better, what to do/not do, etc.
I'll dig it up.
c
Let the beauty of what you love be what you do. ~ Rumi
Mac, your booth blows mine away! I just did my first home show too. I've posted in the business section.
If I was thinking about decks, I'd stop in at your booth and talk.
blue
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
So that's an exterior deck? From the pattern and finish, the picture looks like it could be an example of interior hardwood flooring. If you put pictures on a web site, be sure to include closeups.
-- J.S.
Actually, it's a redwood deck with about 5 coats of polyurethane on it. Completely useless for a outdoor deck that would get rain (too slippery), but perfect for turning heads at the home show! I also screwed the decking from the bottom so there are no visible fasteners. I built it in (4) 5'x5' sections prior to the show and then assembled it on site, dropping the circle in the middle after screwing the pieces together. The 1/4" redwood fascia board covered the structural pt. I tried to incorporate as many curves as I could because you don't see curves in wood structures that often. I like how they look and I was really hoping the owners of the $500K - $1M homes liked how they looked too!I'm still building my website, http://www.builtbymac.com. I was hoping to have it done before the Home Show but that didn't happen. Now that I've given out umpteen million business cards with the web address, I R E A L L Y need to finish it! I will have lots of pics on it when it's done, including more of the Home Show display.