On the Floor What’s the best way to attack the show? Dealer attendees have their individual strategies, but the most commonly used word is “focus.” Every vendor there wants to sell you something, and since this is the show when they pull out all the stops, it can be very easy to get distracted.
“Make a list of who you want to see and find out where those booths are,” Shonka says. “Take care of [that] business first. Then you can browse and see what catches your eye.”
After wearing himself out trying to cover two exhibit halls in one day last year, Murphy says this year’s strategy will be to do one hall each day, concentrating on the vendors in his core product categories. “We don’t really mess around a lot with flooring products and plumbing products,” he says. “We focus on doors, framing, molding, and windows.”
Some companies take a divide-and-conquer approach, sending employees to see different areas and report back to the group. Leisi’s team meets as a group when the doors open in the morning and prioritizes what they want to see. Then they visit each booth as a group so they can learn about each product together and discuss them afterward.
To make the most efficient use of your time in a booth visit, take advantage of the computerized card-swiping system. “If all you want is literature, just swipe your card and be on your way,” says Diana Seaman, senior manager for trade communications at Whirlpool Corp. “If you want to talk to someone, be prepared to answer qualifying questions.”
Don’t expect to get into a terribly detailed discussion at the booth, Murphy says. There are just too many people for that to happen. If you want to learn more, make an appointment for a follow-up. If they’re hosting a hospitality suite, take the time to stop by. The suites are staffed with employees who can answer questions in a more relaxed atmosphere, and you will get a chance to rest your feet.
While you’re cruising the halls and checking out the products, don’t forget to check out where the attendees are from. “That’s why they have name tags, right?” Conde says. That’s how Lumbermens does a lot of its client prospecting at the show. If they see someone with a badge that lists a city in which one of their 50-plus locations is located, they stop and introduce themselves. “If they’re a customer, we say thanks and invite them to visit the hospitality suite,” Conde says. “If they’re not, we tell them we’d like to stop by [their location when we get home] and tell them about what we can offer.”
Back to School If you really want to learn about your customers’ needs, consider checking out some of the educational seminars that are offered at the show. There are hundreds of them for builders of every size, and some of the tracks, such as customer service and construction codes and energy, relate to dealers as well.
“We know one of the dealers’ biggest concerns is customer service; we have a whole slew of seminars on that topic,” says Julieta Slattery, NAHB’s director of marketing for IBS. “There’s no reason a dealer couldn’t sit in on those. We have general customer service sessions, too.”
While dealers can visit the exhibit halls for free, there is a fee to attend the educational sessions; however, there are discounts for first-time show attendees. Visit the dealer section of the show’s Web site at www.buildersshow.com/dealers to register.
Also, if you’re a member of your local HBA, find out if they’re holding a meeting or sponsoring an event at the show. It’s a great way to meet builders from your state.
When You Get home After you’ve settled back in at work, review your notes and the cards you collected. Balkus says that when he gets back, he takes the product information he gathered and shares it with customers who didn’t attend to see if they’d be interested in using it. If they are, he passes it along to his purchasing department to research the pricing.
And keep those business cards and e-mail addresses handy; they could be extremely valuable later on. At last year’s show, for example, Murphy met a high-level manager at a vendor booth who arranged shipment of a product that his local distributor said wasn’t available. “I called this guy, said, ‘Hey, remember we talked at the Builders’ Show?’ and he got the shipping done for me. It really, really, really helps.” —Pat Curry is a contributing editor to PROSALES.
