Nov 21 2007 8:32AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
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Ed. Note: Please join us in welcoming a new addition to the Housing Zone Blogroll [drumroll please] : The Product Guy!

We tried to calculate how many booths the staff of Professional Builder visited over the years. At more than 70 years old, this magazine has been represented at hundreds of trade shows from Orlando to Seattle and everywhere in between. We even thought we could convince the math whizzes at NASA and MIT to crunch the numbers. Although they still don’t have the final statistics (The supercomputers only work so fast, they tell us) we can tell you that if anyone knows how to work the Builder's Show, it’s Professional Builder. The editors gathered stories from the show, travel tips and even spent some time dusting off old Boy Scout manuals in order to give builders a heads-up on how to be an effective attendee.

The Builder’s Show is a veritable menagerie of booths, exhibits and conferences—kind of like Toys ‘R Us for builders and remodelers. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype and glitz emanating from the manufacturers and service providers. Some exhibitors use the P.T. Barnum principle—the bigger and flashier the booth, the better. Companies put out a lavish spread, bring a bevy of their sales and marketing teams, and, although their presence has declined in recent years, some employ attractive young women, a.k.a. “booth babes” to draw attention to their booths.

With all of these distractions, a breakdown of booth behavior and etiquette is almost inevitable. After all, it’s hard to hear about a product or roam Booth A if Booth B across the aisle has a man in stilts and a top hat with “Eye of the Tiger” blaring in the background to get people to come by. Don’t be swayed by flashing lights and bullhorns. These shows are meant to form relationships. As such, be aware of the behavior displayed by the exhibitor. The first impression we have of a company or product is the person who represents it. As a potential buyer, when you explore the Builder’s Show you should notice how you are (or aren’t) greeted.

“A first impression is made within five seconds of meeting someone,” says Dr. Lance Rintamaki, a former Communications professor at Elmhurst College in suburban Chicago. “We make a judgment about them and how we will interact based on their clothes, facial expressions, energy, confidence, personal power, perceived authority, posture, personal grooming, and most of all, by the way they treat us. For five seconds, that's a lot of information being formulated,” says Rintamaki.

As a guest to their booth, however, you have certain duties as well. “Introduce yourself, be present in the conversation and above all else, be polite with your questions,” says Rintamaki, “Also, don't complain just to start a conversation. Do you like to hear about someone's aching feet or their empty tummy?” 

IN THE FIRST FIVE SECONDS YOU SHOULD: 

• Acknowledge the other person, smile and make eye contact 

• Shake hands web-to-web (the space between your thumb and forefinger) and no more than three pumps from the wrist, not the shoulder or elbow. Make the handshake firm, but don’t crush the other person’s hand. Conversely, don't give a dead fish handshake. It’s just unsettling. And don't give the weak "half-handshake" men give to women. Put it in there for the real thing!

• Always extend or accept a greeting--don't wander into a booth, grab a brochure or sample and run out without making a connection. If your feet touch the booth, be prepared to give or receive a greeting 

• Make the encounter worthwhile for you. Ask questions and try to learn something 

• Wear your name badge on your right side, high up on your lapel or clipped to your collar if you don’t want to use the lanyard. When you shake hands with someone, that person is looking for your tag, so make it easy for him/her to see your name


Links on Trade Show Tips: 

For Attendees and Exhibitors 


Road Warrior Tips

For additional etiquette tips, visit the Mr. Manners podcast.