A review of the good and bad of the 2017 IBS builder's show in Orlando.

1. The Good and the Bad From IBS 2017

2. Good: Attendance, Booth Traffic and
Builder Optimism

3. Bad: No Cares How Long You’ve Been in
Business or Anything About Your Plant

4. Bad: This Belongs at the Roofing Show.

5. Bad: Showing Commercial Products Tells
Builders You Don’t Understand Them.

6. Bad: What Are These Companies Trying to Sell?
Tell Builders What You Are Selling, Who You Are
and Why They Should Care

7. Bad: What Are These Company Trying to Sell?
I Know Who They Are. I’d Like to Know What They
Are Selling, and Why I Should Care

8. Bad: I See What You Are Selling. I Don’t Know
Why You Are Any Better Than Your Competitors

9. Bad: I See What You Are Selling. I Don’t Know
Why You Are Any Better Than Your Competitors
Almost Every Window Company Had No Point of Difference in
Their Messages

10. Bad: Just Bad. I Usually Don’t Pick On
Companies Who Don’t Know Any Better
Notice How There is
No One in Their Booth

11. Bad: A Company Who Should Know Better.
Are They Selling Suits?
Each Year Builders Ask Me
“What Do They Make?”
Last Year Builder’s Ask Me “What
Does Fashion Have to Do with Me?”
This Year They Asked Me “What is a
Form? Forms Are for Concrete”

12. Bad: A Company Who Should Know Better.
The Best Message In This Booth
Do You Know Any Builders
Who Are Into Shabby Chic?

13. Bad: What Were These Doing at IBS?
Don’t They Belong at a Home Show?

14. Good: Tell Me What You Are Selling, Who You Are
and Why I Should Care

15. Good: Cutaway Illustrations Made It Easy For
Builders to Understand Your Product

16. Good: Recognizing a Growing Market
for Builders

17. Good: Builders Love Demonstrations

18. Good: Show Me You Offer Alternative
Solutions to Meet My Needs

19. Good:Messaging That Tells Me Why

20. Good: Messaging That Tells Me The Difference

21. Good: Builders Don’t Need Fancy.
Just Show Them How It Works.

22. Good: Simple, Creative, Unique, Attention
Getting Product Demonstration

23. How to do Better at Your Next Show
1. Make it Very Obvious
• Who You Are
• What You Make
• Why You Are Different
2. Consider Demonstrations
3. Involve Your Ad Agency in the Messages
4. Speak to the Builder - In Their Language
5. No One Cares How Long You’ve Been in Business
or Anything About your Plant
6. Don’t Bring Commercial Displays to a Builder Show
7. Make it Easy For The Builder to Understand How Your
Product is Used and How it Will Benefit Him

24. Looking for a Better Return on Your
Investment in Trade Shows?
Contact me for a free review and
critique of your building materials
trade show exhibit.
info@seethewhizard.com
www.seethewhizard.com
Mark Mitchell is a leading sales growth consultant in the building materials industry, I identify the blind spots
that enable building materials companies to grow their sales and retain more customers. As I am not an ad
agency, my recommendations are focused on your sales growth and not my future income.
My mission is to help building materials companies be the preferred supplier of their customers and to turn
those customers into their best salespeople. Contact me to discuss your situation.