Many home remodelers and home improvement companies rely heavily on lead generation from home shows. These expos are usually strategically scheduled in the first quarter of the year when homeowners often have cabin fever from dreary winter weather and contracting companies are eager for new revenue after a long holiday season that likely hindered sales. By late winter and early spring the majority of remodeling contractors have greatly depleted their backlog of work, as well of their bank balances.

For these reasons, sales driven remodelers are often eager to exhibit in home shows to help jumpstart their year. After the leads from these shows have been converted into sales, those new customers become the foundation for more sales resulting from all the new yard signs, referrals and repeat business opportunities that were initially created from their participation in the home show. As a result, these shows often act as a catalyst for building momentum in a remodeling business that can help fuel productive activity for months to come.

As great as this all sounds, relying too heavily on home shows can make a remodeling company quite vulnerable. For starters, an untimely winter storm or other weather related event can decimate attendance and greatly impact results. Furthermore, having all your eggs in one basket is rarely a good idea.

So, what should remodeling companies do to diversify and maintain the momentum often created by home shows?

More shows!

When the home shows start to fall of the calendar faster than a one day shower installation, it is time to consider alternative events. Boat shows, car shows, gun shows or craft shows can be equally or even more lucrative than conventional home shows. Fairs, festivals and other live events can be very prosperous as well. The reasons for this are simple. First, there are far fewer competitors present at these alternative events. This alone can help increase conversions. Secondly, the foot traffic is often just as good, if not better than many home shows. The key is to find events that tend to attract your target demographic. Additionally, many fairs, festivals, expos cost significantly less than home shows, therefore the return on investment can be even greater. Lastly, there are an infinite number of events available for participation. This allows for unlimited lead generation to fuel your business 365 per year.

By networking with hundreds of home service companies all over the United States, we have been able to document countless success stories involving remodeling contractors who have generated seven figures in revenues from a single event. Remodeling contractors showcasing kitchen, bath and other highly visually appealing displays tend to have boast the best results. For them, these fairs, festivals and other specialty shows have proven to be an extremely viable source of consistent and sustainable lead flow. So, if you are contemplating various marketing initiatives that can help your company grow, be cautious about following the herd in digital age. Human connection still reigns supreme,36 as evident by the results achieved at live in-person events.