Booth Babes Are Distractions

Whenever I attend a trade show, there's guaranteed to be one or more booths with "booth babes," who are local models or actresses hired to dress provocatively and stand in an exhibitor's booth. Why are they there?

Presumably, booth babes attract prospects to the booth. In reality, they attract suspects... people suspected of being buyers, but who come to the booth to look at the booth babes, not to buy.

As a rule, booth babes hurt exhibitors. Real prospects are looking for information. Booth babes and the people they attract simply get in the way, driving prospects to go away.

Some prospects will avoid the booth simply because they don't want anyone to even think they are attracted by the booth babes. This is especially true if the prospect is male and attending the show with a spouse.

Visiting a booth with booth babes conflicts with the value system of others. Seriously, I've heard plumbers complain openly about a woman "on display" at a plumbing show. And the plumbers who were complaining ran large companies. They were the heavy hitters every exhibitor wanted.

Another issue with booth babes is the effect on an exhibitor's staff. I've seen the staff focused on the booth babe rather than the prospects.

Face it. Booth babes are a distraction. They may attract a crowd, but not the right crowd. Ditto for celebrities or a hot sports car, which is the mechanical equivalent of a booth babe (unless the car is being given away at the show).

There are exceptions. The exceptions are when the booth babe is part of a live marketing program that reinforces the message of the booth. An example is the cave woman hired by Juan Cardona (JC Heating and Cooling in Crossroads, WV) who pops out of a cave he creates to reinforce the Jurassic air conditioner theme, encouraging homeowners to register for his oldest air conditioner contest. Click here to download a free turnkey oldest appliance kit from the Service Roundtable.

Probably the worst  aspect of using a booth babe as eye candy is the messages the exhibitor sends without realizing it...

• "I have nothing interesting to offer so I'm using a booth babe to drive traffic."
  
  
• "I think so little of my prospects' intelligence, character, and motivation that I believe a booth babe will drive sales."

Whether at a trade show or a home show, booth babes are distractions.

The Oldest Appliance Contest - FREE

As you get ready for the fall home shows, it's a great time to consider running an Oldest Furnace Contest or Oldest Water Heater Contest.

In the early 1990s, I came up with the idea of giving away a furnace at a home show to the homeowner with the oldest furnace, provided the winner paid for the installation. When a contractor ran the oldest furnace contest, it was determined to be one of the most, if not the most successful home show promotions in the history of the HVAC industry.

The simple beauty of the contest was that every lead was a qualified lead. Everyone who registered knew he had an old furnace. Everyone who registered was willing to pay something (i.e., the installation cost) if he won. So, what do you call someone who knows he's got an old furnace (possibly the oldest in the area) and is willing to spend money to get a new one installed? I call him a qualified prospect.

I've presented the oldest furnace concept as part of Comanche Marketing presentations for more than a decade. HVAC contractors have run the contest for furnaces and air conditioners. Plumbing contractors have run oldest water heater contests.

I packaged the necessary elements from the Service Roundtable's content library, made them available in one, easy to implement program, and decided to GIVE IT AWAY. There are no strings. There is no catch. You can download everything you need for "The Greatest Home Show Marketing Idea Ever" for free. Run you own oldest furnace contest, oldest water heater contest, oldest air conditioner contest, oldest boiler contest, or oldest thing-a-ma-bob contest.

Click here to go to The Oldest Appliance Contest page on the Free Stuff section of the Service Roundtable. If you think this, you might also browse some of the other Free Stuff available from the Service Roundtable.

Here's the commercial pitch... Browse around the Service Roundtable's Free Stuff section and compare the what the Service Roundtable gives away to what other groups freely give away. Think how much more must be reserved for members (hint: it's been valued at more than $3 million).

If you like it, try the Service Roundtable for a month. It only costs $50 and there's no long term contract. If you don't like it, quit.