Clark Branum, Northwest Territory manager for Brickform Rafco, is in sales, but what he's selling isn't exactly what you'd expect. While most salesmen focus on their company's products, Branum focuses on processes—or more specifically, what the underlying issues are leading to a particular product's use.

Branum's more than 24 years' experience, starting with entry-level curb and sidewalk finishing in Seattle and Alaska, coupled with an artistic background (he's a musician), has enabled him to grow the decorative concrete industry through education, one contractor at a time.

Branum says he got into decorative concrete in 1990 because, "Normal concrete was boring to me, and I tended to enjoy residential, more artistic stuff." Which in turn led to stamping, and he eventually ended up managing the decorative concrete division of Greater Seattle Concrete, where Branum says he managed 45 to 50 jobs per year, with an emphasis on overlays, staining and stamping.

Always interested in training, Branum was also involved in education for Brickform Rafco, and they were so impressed the recruiting began. Eventually, Branum accepted an offer, stating, "They gave me an opportunity to go into a new part of the industry...I enjoy training and making things work for people.

Now, Branum takes care of clients in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and parts of Canada, as well as one client he's close with in Oklahoma City, The Stamp Store.

Of Branum's unorthodox approach to selling, he says, "I'm very outside the box, even to my company's dismay at times, and my primary focus is on growing the industry through training. I want my clients to understand the process, not just the product they are using, because if they learn the process, there's a higher success rate at what they do...My style of training happens to generate sales in my area."

Another part of Branum's sales technique involves tech support, such as when he recently visited a client in Edmonton, Alberta, to help with over 2,000 square feet of flooring in just over two days. He says, "We were up until very late the first night and into the morning the second night...but we built a beautiful floor. That's the kind of passion I have for the industry."

Branum's passion is also leading him overseas in March to visit a joint venture customer in Beijing, China, where his team will create over 70,000 square feet of decorative flooring with overlays, sandblast stencils and stains. He also spent time consulting on Disney's new park in Hong Kong twice in 2004.

Also on the Board of Directors for the American Society of Concrete Contractor's Decorative Concrete Council, Branum helped with the recent mega-demos at the 2005 World of Concrete (WOC). "The demos we did were among the two highest attended demos the WOC ever had," he says. "People stayed late to watch us work. We had outstanding vendors and applicators involved, and it was a lot of fun."

Ever the educator, Branum also led a three-hour seminar on decorative concrete overlays at the recent WOC that drew over 400 people, and he's also extensively involved in two upcoming decorative concrete events in March in Oregon and April in Oklahoma.

"This is our third year," he explains of the events. "This year we're reproducing what we did with the mega demos at the WOC, but on a smaller scale...It will be more applicator driven than manufacturer driven."

One of the reasons Branum focuses so heavily on training is the fact that he says there are people coming into the industry with a lack of concrete education. "I see a lot of people coming in from other industries—painters doing acid staining, for example—and I encourage that because it grows the industry and gives fresh ideas," he explains. "But there's a certain amount of basic concrete knowledge they are lacking, and the industry needs to welcome them and provide resources for that basic concrete knowledge."

"There are a lot of little pitfalls that can affect work, and unless a contractor knows to ask certain questions, he can get into trouble on a project. The industry needs to provide educational resources to support our new friends"

Branum adds that he also sees a lack of business savvy amongst some, even those who may be producing great work. As a result, Branum says, "We're running a lot more classes geared towards the business side, business 101 stuff...We're the ones trying to grow the industry, so we need to help them."

One way Branum can help is through his involvement with the ASCC, as chairperson, developing position statements with other industry experts, including American Concrete Institute. "These position papers are written by experts in the industry to offer logistic support to contractors," Branum explains. "So when an architect or owner argues with the contractor, asking for things that are setting the contractor up for failure, the contractor can take the well-prepared statement and hand it to them and say, 'Read this and then we'll talk.'"

According to Branum, the proof is in the pudding, because he did that very thing on a job in Fairbanks, Alaska. "I went up against the Core of Engineers," he says. "I used a position statement to change a design mix specification...We're all teachers and students out here in the field, and education and support should be a foremost concern for all of us in the industry."

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