February 2007 Industry Leader:

Providing Excellent Customer Service Comes Naturally to Brickform's Shawn Russell

Brickform's Southern California Area Manager, Shawn Russell, gets a lot of kudos from his customers. For example, Ted Flink, manager at Resource Building Materials, observes, "There are only a few unique reps in the world that truly care about clients. Shawn is one of them. He responds to us within minutes, no matter what we need."

Flink says that Russell often travels to job sites in an effort to provide hands-on assistance. With 60 client distributors, Russell's territory spans from Santa Maria to Bakersfield, and from Long Beach to Ontario. He says he typically logs between 35,000 to 40,000 miles per year.

"Too bad every company doesn't have reps like him," Flink adds.

Because Russell was originally a contractor for 18 years before coming to Brickform seven years ago, he understands the people using his products—he's walked in their shoes.

Russell says his goal is simple: help contractors solve problems and allow them to make more money. With an arsenal of Brickform's decorative concrete solutions including coloring, staining, texturing, sandblast stencils, an extensive line of sealing products, and all the companion accessories needed to create lasting impressions in concrete, Russell is armed to aid in any situation.

"I help people use products in a way so they won't have to resort to or result in tear-outs," Russell explains, adding that although he manages outside sales, he's not selling in the traditional sense of the word.

"I visit with clients and answer questions and show them how to use products," says Russell regarding a "typical" work day. "Clients also refer contractor issues to me, and I'll visit a job site or give a contractor advice."

But going above and beyond seems to come naturally to Russell, who, when asked why he thinks his customer service sets him apart, answers, "I'm very responsive and return calls immediately, it's just what I do. Getting back to [contractors] quickly is extremely important."

Russell says questions typically revolve around sealer issues, such as proper application, bubbling after installation, and the best time to install.

"Contractors are the type that urgency is an issue and it's important to respond or go out to help them immediately," he continues. "I was in their shoes, and I try to respond the way I know is necessary, because they don't have time to wait. When issues crop up, they need to be resolved immediately."

Russell's work ethic mirrors Brickform's own mission, which is to provide the highest level of customer service, including providing samples and technical information, as well as in-house technical support and small, hands-on training sessions that help develop the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully install decorative concrete.

In fact, Russell says he and Brickform's Technical Representative Glenn Roman often team up to lead demonstrations at distributors worldwide. Whether Russell is solo or with Roman, these one-day workshops demonstrate techniques and application tips that help the end users to gain a better understanding of how different products are used.

And Russell says he often pulls from his own experiences as a general contractor is Southern California, where he says he was involved in home building and "did a little bit of a lot of things."

"I have an asset from being a contractor, because I have hands-on experience and can demonstrate and show contractors how to use products, and they usually end up buying the products," says Russell, adding, "I can relate to just about anybody who walks into Ted's facility...I understand where they're coming from."

Russell says he enjoys helping contractors and their customers achieve their goals with decorative concrete, and he doesn't see himself doing anything else besides being in this industry.

When offering advice to his clients, Russell adds, "Seek knowledge and be informed about the products you're selling, you won't sell something you don't know anything about. You won't sell something your not knowledgeable about."

"When I first started going to the World of Concrete, there weren't that many decorative concrete contractors, and very few decorative concrete companies," Russell continues. "Now contractors are becoming more knowledgeable about what they can do with concrete. Products are allowing contractors to create decorative concrete more easily, and processes are more simplified. They can replicate just about anything now."

As for his role at Brickform, Russell concludes, "I see my role evolving to help the guys getting into the field excel at it....We provide training because we want people to use products (ours and all products) and get great results."

Now that's an ideal the whole industry can get on board with.

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