Selling directly to homeowners and getting word of mouth referrals is fine, but if you really want to ramp up sales, you need to sell to the trade - kitchen designers, interior designers, architects, builders, remodelers.

How many people do you personally know right now (friends and family) who are remodeling their kitchens? 0? 1? 5? Probably not many. So if John Doe just made you a beautiful concrete countertop, who could you tell about it?

How many people does a kitchen designer know who are remodeling their kitchens? 50? 100? Everyone who walks through their door!

Think about it - where do people go to buy high end, custom countertops that go in high end, custom kitchens and baths? Not Home Depot and Lowes. They don't look in the Yellow Pages. They do search the Web, but a lot of them simply go to a kitchen designer who can provide the cabinets, countertops, sinks, faucets, flooring, tile, and project coordination. Kitchen designers sell kitchens (and baths), and countertops are part of a kitchen or bathroom.

Develop relationships with these tradespeople. Take them samples, educate them about how concrete countertops behave and why someone would want them, install displays in their showrooms. Network at NKBA meetings, as well as ASID, IDS, AIA and HBA.

Once you are part of your local design community, these professionals will look to you to supply their customers with custom concrete countertops. It takes time, but it is far more effective and less expensive to make these tradespeople aware of you than it is to try to make every homeowner in your area aware of you.