Interview with Co-founder and CEO, Brandflow – Anthony Lee

 

“The biggest mistake we see startups make, especially in the tech world, is to fall in love with their product and not their client”

Tell us about your role in Brandflow?
I am the co-founder and CEO of Brandflow, I still oversee large projects and lead the charge in business development.

2. Can you tell us about your journey into this market?
It all started when I retired from the military and didn’t want to go back into government service. I got into real estate and learned quickly that it was not the best agent or brokerage that did the best—it was the best marketer. My focus during my MBA was in marketing so after I did well with real estate, I found someone to partner with so we can transform how business is done and move forward from the archaic techniques still being deployed by agencies.

3. How do you think technology is upgrading marketing Sector?
Technology has transformed marketing in ways that would have seemed unthinkable 10-15 years ago. It has become easier and harder at the same time. Traditional based marketing is 10x more expensive and the speed of trust requires 4x the touches. The average consumer receives anywhere from 3500-5000 advertisements every day. With today’s technology, a company can come from nowhere and unseat the number one in their industry almost overnight. This has caused confusion for marketers. The story still needs to be told but the technology has been shifting in such a way as to confuse marketers into thinking the method is the message.

4. Can you explain how narrative marketing helps in better customer acquisition?
We as human beings think in narrative. We are wired for stories, the mind does three things, tell stories, sing songs and plays games. We are constantly making up stories as to why something is the way it is. We are storytelling animals. Using narrative marketing gives your message the chance to break through the noise and resonate with your prospects.

5. How have methods of client communications evolved over the years with the application of latest software’s?
Not only have they drastically changed but they keep evolving. In the marketing world we see so many ways to keep in touch with your clients. Our approach is pretty simple a business owner needs to know his clients and communicate effectively over what works. For example, if your main clientele is 19-27-year-old people, then why on earth would you send them direct mail or even email for that matter. We would use messenger, text based communication and a plethora of others. Then on the flip side if we are targeting a retirement community, we will definantly use a different strategy. My point is that any business that does not communicate with clients over different mediums and targeted will get lost with all the other noise people hear every day.

6. How do you differentiate your services in the market?
We are an experienced based full-service marketing firm. We don’t just talk about concepts, we implement them. We have gone well past the 10k hours of research and facilitation to give our clients unparalleled support. We back that up with a firm understanding of growing and scaling a business and you have a marketing firm you can trust to get you to the next level and keep you there.

7. What advice would you like to give to the technology Start Ups?

The biggest mistake we see startups make, especially in the tech world, is to fall in love with their product and not their client.

Our co-founder worked with Gateway for a number of years and witnessed their demise firsthand. They built up their business by focusing on the client and got lost and started chasing the product and the dollar. That made them alienate their client base and lose the entire business. There is an entire city in South Dakota that is still reeling from this mistake.

8. What is the Digital innovation in sales technology according to you that will mark 2019?
2/3 of professional marketers will be marketing based directly on the customer experience by 2020. We will continue to see more and more companies become aware of this fact. 53% of customer loyalty is directly tied to the actual sales process itself. People can be brutally honest about this one. Aligning your marketing and sales process to the client experience is the biggest shift we will see.

9. How do you prepare for an AI-Centric world?
AI is going to transform every area of human experience. The only way to survive in what David Hume has coined The Shift Age is to anticipate that shift. Things that we normally thought where magic will become standard practice. Computers will be able to think much farther and faster than we could ever imagine. The only way to survive in this new world is to connect with the customer on an emotional level. I believe that EQ will become the defining difference between successful people and those who struggle to get a footing. The same will hold true for businesses. Those companies who are able to resonate and create an emotional connection with their clients will be the one’s who are the most successful. Making narrative and experienced based sales even more important.

10. What are the major developments you are planning, in recent time?
Our biggest thing right now growing our client base in the major cities we serve right now and take Massive Determined Action to be the king of our Category (narrative marketing). We are also working on a revolutionary sales delivery system that any business can deploy with their sales teams and make an immediate impact. We have been working on and studying the framework for over 10 years now.

11. Can you tell us about your team and how it supports you?
With our team being spread across the United States communication is key. I get daily updates and Zoom is our best friend. The team makes my job easier so all I really have to do is show up, smile and shake some hands. We are all very close both in business and our personal lives and I think that synergy is why we have had so much success.

12. What movie inspires you the most?
Rocky—The whole series, it motivates and inspires me every day to show up and keep moving forward no matter what the odd.

13. We have heard that you have a very joyful work culture, so can you share with us some of the fun pictures of your workplace?
Well here is one this the Manitou Incline it is 2,783 steps straight up, this is our interview for everyone that is in a leadership position within our company. It is fun and shows that none of us are quitters and we will do what it takes to get the job done, plus it is a total blast!!

14. Can you give us a glance of the applications you use on your phone?
Outlook, Podcasts, Sirius XM, Maps, Messaging and Golf Rival. That would be about it.