In the 1990s, "we really had an identity crisis," recalls Brian Benson, CEO and Founder of Benson Integrated Marketing Solutions, based in Alpharetta, GA, USA. Was his business a print company? An apparel provider? A promotional products vendor? "People wondered, 'What do you really do? Why are you different?'"

Today, Brian and his firm know exactly who they are and why they matter to customers. Benson Integrated Marketing Solutions offers a comprehensive, efficient and transparent centralized marketing platform that helps multifamily-property marketing teams buy, personalize and track their marketing activities.

If that sounds ultra-specific, that sounds great to Brian. He's a visionary whose company's deep dive into one key vertical market has led to extremely high client retention. He and his team know the nuances of each need property owners, marketing executives and field workers have, thanks in part to their own original research. Benson Integrated Marketing Solutions now has more than 20,000 registered users of its online web-to-print platform.

In this episode of "Unvarnished," Brian talks about getting his first multifamily apartment order in 1992, his commitment to making each client look like a superstar, his sales process, his approach to turning down business that doesn't fit the company and his appreciation for other innovative Dscoopers.