Your prospects don’t have time to decode what makes you different.
If your website, pitch deck, or intro call sounds just like your competitors, you get lumped in with the rest. That turns the decision into a pricing exercise—and you end up negotiating on cost instead of value.
The firms winning the best deals in today’s market don’t rely on vague claims like “full-service,” “trusted partner,” or “strategic advisory.” They’ve done the work to define a clear, specific differentiator that answers the only question that matters:
Why should we choose you—right now—over anyone else?
This isn’t about being flashy. It’s about being clear.
What Happens When You Don’t Stand Out
In commercial real estate, most messaging looks the same. That leads to three consistent problems:
- You compete on price. Without a clear differentiator, decision-makers compare you on fees, not value.
- You attract the wrong clients. Generic messaging brings in low-fit leads who waste time or push you outside your lane.
- You lose leverage. You have to prove yourself from scratch every time because your positioning didn’t do the work for you.
A 2021 McKinsey & Company report found that firms with a clearly articulated value proposition outperformed their peers by 2–5x in lead conversion rates across B2B sectors.
Meanwhile, a Gartner B2B Buyer Survey found that 86% of buyers struggle to differentiate between suppliers based on their messaging alone.
When your message blends in, your value disappears.
What Strong Positioning Looks Like
Let’s look at real-world examples in commercial real estate.
| Service Type | Generic Positioning | Clear Differentiator |
|---|---|---|
| Tenant Rep Brokerage | “Full-service brokerage for office tenants” | “We help growth-stage tech firms in secondary markets negotiate 15–20% below market using our Comparative Lease Analysis Model.” |
| CRE Investment Firm | “We help clients invest in commercial real estate” | “We deliver 11–13% IRR on stabilized industrial assets under $10M, using our Small Box Aggregation Strategy.” |
| Property Management | “Experienced and responsive property managers” | “We reduce turnover in retail centers by 40% through a 5-step retention process built for NNN lease structures.” |
| Development Advisory | “Strategic real estate advisory services” | “We help first-time developers reduce permitting timelines by 3–6 months through our Municipal Pre-Negotiation Framework.” |
Strong positioning gets to the point. It tells your audience:
- Who you’re for
- What result you deliver
- How you do it
The Pattern of a Strong Differentiator
The structure is consistent across industries. It looks like this:
WHO + WHAT + HOW
- WHO you help → The specific type of client or scenario
- WHAT you achieve → The result or outcome you deliver
- HOW you do it → A named or defined method or process
It’s not about having a fancy name. It’s about clarity.
How to Build Your Own Differentiator: Step-by-Step
This is a practical process. Use it to move from general to specific in 30 minutes or less.
Step 1: Define the Client You Want More Of
Think beyond industries. Focus on context.
Ask:
- Who do you consistently get great results for?
- What do they have in common (stage, market, asset type)?
- What’s at stake for them?
Example: “Multi-location medical groups expanding into Class A suburban office parks.”
Step 2: Clarify Their Real Problem
Don’t use your jargon. Use their words. What are they trying to solve or avoid?
Example: “They’re frustrated with brokers who don’t understand medical build-out costs or regulatory timelines.”
Step 3: Identify the Tangible Outcome You Deliver
Your differentiator should make a claim. Be willing to say what you can help someone achieve.
Examples:
- “Reduce average lease term by 20%”
- “Accelerate time-to-revenue by 90 days”
- “Deliver IRR 200 basis points above market average”
Step 4: Define or Name Your Approach
Even if you don’t think your process is unique, document it. Package it. Show that it exists.
Examples:
- “Comparative Lease Analysis Model”
- “Small Box Aggregation Strategy”
- “Municipal Pre-Negotiation Framework”
This builds confidence. People hire processes—not just people.
Step 5: Write Your Differentiator
Use this format:
We help [WHO] achieve [WHAT] using [HOW].
Examples:
- “We help medical tenants expand into new markets 3–6 months faster using our HealthBuild Approval Map.”
- “We help passive investors acquire sub-$10M industrial assets at above-market IRR through our Aggregated Small Cap Strategy.”
- “We reduce tenant churn in neighborhood retail centers by 40% through our NNN Retention Protocol.”
This type of statement can go in your LinkedIn header, email intro, homepage, or pitch deck. It works because it tells the right people exactly why you’re the right choice.
Want Help Crafting Yours?
If you want us to create a clear differentiator for you simply email Lyndsi@eluminatemarketing.com. Tell us about who you serve, the problem you solve, the result you deliver, and your approach. We’ll send back a clear, personalized differentiator you can use on your website, email signature, and intro call.
Final Thought
Being “full-service” isn’t a strategy. And being “experienced” isn’t a differentiator.
The firms growing in today’s market are the ones who make their value obvious—without needing to explain it over and over.
Clarity scales. General messaging doesn’t.
