Stop Trying to Be Different—Just Focus on This One Thing

Let’s be real: standing out in today’s competitive world can feel like an uphill battle. How do you stand apart when you’re bound by industry standards and non-negotiables?

Spoiler alert: You don’t have to be completely different to succeed. Instead, find that one thing that makes you unique—and own it!

Take wealth management, for example. Every firm follows core principles like financial expertise, transparency, and trust. But differentiation doesn’t mean tossing these essentials out the window. It means excelling in a specific area.

For instance, every wealth management firm operates on a foundation of shared principles and practices. Some non-negotiables in this industry include:

• Financial Expertise

• Transparency

• Compliance

• Client Trust

• Personalized Service

Rather than attempting to reinvent the entire wealth management model, identify one aspect that you can do differently and excel at. Consider differentiating in areas like:

• Process

• Deliverables

• Operations

Take inspiration from one of my clients who identified their unique differentiator: a comprehensive financial analysis and roadmap spanning 10 financial disciplines, and through 6-8 in-depth meetings, they provided clear, defined deliverables within just 2 months. This became the foundation of their differentiation strategy.

☝🏼 That represents their authentic difference!

Once you've identified that one thing that sets you apart, make it the focal point of your entire operation. This should permeate through:

• Messaging

• Content

• Operations

• Website

Those who know me know that authenticity is a principle I consistently emphasize. However, it's essential to understand that differentiation doesn't necessitate being entirely distinct; rather, it involves identifying one aspect where you can truly stand out and dedicating yourself to it wholeheartedly.

Embrace the nuances of your industry while strategically standing out where it matters the most. I encourage you to reflect on your unique differentiator and build your entire firm around it — because that's what true differentiation looks like.