Will Guidara’s Unreasonable Hospitality tells the story of how Eleven Madison Park became one of the top restaurants in the world.
Not through better food.
Not through better decor.
But through radical customer experience —details no one else cared about.
Rory Sutherland took it one step further.
He noticed something brilliant in that story:
The team didn’t just visit world-class restaurants to copy them.
They went to find what those elite places did poorly .
Turns out, most of them had:
Awful coffee
Terrible beer options
So what did Eleven Madison Park do?
They hired a coffee sommelier and a beer sommelier .
They doubled down on what the competition overlooked.
That’s Reverse Benchmarking .
What if you applied this in property management?
Most are obsessed with:
Numbers on a Spreadsheet (Occupancy rates, Rental Rates, etc.)
The Coolest Amenities (Cold Plunges, Smart Locks, etc.)
Social media content (Got X lease from TikTok, etc.)
The latest AI PropTech trend (My AI Bot leased this unit - "no people need"until you have to move the person in)
But what are your competitors consistently terrible at?
✅ Returning calls quickly
✅ Fixing basic maintenance issues right the first time
✅ Keeping public areas clean
✅ Following up with real intent
✅ Making residents feel like they matter
That’s your edge.
That’s where the ROI lives.
Not in the next PropTech gimmick.
Here’s how to put Reverse Benchmarking into action:
📌 Step 1: Audit the competition—but look for what they do badly.
Read their reviews. Walk their sites. Talk to their residents.
📌 Step 2: Build your “suck list.” (Make sure your list isn't bigger)
Where do they repeatedly drop the ball?
📌 Step 3: Overcorrect.
Turn their weakest points into your signature strengths.
📌 Step 4: Market it. Loudly.
“Other properties ghost you after the tour. We follow up in 30 minutes—every time.”
“Same-day maintenance or your rent is discounted.”
Don’t chase what they’re doing well.
Own what they neglect.
That’s Reverse Benchmarking.
And it works in fine dining.
It works in real estate.
It works everywhere.
It’s simple but hard to Do:
Find what your competitors suck at—then become brilliant at that.
Question for your team this week:
“What are they doing poorly that we can dramatically overdeliver on?”
This one mindset shift can set your property apart faster than any new CRM, AI chatbot, or branding campaign.
Copying makes you good.
Reverse Benchmarking makes you unforgettable.