CHICAGO—Every year at Newmark Grubb Knight Frank's annual Industrial Strength Connections Summit in Chicago, the company holds a special panel session that brings in a diverse group of clients for some straight talk. The session, typically the most popular at the conference, gives the many brokers attending a chance to hear what their clients really want and expect from them. Geoffrey M. Kasselman, executive managing director of NGKF's national industrial practice, began by asking panelists whether there were any aspects to their work lives that remained largely hidden from brokers but still had a significant impact on the type of service they need.

“Airports are our offices,” said Rob Pericht, senior vice president, customer solutions and operations development, Saddle Creek Logistics Services. And that constantly on-the-go lifestyle means they may not have time to gather the necessary details and intelligence on all the local markets where they have projects or prospective deals. Instead, for many national firms like Saddle Creek, it's the broker that fills in the knowledge gap. “We rely on you more than you know.”

Kasselmann wondered if brokers should communicate that gathered intelligence as it came in and was analyzed, or whether clients in general appreciated some down time. The response from the panelists was unequivocal.