Insights

What each briefing covers

Each briefing summarises published research in eight findings and four conclusions. In brief:

 

Winning work

01 How B2B clients choose you. Most buyers put their shortlist in order before they contact a supplier, and first contact now comes 61% of the way through the journey. Eight findings on how buying decisions are made, including why buyers trust a peer (73%) far more than AI (39%).

 

03 Why expertise alone doesn’t win work. Emotional intelligence proved twice as important to top performance as technical skill, and expertise covers only one of the four parts of trust. Eight findings on trust, client leadership and the sales behaviours that work.

 

04 Where profitable growth comes from. In the most successful growth organisations studied, 80% of the value created came from the core business, mostly new revenue from existing clients. Eight findings on growth economics, including why one lost client can take three new ones to replace.

 

Keeping clients

05 Why satisfied clients still leave. In a Bain study, 80% of organisations believed they gave clients a superior experience; their clients said only 8% did. Eight findings on client loss and engagement, and why a survey score alone is not enough.

 

06 Your own client lead is leaving. What now? When a sales representative left one US distributor, their clients spent 13 to 18% less over the following year. Eight findings on staff turnover, trust and succession, and on keeping the client when the person goes.

 

09 Why clients stay when they see the value. Service support and personal contact set suppliers apart more than price, and referred clients go on to make 31 to 57% more referrals. Eight findings on making value visible, earning advocacy and winning repeat work.

 

Managing the portfolio

02 The asset almost nobody manages. In a BoardEx survey, 88% of professional services organisations called managing relationship capital critical, yet 39% have no relationship management platform. Eight findings on relationship capital and what managing it as an asset involves.

 

07 The cost of treating clients alike. Across more than 16,000 customers at four organisations, loyalty and profit correlated at only 0.20 to 0.45, so some loyal clients never pay their way. Eight findings on client portfolios and on setting service by what each client is worth.

 

08 Why one number can’t always work. Tested against revenue growth in 21 consumer organisations, NPS predicted growth no better than ten other feedback measures. Eight findings on measuring client relationships, and why trust, satisfaction and commitment need reading separately.