Unlocking advocacy in the B2B landscape
This complimentary report is part of Evolved Thinking's ongoing exploration of Australian professional decision-makers’ attitudes towards suppliers, capturing the dynamics of advocacy and loyalty in B2B relationships. Here's a glimpse into what we've uncovered in our 2024 edition.
Why track B2B NPS benchmarks?
Understanding NPS isn't just about numbers—it's about insights that help businesses thrive. Our objective with this study is threefold:
- Empower businesses with a clear picture of their performance in the eyes of their customers.
- Unpack the factors that lead to advocacy and loyalty in B2B relationships.
- Contextualise benchmarks for brand and tracking reports we deliver to clients.
Between July and October 2024, we surveyed 996 Australian business decision-makers. Participants evaluated their experiences with up to five suppliers across various industries, yielding data that's nationally representative by age, gender, and location.
The big picture: advocacy is on fragile ground
One of the most striking findings is how polarised advocacy is in the Australian B2B landscape. Across all industries, the average NPS in 2024 is 0, indicating as many detractors as promoters. While some industries excel, others struggle to surpass expectations, underscoring the importance of addressing customer dissatisfaction head-on.
Figure 1 – NPS by industry (Detractors, Neutral, Promotors)
Standout performers and challenged sectors
Certain industries lead the pack in advocacy:
- Education & Training: NPS +16
- Engineering: NPS +12
Others, however, face challenges:
- Consulting: NPS -18
- Telecommunications: NPS -16
- Financial Services: NPS -1
These differences highlight how exceeding customer expectations is critical for fostering advocacy.
Key drivers of advocacy and detractors
The analysis sheds light on what drives businesses to recommend—or abandon—suppliers:
- Meeting expectations: Businesses that exceed expectations see a notable boost in NPS.
- Fragility of loyalty: Dissatisfaction remains a leading cause of supplier switches, with companies often opting to disengage rather than tolerate unmet needs.
Who recommends and why? Advocacy varies by demographics and roles:
- Middle Management are the strongest advocates.
- Gen Z and senior leaders, however, are less inclined to recommend suppliers.
- Larger organisations also tend to give higher NPS ratings compared to smaller businesses.
Final Thoughts
For industries grappling with flat or negative NPS scores, there’s a silver lining: the opportunity to differentiate. By converting passive customers into promoters and addressing the concerns of detractors, businesses can carve out a competitive advantage in a crowded market.
Our 2024 NPS study reveals a B2B landscape that’s ripe with opportunities for businesses to build stronger, more resilient relationships. By focusing on what matters most to their clients—delivering exceptional value and consistently meeting expectations—suppliers can turn passives into promoters and detractors into loyal advocates.
Interested in more insights? To access the full report, download here.
