Have you ever systematically considered whether your firm’s marketing is gender-neutral, biased or geared towards male B2B buyers?
Moreover: are you doing enough to speak to potential female clients?
New research from Beaton reveals characteristics of B2B buyers are changing, and it’s more important than ever to understand gender buyer behaviour in B2B markets. This includes investigating the differing preferences between genders – and whether you are catering to those preferences. Despite most firms considering their clients as a homogenous, gender-neutral group, there are distinct differences between what your target clients may value.
This insight isn’t just interesting, it’s commercially critical. Firms that integrate gender-based buyer behaviour analysis into their marketing and client strategies will have a competitive edge in winning and retaining high-value B2B buyers.
In this article, we explore the key characteristics of female B2B buyers, unpack the buyer behaviour process through a gender lens, and offer practical ways firms can adapt their approach to marketing and service delivery. If you want to grow with intention, it’s time to pay closer attention to how and why women buy.
Women as B2B decision-makers
For decades, B2B marketing strategies have treated buyers as a homogenous group. Classic models of B2B buyer behaviour focus on firmographics like company size, industry, buying stage, or budget. Rarely do they consider who is making the decision – and how that individual’s values, lived experiences, or communication preferences shape the buying process.
But this traditional approach to buyer behaviour analysis misses one key variable that is now reshaping how decisions are made in professional services: gender.
Women are rising as B2B decision-makers. They are increasingly being appointed and promoted to CMO, CEO and board positions compared to the past. University of Queensland Business School research shows Australia leapt from 8.3 per cent women on ASX200 boards in 2008 to 33.6 per cent in 2021.
Research by The Investment Association found women filled 45 per cent of executive leadership positions in the UK finance sector in 2023, up from 39 per cent in 2022. Similarly, a 2023 McKinsey & Company report on women in leadership found that female executives are increasingly responsible for selecting and managing external service providers, particularly in corporate legal and financial functions. The is an important insight to understand the changing characteristics of B2B buyers. More women than ever are holding senior leadership and procurement roles, launching their own businesses, and managing complex professional services engagements.
Firms who fail to understand what drives these decision-makers are leaving opportunities on the table. Professional services firms need to consider the impact on their work with businesses: an increasing number of key clients, decision makers and stakeholders will likely be women.
How do you take diversity to another level in terms of meeting the needs of your diverse audience and client needs? Trends would indicate that the size and importance of the female market is only growing. Firms should be aware and responsive to that.
Why B2B buyer behaviour models need a gender lens
Beaton’s Gender Buyer Behaviour research finds that women, on average, make B2B purchasing decisions differently from men. Compared to male clients, female clients place greater emphasis on transparent communication, ethical conduct, and a firm’s alignment with their personal or organisational values. These are not just “soft” preferences. They are powerful buying signals that impact which firm a client chooses and whether they stay.
Research from others has echoed our findings. As Michael J. Silverstein and Kate Sayre wrote in Harvard Business Review, women are more likely to evaluate services through a lens of trust, empathy, and values alignment – especially in high-stakes, long-term relationships like those in professional services.
Firms that apply a gender-aware lens to buyer behaviour analysis are better equipped to tailor their marketing, business development, and service delivery strategies. They can build deeper relationships, enhance client loyalty, and improve win rates in competitive tenders.
In saturated professional services markets, where many firms offer similar technical capabilities, differentiation often comes down to client experience. And client experience starts with understanding what different types of buyers actually want.
The business opportunity of market research by gender
Beaton partner Paul Hugh-Jones previously held the title of Chief Marketing Officer at some of Australia’s top-tier law firms, so is uniquely acquainted with the large potential profit margins that are associated with a firm’s female client base. He says there is a strong business case for firms increasing their marketing to women and improving the client experience specifically in areas that female clients value highly.
“This market research is not just about improving the culture, talent and brand strategy. There’s a commercial end here in terms of winning more work from a female buyer audience,” Hugh-Jones says.
“As an example, a large international firm came to Beaton with a strategy to differentiate its work from its major competitors, by positioning itself as more attractive to the female buyer market … This firm has put together a business case for tens of millions of dollars behind being able to market better to and serve the female audience.”
Professional services firms in all sectors are increasingly realising the potential strategic and financial gains to be made by employing and promoting more women and diversity. However, few are looking at the flip side of the coin and asking, “How are we catering to the female or other diverse markets?”
Beaton research finds female clients value communication and cultural fit from their service providers; moreso than male clients.
Key characteristics of female B2B buyers
Our research finds female clients tend to place a higher emphasis on the relationship they have with their professional services provider. While male clients tend to focus more heavily on performance and results, women are more likely to value qualities like:
- Empathy and communication style
- Ethical behaviour and integrity
- Responsiveness and emotional intelligence
- Alignment of personal and professional values
In short, women care deeply about how the service is delivered – not just what is delivered.
This aligns with broader research. Cathy Benko and Bill Pelster in Harvard Business Review write that women clients across industries are often “more discerning buyers,” driven by a desire for relational alignment and a sense of personal trust in their advisors. In professional services, where engagements often involve high stakes, complex issues, and long-term collaboration, these relational factors carry significant weight.
It’s important to note that these insights are based on robust buyer behaviour research. And while they reflect broad trends, there will always be individual differences, and not every man or woman will fit the typical profile.
This market research is not just about improving the culture, talent and brand strategy. There's a commercial end here in terms of winning more work from a female buyer audience.
A clearer picture of what women want and men value
While all clients expect technical competence, Beaton’s buyer behaviour analysis found that female clients are significantly more likely than male clients to assess service quality through the lens of communication, trust, and alignment of values. Beaton’s buyer behaviour analysis has revealed some consistent patterns:
- Female clients tend to rate excellent communication significantly higher than male clients
- Women are more likely to favour firms whose culture aligns with their own values
- Male clients, on the other hand, tend to prioritise reliability more highly than women
- Both groups value performance, but define a great experience through different lenses
This aligns closely with broader research. For example, the Edelman Trust Barometer consistently shows that trust is a top driver of purchasing decisions for women, especially in B2B sectors where relationships span months or years.
As Hugh-Jones puts it:
“We have found an attribute like excellent communication rates higher for women clients than it does for men… Women – more than men – tend to want to work with a firm where the culture matches their own. For male clients, they place less value on communication but tend to rate reliability very highly.”
These insights make a strong case for moving beyond generalised marketing or client service strategies. Knowing whether your own firm’s women clients feel underserved, or whether your male clients are looking for more reliability, enables far more targeted improvements.
Turning data into action: Why gender segmentation matters
Understanding gender differences in buyer behaviour starts with having the right data. Our Gender Buyer Behaviour reports draw feedback directly from your clients to provide firm-specific, gender-segmented insights.
Unlike a single, static study, Beaton’s Gender Buyer Behaviour reports are tailored to your firm. They analyse unique client satisfaction data by comparing male and female client responses across key service dimensions such as communication, reliability, trust, and expertise. Most powerfully, these gender-based insights can be benchmarked against competitor firms in your industry.
This research, tailored to your firm, helps answer critical questions, such as:
- Are we underperforming with women compared to our competitors?
- Are communication gaps affecting retention with a particular client group?
- Do our marketing and service teams understand what our male and female buyers value most?
Gender segmentation gives you the power to identify underdeveloped market segments, better align your client experience to real preferences, and grow your share of wallet across both male and female clients.
Rather than assume all B2B buyers think alike, firms using Beaton’s Gender Reports gain a sharper, evidence-based view of their market. Plus – the opportunity to respond with precision.
Conclusion: Gender buyer behaviour analysis is a strategic advantage
Adding a gender lens to your buyer behaviour process isn’t just a DEI initiative, it’s a business growth strategy. With more women holding authority in buying decisions for professional services, it’s time to move beyond one-size-fits-all thinking. A thoughtful gender-based approach to understanding clients can uncover unmet needs, improve retention, and create a more differentiated offering in crowded markets.
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