Ever wondered how your marketing, business development, or client relationship management activities are influencing clients to choose your firm? A new industry-first report by Beaton tells you exactly that.
Beaton’s 2025 Marketing, BD & CRM Effectiveness Report uncovers surprising insights into client preferences on marketing from professional services firms. The report sheds fresh light on the marketing tactics, business development and client relationship management strategies that work – and those that don’t.
It publishes the results of a comprehensive research project conducted in 2024, which asked for first-hand feedback from more than 700 clients across Australia and New Zealand. Respondents were clients of firms working in legal services, accounting and advisory services, or built and natural environment consulting services, such as engineering and architecture firms.
The findings challenge long-held assumptions about common marketing activities and their effectiveness. In the increasingly competitive world of professional services, it appears many firms are misallocating their resources and failing to engage potential clients in meaningful ways.
These are insights from real clients and prospective clients in the market. They are directly telling us which marketing, business development and client relationship management activities they find more effective or less effective.
Shanan Kan, Operations Lead and Senior Researcher at Beaton, said the report is the first of its kind to provide these insights from a clients’ perspective.
“This information, with a B2B lens, has not previously been available in Australia and New Zealand from the perspective of clients,” he said.
“It is highly actionable. These are insights from real clients and prospective clients in the market. They are directly telling us which marketing, business development and client relationship management activities they find more effective or less effective – as opposed to that information being inferred.”
Research from the 2025 Marketing, BD & CRM Effectiveness Report shows clients have become increasingly sophisticated in their marketing preferences from professional services firms. A key theme was clients showing a preference for tailored, customised and relevant content from firms – rather than advertising gimmicks or messages sent to the masses. Sponsorship was considered low on the scale of effectiveness, while customised presentations and thought leadership content by firms were considered most effective.
The 2025 Marketing, BD & CRM Effectiveness Report reveals which marketing activities clients find most effective from firms.
“One of the surprises we found was that clients consider case studies [published examples of work and results from previous projects by firms] as highly influential,” said Kan.
“Despite the reported effectiveness, clients are not seeing case studies very often. It ranked low in terms of frequency of marketing activities clients had seen. It suggests there’s a real opportunity for firms who publish case studies to stand out.”
For decision-makers in professional services firms, the insights in the report provide evidence to refine marketing strategies and enhance client relationships. With many firms under increasing pressure to justify marketing spend, the research provides a timely, data-backed roadmap to success. Chief Marketing Officers, managing partners, and business development teams can use its findings to focus their efforts where they will have the most impact.
Kan added that firms relying on intuition rather than data to shape their marketing strategies risk falling behind.
“This report provides clear, evidence-based recommendations that firms can act on immediately to improve marketing impact, client engagement, and return on investment,” he said.
There are three tailored industry versions of the 2025 Marketing, BD & CRM Effectiveness Report available, which segment the research using results from clients in that specific industry. Choose from legal services, accounting and advisory services, or built and natural environment consulting services. These reports are now available for purchase online, offering industry professionals the opportunity to make smarter, results-driven marketing decisions.
Click here to read more and download the 2025 Marketing, BD & CRM Effectiveness Report by Beaton.
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