Beyond the handshake

Editor's note: Katie Bender is vice president of research at Mower. She can be reached at kbender@mower.com.

In today’s fast-paced, hypercompetitive business landscape, building and sustaining a loyal customer base is more critical than ever. At Mower, our company philosophy, Making Fierce Friends, is all about forging deep, enduring connections that create value for clients and drive mutual success. While we’ve always believed in the power of these relationships, we wanted to quantify just how much of an impact they have – particularly in the B2B space.

To do this, we conducted a study targeting both B2B and B2C decision-makers, with B2B respondents spanning multiple industry verticals. Our approach was structured in three phases. First, we asked decision makers what factors they consider most important when choosing to work with a company, incorporating statements that reflected the pillars of Making Fierce Friends – trust, relevance and affection – along with control statements related to more logical factors like price, timelines and responsiveness. Then we asked respondents to name a company they partner with or buy from that is important to their business. 

We presented decision makers with quantifiable business outcomes like recommending to others, repeat purchase, paying a higher price point and going to them first with new needs, to gauge their likelihood to take specific actions in relation to that company. We also included softer business outcomes like satisfaction and being considered part of the team. Finally, we asked decision makers to rate their agreement that a series of statements that embodied trust, relevance and affection reflected their selected company. 

By utilizing a key driver analysis, open-ended responses and secondary research, we uncovered compelling insights into how these three pillars drive business outcomes, especially among B2B decision-makers. These insights provide actionable takeaways for marketers and companies looking to strengthen client relationships and fuel business growth.

Trust: The bedrock of B2B relationships

What decision makers value most. When it comes to evaluating potential business partners, trust stands out as the most important factor overall. Following through on promises, being easy to reach and quick to respond and transparency are key areas that B2B decision makers evaluate when deciding whether to work with a company. 

How trust drives business growth. Mower’s research sought to take those stated areas of importance even further by tying business outcomes of that chosen company to the core pillars of Making Fierce Friends. Our indexed analysis shows that trust has a direct and measurable impact on business outcomes (Figure 1). Decision makers who feel brands meet their expectations are 2.6 times more likely than the average buyer to recommend that brand to others. And when a decision maker has a trusting history with a brand they are 3.8 times more likely to be a repeat buyer. Trust isn’t just a feel-good attribute – it’s the foundation that keeps customers coming back and drives word-of-mouth referrals.

How to strengthen trust. To establish and maintain trust with clients:

  • Ensure transparency in your communications, especially when addressing challenges or risks.
  • Clearly align on expectations and fully follow through on commitments to demonstrate reliability at every stage of the customer journey.
  • Uphold strong ethical standards and maintain open, honest interactions.
  • Create consistent messaging that reinforces credibility and stability.

B2B buyers want partners they can count on – not just vendors who provide a service, but companies that will stand by them for the long haul. For companies, this means fostering a culture of integrity, clear communication and a commitment to building relationships – values that must be evident not only in external messaging but also in every customer interaction.

Relevance: Staying aligned with client needs

What decision makers value most. Relevance – the ability to bring valuable expertise and understand a client’s industry and business – is the next most important factor for decision-makers. Companies that can demonstrate deep knowledge of their clients’ challenges and proactively offer tailored solutions are far more likely to build lasting partnerships.

How relevance drives business growth. Mower’s research found that decision makers who say brands feel like the “right fit” are 2.1 times more likely than the average buyer to develop a long-term relationship with them, while those who are satisfied by a relevant brand are 2.5 times more likely to be a repeat buyer of the brand. 

How to strengthen relevance. To demonstrate and enhance relevance:

  • Stay ahead of industry trends and client-specific challenges to provide informed recommendations.
  • Use data and research to tailor your messaging and offerings to individual client needs.
  • Position your brand as a thought leader by sharing timely, insightful content.
  • Offer personalized solutions rather than one-size-fits-all approaches.

Relevance – the ability to bring valuable expertise and understand a client’s industry and business – is the next most important factor for decision-makers. Companies that can demonstrate deep knowledge of their clients’ challenges and proactively offer tailored solutions are far more likely to build lasting partnerships.

Affection: Building lasting connections 

What decision makers value most. Although decision-makers rated affection – the sense that a brand listens, goes beyond basic services and truly supports its customers – as slightly less important than trust and relevance, its derived impact on business outcomes is undeniable.

How affection drives business growth. Despite decision makers’ stated view that affection has less of an impact on working with a company, affection actually resulted in the strongest drivers of business outcomes. Decision makers who are passionate about a brand are three times more likely to pay a higher price for its products or services. Furthermore, decision makers who are passionate about a brand are three times more likely to pay a higher price point and 4.1 times more likely to view it as an actual business partner.

How to strengthen affection. To foster a deeper emotional connection with clients:

  • Invest in personalized communication and customer experiences.
  • Show genuine care for clients’ success beyond the transactional relationship.
  • Use storytelling to humanize your brand and create shared experiences.
  • Be proactive in problem-solving, ensuring clients feel supported and valued.

Affection is about creating a two-way relationship between brands and customers. It goes beyond transactions and speaks to the deeper emotional bonds that make businesses feel like true partners.

How do the pillars interact?

Based on other research Mower has conducted over the years, we’ve long known that trust is truly foundational to building those strong relationships between a brand and its customers across customer type and industry vertical. However, we wanted to more deeply explore the impact that each of the three pillars of trust, relevance and affection has on business outcomes. Is trust an outsized contributor? Is two out of the three sufficient? After our initial look at the impact of each of the pillars on business outcomes as shared above, we ran an additional analysis on the impact of the presence of just one pillar, two pillars or all three pillars on the same business outcomes. 

Our analysis showed that decision-makers who associate all three pillars with their evaluated company are significantly more likely to take positive business actions than those who perceive only one or two pillars.

Rather than thinking of trust, relevance and affection as a hierarchy, a more accurate analogy is a three-legged stool – each pillar is essential for stability and success. This is particularly critical in B2B, where some might assume that affection plays a lesser role when building a case for data-driven and results-based B2B decision makers, but our findings prove otherwise: Without affection, even the most trusted and relevant brands fail to maximize their business impact. 

Assessing your brand’s strengths

Conducting a self-audit on the pillars of trust, relevance and affection can provide valuable insights into your brand’s strengths and areas for improvement. Consider evaluating: brand perceptions through customer and market research, including specific measures of trust, relevance and affection, as well as customer experience; employee perspectives and advocacy – internal alignment matters for external impact; and the customer journey by mapping expectations versus actual experiences.

Once you’ve done a thorough assessment of how you measure up against trust, relevance and affection, here are five ways to harness the power of Making Fierce Friends:

Invest in relationship marketing: Develop initiatives that foster deeper connections with clients, such as account-based marketing, personalized outreach and client appreciation programs.

Build trust via transparency and follow-through: Be open about challenges, risks, and opportunities – honesty builds credibility. Set clear expectations from the start, ensuring clients understand what can and cannot be delivered, commit to realistic goals and follow through on them consistently. Meeting or exceeding expectations strengthens confidence in your brand and fosters long-term loyalty.

Deliver relevant, tailored solutions: Focus on understanding your clients’ unique needs and providing data-driven customized recommendations and strategies that address their specific challenges.

Leverage storytelling to evoke emotion: Use storytelling to humanize your brand and connect with clients on a personal level. Share success stories that illustrate how your partnership has delivered meaningful impact.

Align internal culture with external promises: Ensure that your internal culture reflects the values you promote externally. Employees who embody trust, relevance and affection are critical to delivering on the promise of Making Fierce Friends.

Better business outcomes 

In a world where competition is intense and differentiation is challenging, relationships are the ultimate competitive advantage. By prioritizing trust, relevance and affection, companies can build partnerships that drive loyalty, advocacy and long-term success, leading to better business outcomes for everyone involved.