Forrester: Keeping customers isn't celebrated as much as winning new ones
Only 27% of customer advocacy professionals strongly agree that their company celebrates success in retaining and growing existing customers as much as new customer wins. Yet according to Forrester, B2B companies get an average of 60% of their revenue from existing customers.
What's happening
According to Forrester's State of Customer Retention, Growth, and Advocacy Survey, 2026, only 27% of customer advocacy professionals and 28% of customer success professionals strongly agree that their company celebrates success in retaining and growing customers with as much enthusiasm as new customer wins. Customer marketers are more positive: 48% strongly agree that their organization celebrates these wins. Only 35% of advocacy professionals and 38% of marketers strongly agree that employees are paid according to their contribution to the value customers achieve; 47% and 45%, respectively, strongly agree that their organization acts on customer insights. According to Forrester, B2B companies get an average of 60% of their revenue from existing customers, so keeping and growing those customers deserves more attention.
Whose desk it lands on
Executives responsible for customer success, customer marketing and advocacy. Does the company celebrate keeping existing customers as much as winning new ones, and does it reward employees for the value they deliver to customers?
Our view
The CX Brief's interpretation, not a claim made by the source.
When most of a B2B company's revenue comes from existing customers but the applause goes to new ones, it suggests the reward system is at odds with the company's own revenue structure. In a company that ties celebrations and bonuses only to new customer wins, the work of the team that keeps customers can go unseen.
