[Survey of 1,000 Professionals] What is the #1 Decisive Factor for Contracts? About 80% of Professionals Struggle with Customer Mismatch. Essential Skills to Survive the AI Era and the Potential of "New Customer Acquisition" to Deliver Strengths

Jigyoka Shudan Co., Ltd. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yumiko Tanabe) conducted a survey on "Customer Acquisition for Professionals and Experts" targeting independent professionals (tax accountants, labor and social security attorneys, lawyers, etc.) and experts who support the establishment of small and medium-sized enterprises (consultants, etc.).

In recent years, with the rapid spread of AI technology, routine tasks of professionals and experts, such as document preparation and procedural representation, are increasingly being automated. Consequently, it has become increasingly difficult across the industry to differentiate from competitors based solely on "qualifications" or "past support track records."

In acquiring new customers, text-centric web communication often fails to convey "invisible qualitative values" such as unique know-how and a hands-on approach, resulting in many cases where the target audience the company truly wants to support is missed.

For professionals to survive the AI era and sustainably grow their offices in the future, a new customer acquisition strategy is required to prevent mismatches with customers and accurately convey their strengths and personality.

Therefore, Jigyoka Shudan Co., Ltd. (https://www.jigyoka.co.jp/) conducted a survey on "Customer Acquisition for Professionals and Experts" targeting independent professionals (tax accountants, labor and social security attorneys, lawyers, etc.) and experts who support the establishment of SMEs (consultants, etc.).

Survey Overview: Survey on "Customer Acquisition for Professionals and Experts"

[Survey Period] Friday, May 22, 2026 - Monday, May 25, 2026

[Survey Method] Internet survey via PRIZMA (https://www.prizma-link.com/press)

[Number of Respondents] 1,008

[Survey Target] Monitors who answered that they are independent professionals (tax accountants, labor and social security attorneys, lawyers, etc.) or experts supporting SME establishment (consultants, etc.) at the time of the survey

[Survey Source] Jigyoka Shudan Co., Ltd. (https://www.jigyoka.co.jp/)

[Monitor Provider] Sacrisa

About 40% of respondents feel the challenge that their current customer acquisition is "reliant on referrals, making it impossible to intentionally acquire the desired target audience."

First, when asked about the "main channel (route) for acquiring new clients at your current office," the most common answer was "Referrals from existing clients and acquaintances (53.4%)," followed by "Referrals from partners such as financial institutions and other professionals (39.5%)," and "Inquiries from our own website/blog (34.9%)."

It became clear that analog connections remain a strong foundation for customer acquisition among professionals and experts.

Given the nature of the work where reliability is emphasized, third-party recommendations are thought to lead to a sense of security.

When asked, "What points do you feel are 'challenges' regarding the current situation of acquiring new customers?" the most common answer was "Reliant on referrals, making it impossible to intentionally acquire the desired target audience (37.2%)," followed by "Prone to competitive bidding, leading to comparisons based on price (cheapness) (32.8%)," and "Mismatches in expertise or strong areas, failing to reach a contract (resulting in wasted meetings) (32.4%)."

This indicates a situation where there are challenges in narrowing down targets and making the company's strengths and fair prices known. Failing to fully reach the intended customer segment may be a factor causing wasted meetings due to price competition and mismatches.

When asked, "Do you feel the need to further strengthen customer acquisition via the Web to sustainably grow your office in the future?" over 70% answered "Feel very strongly (30.1%)" or "Feel somewhat (44.6%)."

Against the backdrop of challenges such as "acquiring the target audience" and "preventing mismatches" raised in the previous question, interest in Web customer acquisition is thought to be increasing toward building an acquisition foundation that does not rely on referral routes.

About 80% have experienced a "gap in expectations" with customers during the initial meeting!

When asked about the "items that feel 'difficult to differentiate from competitors' in current information dissemination on your own website or portal sites," the most common answer was "Request fees/fee structure (41.2%)," followed by "Past support track records and resolution cases (35.7%)," and "Qualifications held and applicable business areas (service list) (32.2%)."

This shows the challenge that many feel limits in differentiating based on "quantitative basic information" such as "fees," "track records," and "qualifications."

Due to the nature of the work, these are items that every office must present, making them prone to being uniform, and it seems difficult to build a competitive advantage just by listing superficial specs.

When asked, "Among the strengths and appeals of your office, what do you feel is 'not sufficiently conveyed' to customers just through 'text and photos' on websites, etc.?" the most common answer was "'Specific scope of support and how deeply we will get involved,' which cannot be fully written on a menu (42.4%)," followed by "'Specialized skills and unique know-how' that are hard to prove just with qualifications and career history (36.4%)," and "'Past track records and resolution processes' that are hard to write in detail on the Web due to confidentiality and contextual complexity (33.3%)."

It was shown that elements such as "depth of support" and "unique know-how," which cannot be measured by superficial menus or qualifications, are not fully communicated through text information alone.

There seems to be a limit to expressing "invisible qualitative values," such as flexible responses tailored to individual customer circumstances and resolution processes, in existing text formats.

When asked, "In the initial meeting with a new customer who inquired via the Web, etc., what element do you feel the customer considers the final 'decisive factor for the contract'?" the most common answer was "'Sense of conviction in the scope of support,' meaning how much practical work will be assisted (44.2%)," followed by "Cheapness of the presented fee/cost performance (39.7%)," and "'High level of understanding' of the customer's industry and business model (32.5%)."

It seems that elements such as "scope of support" and "unique know-how," which cannot be measured by superficial menus or qualifications, are not fully communicated through text information alone.

It was shown that a certain number of people feel limits in expressing "invisible qualitative values," such as flexible responses tailored to individual customer circumstances and resolution processes, in existing text formats.

So, what impact does the gap between the information customers seek and the content disseminated on the Web have?

When asked, "Have you ever experienced a 'gap in expectations (mismatch)' with a customer's requests as a result of attending an initial meeting without the customer knowing your company's 'stance and atmosphere' in advance?" about 80% answered "Frequently (22.7%)" or "Occasionally (54.4%)."

This highlights the reality that elements such as "depth of support" and "unique know-how," which cannot be measured by superficial menus or qualifications, are not fully communicated through text information alone. It brought to light the background of feeling limits in expressing "invisible qualitative values," such as flexible responses tailored to individual customer circumstances and resolution processes, in existing text formats.

How will the industry change with the spread of AI? What is the #1 "core value to survive the AI era" predicted by experts?

How are new methods of information dissemination perceived as a means to prevent such mismatches?

When asked, "Do you think it is effective for preventing mismatches and fostering customer peace of mind to self-disclose the expert's 'actual way of speaking' and 'on-site atmosphere' in advance through rich content such as videos?" about 80% answered "Think it is very effective (24.3%)" or "Think it is somewhat effective (53.7%)."

It became clear that expectations are placed on rich content such as videos as a means to intuitively deliver personality and support stances that could not be fully expressed through text and photos.

A system where the expert's character can be grasped before the meeting is thought to contribute to preventing mismatches and fostering customer peace of mind.

As expectations for video utilization rise, what is required when utilizing external platforms?

When asked, "If you were to utilize an 'expert portal' or 'matching service (intermediary platform)' to acquire new customers in the future, what points would you emphasize?" the most common answer was "Features that can detail abilities and personality that cannot be conveyed by text, using videos, etc. (44.8%)," followed by "The client's 'challenges and needs' being clear in advance (41.3%)," and "A mechanism that can correctly evaluate and compare expertise and practical ability, rather than just price comparison (36.9%)."

It seems that a platform that can resolve the "price-focused comparison" and "target mismatch" issues raised in previous questions is desired.

Rather than just a high number of accesses, they likely emphasize the "quality of matching" where abilities and personality are correctly conveyed.

Finally, when asked, "In the future industry where routine tasks are automated due to the spread of AI, what do you think will become the 'core value' for experts to survive?" the most common answer was "'Consulting and hands-on support ability' to unravel management issues and support execution (43.0%)," followed by "'Advanced practical response ability' for complex individual cases that are difficult for AI to judge (37.8%)," and "'DX support ability' to integrate and establish AI and the latest IT tools according to the customer's situation (37.4%)."

Anticipating the automation of routine tasks, an awareness was shown that the role of experts will shift to more strategic and advanced advisory work, going beyond document preparation and procedural representation.

How to convey high-value-added abilities such as "invisible qualitative values" and "unique know-how," which were also highlighted in previous questions, to customers is thought to determine future competitiveness.

Summary: Customer acquisition challenges for professionals and experts accompanying the spread of AI and the effectiveness of video content

The survey highlighted the challenges faced by independent professionals and experts in acquiring new customers and the direction for future customer acquisition strategies.

Currently, while referrals are the mainstream customer acquisition channel in the industry, about 40% of experts face the challenge of "not being able to acquire the targeted audience."

Reliance on referrals and traditional text-centric Web dissemination are factors inducing price competition through competitive bidding and mismatches in expertise, and it is thought that there is a limit to information dissemination where invisible qualitative values such as "specific scope of support" and "unique know-how," which are decisive factors for contracts, cannot be fully conveyed through text and photos alone.

What is expected as a means to resolve these challenges is prior information disclosure utilizing content such as videos.

In the coming era where routine tasks will be replaced by AI, the core value required of experts will shift to "consulting and hands-on support ability" that unravels management issues and supports execution.

Breaking away from comparing specs like superficial qualifications and fee structures, efforts to visualize the actual way of speaking, atmosphere, and approach to practical work in advance will likely become important in acquiring high-quality customers without mismatches.

Connecting early-stage entrepreneurs with carefully selected professionals through video

Jigyoka Shudan Co., Ltd. (https://www.jigyoka.co.jp/), which conducted this survey on "Customer Acquisition for Professionals and Experts," operates the "Startup Support Portal" (https://note.com/jigyoka/p/jigyokashudan_sogyo_portal), which provides early-stage entrepreneurs not just with information listings, but connects "people" with "people" through video, offering encounters with reliable partners.

[3 Features]

Lists only carefully selected professionals

Introduces only reliable professionals, experts, and support companies that have cleared unique screening criteria.

We provide an environment where entrepreneurs can select partners with peace of mind.

Video introductions where you can see the "person"

Visualizes the personality of the person in charge and the atmosphere of the office, which are hard to convey through text and photos alone, using "drama-style videos," etc. Because you can check "compatibility" before contracting, it prevents mismatches.

Packages the support needed in the startup phase

Menus essential services for the startup phase, saying "You'll be fine if you just have this first," and supports getting the business on track in the shortest distance.

We provide the optimal encounters for early-stage entrepreneurs who say, "I don't know who to consult" or "I want to efficiently find a reliable expert."

Startup Support Portal: https://note.com/jigyoka/p/jigyokashudan_sogyo_portal

[Jigyoka Shudan Co., Ltd. Overview]

Company Name: Jigyoka Shudan Co., Ltd.

CEO: Yumiko Tanabe

Address: 20F Marunouchi Trust Tower Main, 1-8-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Established: October 2024

URL: https://www.jigyoka.co.jp/

Official X: https://x.com/jigyokashudan