Top Management Challenge is 'New Customer Acquisition', Yet 60% Rely on Referrals: Structural Gaps in BtoB Sales Revealed
On May 13, 2026, korobyte Inc. released a report cross-analyzing survey results on BtoB new customer acquisition among SMEs. While 'new customer acquisition' is the top management challenge, 60% actually rely on 'referrals', revealing a structural gap where proactive and measurable methods are not widely adopted.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 25, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 25, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 25, 2026 at 12:01 (29 min after Collected)
korobyte Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Sho Takenaka), operator of the BtoB form-based sales support service 'FormFox PRO', released a report on May 13, 2026, titled 'Management Challenge Map 2026 for BtoB New Customer Acquisition - 3 Gaps Revealed by Cross-Analyzing 5 Public and Private Surveys'. By analyzing a total of 9 survey datasets from organizations such as the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Daido Life Insurance, Haihai Mail, and RAKUS, three structural gaps in new customer acquisition were identified.
[Survey Background]
In recent years, amid the triple challenges of a weak yen, inflation, and labor shortages, interest in the management challenges of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has been growing. In particular, 'new customer/market acquisition' has been highlighted as a critical issue in public surveys, including the 2025 White Paper on Small and Medium Enterprises. According to a March 2025 survey by the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 'new customer/market acquisition' ranked top at 57.1% as the management challenge companies want to prioritize, jumping by 8 percentage points from the previous year.
Conversely, private BtoB sales surveys reflecting on-the-ground realities report a structural dependence on analog methods such as 'referrals', 'telemarketing', and 'cold calling', suggesting a gap between 'recognition as a management challenge' and 'execution methods'.
Therefore, we attempted to visualize the current structural problems by cross-analyzing a total of 9 reliable survey datasets related to domestic SMEs and BtoB sales published between 2024 and 2026.
[Survey Highlights]
■ Highlight 1: Top Management Challenge is 'New Acquisition', Interest Grows by +8pt
In the 'Survey on Business Conditions and Management Challenges of Mid-sized and Small Enterprises' published by the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry in March 2025, 'new customer/market acquisition' topped the list of priority management challenges at 57.1%, an 8-point increase from the previous year. The 'Daido Life Survey' from April 2025 also reported that over half of SMEs are taking on the challenge of new acquisition.
■ Highlight 2: The Reality is 60.7% 'Referrals', Most Successful Method is Also 'Referrals' at 52.0%
According to the 'Fact-finding Survey on New Acquisition by SMEs' (n=300) conducted by Haihai Mail (Link and Partners Inc.) from October to December 2025, 'referrals from existing customers and acquaintances' stood out at 60.7% as the approach used for new acquisition. 'Referrals' also accounted for the majority of the most successful methods at 52.0%, while other methods remained below 12%.
■ Highlight 3: 87.2% of BtoB Sales Feel Challenged, Only About 40% Achieve Goals
A survey by RAKUS Inc. (July 2024, n=1,013) found that 87.2% of those engaged in new customer acquisition 'feel it is a challenge'. The top specific challenges were 'implementing measures but not operating them well (42.7%)' and 'unable to focus due to personnel shortages (40.9%)'. Cross-analysis of multiple surveys reveals a structural gap: 'about 70% of companies prioritize it, but only about 40% achieve it'.
■ Highlight 4: 59% of Referral-Reliant Companies Lack KPIs, 61.5% Operate 'Mostly Manually'
According to the 2025 Haihai Mail survey, 59.0% of SMEs primarily relying on 'referrals' have no KPIs set for new acquisition tasks (+20pt compared to the overall average of 39.0%), and 61.5% operate 'mostly manually' (+19.5pt compared to the overall average of 42.0%). Furthermore, 40.7% (the largest group) responded that they 'do nothing in particular' regarding continuous approaches to prospects who do not immediately turn into business negotiations, reporting a reality where lost opportunities are left unaddressed.
[The '3 Structural Gaps' Derived from the Analysis]
As a result of the cross-analysis, this report points out the existence of the following three gaps in BtoB new customer acquisition.
Underlying these three gaps is the fact that 'methods that can be proactively controlled, are reproducible, and measurable' have not sufficiently permeated BtoB new customer acquisition among SMEs. Conversely, by introducing methods that meet these three conditions, it becomes possible to structurally bridge the gaps.
[Representative Comment]
Comment from Sho Takenaka, CEO of korobyte Inc.:
'By cross-analyzing already published, reliable primary data, we aimed to highlight the structural problems in the industry. I believe that transitioning to a system with proactivity, reproducibility, and measurability for BtoB new customer acquisition will be a crucial turning point in 2026. We hope this report will serve as one piece of material for on-site decision-makers to base their judgments on.'
[Survey Background]
In recent years, amid the triple challenges of a weak yen, inflation, and labor shortages, interest in the management challenges of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has been growing. In particular, 'new customer/market acquisition' has been highlighted as a critical issue in public surveys, including the 2025 White Paper on Small and Medium Enterprises. According to a March 2025 survey by the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 'new customer/market acquisition' ranked top at 57.1% as the management challenge companies want to prioritize, jumping by 8 percentage points from the previous year.
Conversely, private BtoB sales surveys reflecting on-the-ground realities report a structural dependence on analog methods such as 'referrals', 'telemarketing', and 'cold calling', suggesting a gap between 'recognition as a management challenge' and 'execution methods'.
Therefore, we attempted to visualize the current structural problems by cross-analyzing a total of 9 reliable survey datasets related to domestic SMEs and BtoB sales published between 2024 and 2026.
[Survey Highlights]
■ Highlight 1: Top Management Challenge is 'New Acquisition', Interest Grows by +8pt
In the 'Survey on Business Conditions and Management Challenges of Mid-sized and Small Enterprises' published by the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry in March 2025, 'new customer/market acquisition' topped the list of priority management challenges at 57.1%, an 8-point increase from the previous year. The 'Daido Life Survey' from April 2025 also reported that over half of SMEs are taking on the challenge of new acquisition.
■ Highlight 2: The Reality is 60.7% 'Referrals', Most Successful Method is Also 'Referrals' at 52.0%
According to the 'Fact-finding Survey on New Acquisition by SMEs' (n=300) conducted by Haihai Mail (Link and Partners Inc.) from October to December 2025, 'referrals from existing customers and acquaintances' stood out at 60.7% as the approach used for new acquisition. 'Referrals' also accounted for the majority of the most successful methods at 52.0%, while other methods remained below 12%.
■ Highlight 3: 87.2% of BtoB Sales Feel Challenged, Only About 40% Achieve Goals
A survey by RAKUS Inc. (July 2024, n=1,013) found that 87.2% of those engaged in new customer acquisition 'feel it is a challenge'. The top specific challenges were 'implementing measures but not operating them well (42.7%)' and 'unable to focus due to personnel shortages (40.9%)'. Cross-analysis of multiple surveys reveals a structural gap: 'about 70% of companies prioritize it, but only about 40% achieve it'.
■ Highlight 4: 59% of Referral-Reliant Companies Lack KPIs, 61.5% Operate 'Mostly Manually'
According to the 2025 Haihai Mail survey, 59.0% of SMEs primarily relying on 'referrals' have no KPIs set for new acquisition tasks (+20pt compared to the overall average of 39.0%), and 61.5% operate 'mostly manually' (+19.5pt compared to the overall average of 42.0%). Furthermore, 40.7% (the largest group) responded that they 'do nothing in particular' regarding continuous approaches to prospects who do not immediately turn into business negotiations, reporting a reality where lost opportunities are left unaddressed.
[The '3 Structural Gaps' Derived from the Analysis]
As a result of the cross-analysis, this report points out the existence of the following three gaps in BtoB new customer acquisition.
Underlying these three gaps is the fact that 'methods that can be proactively controlled, are reproducible, and measurable' have not sufficiently permeated BtoB new customer acquisition among SMEs. Conversely, by introducing methods that meet these three conditions, it becomes possible to structurally bridge the gaps.
[Representative Comment]
Comment from Sho Takenaka, CEO of korobyte Inc.:
'By cross-analyzing already published, reliable primary data, we aimed to highlight the structural problems in the industry. I believe that transitioning to a system with proactivity, reproducibility, and measurability for BtoB new customer acquisition will be a crucial turning point in 2026. We hope this report will serve as one piece of material for on-site decision-makers to base their judgments on.'
FAQ
中小企業の経営課題のトップは何ですか？
大阪商工会議所の2025年3月調査によると、重点的に取り組みたい経営課題のトップは「新規顧客開拓・販路開拓」（57.1%）です。
中小企業が新規開拓のために最も実施している手法は何ですか？
「既存顧客や知人からの紹介」が60.7%で突出し、最も成果が出る手法も「紹介」（52.0%）となっています。
BtoB営業における新規開拓の課題感はどの程度ですか？
ラクス社の調査によれば、新規顧客開拓を行っている方の87.2%が課題を感じており、達成できているのは約4割に留まっています。
紹介を主力とする企業の運用上の課題は何ですか？
紹介主力企業の59.0%がKPI未設定で、61.5%が「ほぼ手動」で運用しており、継続的なアプローチが行われず機会損失が発生しています。
BtoB新規開拓における3つの構造的ギャップを埋める解決策は？
「能動的にコントロールでき、再現性があり、測定可能な手法」を導入することが、ギャップを構造的に埋める鍵となります。