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Apparel & Custom Clothing: Best Referral Sources

Who should be sending you clients, and the rooms they are already sitting in.

Get the networking events worth showing up to

Tell us where you are. We will send you the best rooms for apparel and clothing companies and the next meeting dates. Add a ZIP and this page will also show your local chapters and which seats are open.

Most business owners network where their competitors are, not where their referral partners are.

Your own trade group is for learning. Your partners' groups are where the work comes from. Everything below starts with one question. When something happens that makes people need apparel and clothing companies, who else gets a call that same week?

Apparel and clothing companies sell to both individuals and businesses, and most of the work starts when a family plans a wedding or milestone event. People take their time deciding, so a recommendation carries most of the weight. Clients come back, which makes one good introduction worth years.

What starts the work
  • Wedding or major eventwhen a family plans a wedding or milestone event
  • First hire / payrollwhen a business puts its first employee on payroll
  • Rebrand or launchwhen a business launches or rebrands
  • Job changewhen somebody changes jobs or gets relocated
Block one

Who should be sending you clients

Ranked by what starts the job, not by who sounds close to your trade.

  1. 01

    Insurance Property & Casualty

    They send you work
    68

    Trigger: a business puts its first employee on payroll

    P&C insurance agents hear about it when a business puts its first employee on payroll, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  2. 02

    IT Services / Managed IT

    They send you work
    67

    Trigger: a business puts its first employee on payroll

    IT and managed service providers hear about it when a business puts its first employee on payroll, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  3. 03

    Business Banker

    They send you work
    66

    Trigger: a business puts its first employee on payroll

    Business bankers hear about it when a business puts its first employee on payroll, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  4. 04

    CPA / Accountant

    They send you work
    66

    Trigger: a business puts its first employee on payroll

    CPAs hear about it when a business puts its first employee on payroll, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  5. 05

    Photographer

    They send you work
    65

    Trigger: a family plans a wedding or milestone event

    Photographers hear about it when a family plans a wedding or milestone event, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  6. 06

    Radio / TV / Media Advertising

    They send you work
    64

    Trigger: a business launches or rebrands

    Media and advertising reps hear about it when a business launches or rebrands, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  7. 07

    Event Planner

    They send you work
    63

    Trigger: a family plans a wedding or milestone event

    Event planners hear about it when a family plans a wedding or milestone event, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  8. 08

    Primary Care Physician

    They send you work
    63

    Trigger: somebody changes jobs or gets relocated

    Primary care practices hear about it when somebody changes jobs or gets relocated, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  9. 09

    Florist

    Two-way
    62

    Trigger: a family plans a wedding or milestone event

    You and florists both get the call when a family plans a wedding or milestone event, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  10. 10

    Medical Billing & Practice Management

    They send you work
    62

    Trigger: a business puts its first employee on payroll

    Medical billing companies hear about it when a business puts its first employee on payroll, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

Block two

Where those people actually are

Ranked by how many of your best partners are in the room, and how much work each one can send you.

Start here

LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities

Your partners are in this room: P&C insurance agents, IT and managed service providers, and business bankers.

Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.

Online community Always on Free ~3 hrs/month
Find your local chapter →

Give someone nine choices and they pick none. If you do one thing from this page, do this.

  1. 01

    LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities

    Online community

    Your partners are in this room: P&C insurance agents, IT and managed service providers, and business bankers.

    Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.

    Always on Free ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  2. 02

    Your city or county chamber of commerce

    Chamber of commerce

    Your partners are in this room: P&C insurance agents, IT and managed service providers, and business bankers.

    Too big and too broad on its own. The value is in one committee. Pick one and go every time. The same fifteen people show up, and they get to know you.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  3. 03

    Vistage

    Paid peer group

    Your partners are in this room: IT and managed service providers, business bankers, and CPAs.

    Run CEO peer groups. You are buying advice, not leads, but the group turns into a warm list over time.

    Monthly $2,000+/yr ~8 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  4. 04

    Software & platform user groups

    Vendor & supply chain

    Your partners are in this room: IT and managed service providers and medical billing companies.

    Groups for the software your customers use, like practice management, property management, and accounting. You meet people in the middle of a problem.

    Quarterly Free ~2 hrs/month
  5. 05

    BNI

    Structured referral group

    One seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.

    The biggest referral group in the world. You meet every week. Only one person per job. They expect you to show up.

    Weekly $500–$2,000/yr ~8 hrs/month One seat per category
    Chapter finder →
  6. 06

    LeTip International

    Structured referral group

    One seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.

    Weekly referral chapters. One person per job. Strong with trades and home services.

    Weekly $500–$2,000/yr ~7 hrs/month One seat per category
    Chapter finder →
  7. 07

    Network In Action

    Structured referral group

    One seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.

    Referral groups that meet once a month. Good if you cannot give up a morning every week.

    Monthly $500–$2,000/yr ~3 hrs/month One seat per category
    Chapter finder →
  8. 08

    Master Networks

    Structured referral group

    One seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.

    Weekly chapters with one person per job. They spend more time teaching than most.

    Weekly $500–$2,000/yr ~7 hrs/month One seat per category
    Chapter finder →

Let us be straight with you. For apparel and clothing companies, a weekly referral group is not the best pick. Your partners gather in professional groups instead, so spend your time there. We would rather say that than sell you a seat you do not need.

Block three

Is your seat open?

Prime Time takes one apparel & custom clothing per chapter. Put in a South Florida ZIP above and we will show you which seats are open.

Add a ZIP code at the top of the page to see which seats are open.

Get the dates

Have the next meetings sent to you

The rooms above are the answer. This is when they meet. Tell us where to send it and we will email you the next dates for apparel and clothing companies, with the one page plan.

We already know your trade and your area from this page, so there is nothing else to fill in. We do not ask for a phone number. Every email we send has an unsubscribe link.

Take this with you

Your one-page action plan

Five partners, five things to say, three rooms. Print it and keep it in the car.

Networking plan: Apparel & Custom Clothing

The five people who should be sending you clients

  1. Insurance Property & Casualty (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a business puts its first employee on payroll
  2. IT Services / Managed IT (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a business puts its first employee on payroll
  3. Business Banker (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a business puts its first employee on payroll
  4. CPA / Accountant (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a business puts its first employee on payroll
  5. Photographer (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a family plans a wedding or milestone event

The three rooms to be in

  1. LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities: Your partners are in this room: P&C insurance agents, IT and managed service providers, and business bankers.
  2. Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: P&C insurance agents, IT and managed service providers, and business bankers.
  3. Vistage: Your partners are in this room: IT and managed service providers, business bankers, and CPAs.