Architect: 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 architects 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 architects, who else gets a call that same week?
Architects sell to both individuals and businesses, and most of the work starts when a homeowner decides to remodel. It is planned well ahead, so the introduction has to happen early. Most clients buy once, so the flow of new names is the whole business.
- Renovation projectwhen a homeowner decides to remodel
- New lease or locationwhen a business signs a lease or opens a location
- Commercial property acquisitionwhen an investor or operator buys a commercial building
- Compliance deadline or inspectionwhen an inspection or compliance deadline lands
Who should be sending you clients
Who you should be sending clients to
Ranked by what starts the job, not by who sounds close to your trade.
The same list, turned around. Give first and the rest follows.
- 01
Commercial Property Manager
They send you work80Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
Commercial property managers hear about it when a business signs a lease or opens a location, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 02
Commercial Real Estate Broker
They send you work73Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
Commercial real estate brokers hear about it when a business signs a lease or opens a location, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 03
General Contractor
You send them work66Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel
You hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before general contractors do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 04
Restaurant / Food Service
They send you work66Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
Restaurants hear about it when a business signs a lease or opens a location, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 05
Real Estate Investor
They send you work66Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building
Real estate investors hear about it when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 06
Facility Manager
They send you work65Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
Facility managers hear about it when a business signs a lease or opens a location, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 07
Community Association Manager (HOA / Condo)
Two-way64Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel
You and community association managers both get the call when a homeowner decides to remodel, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 08
IT Services / Managed IT
Two-way63Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You and IT and managed service providers both get the call when a business signs a lease or opens a location, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 09
Hard Money / Private Lender
They send you work63Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building
Private lenders hear about it when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 10
Business Banker
Two-way62Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building
You and business bankers both get the call when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 01
General Contractor
You send them work71Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel
You hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before general contractors do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 02
Interior Designer
You send them work63Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel
You hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before interior designers do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 03
Structural Engineer
Two-way59Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel
You and structural engineers both get the call when a homeowner decides to remodel, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 04
Land Surveyor
Two-way59Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building
You and land surveyors both get the call when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 05
Electrician
You send them work57Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel
You hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before electricians do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 06
Commercial Janitorial
You send them work57Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You hear about it when a business signs a lease or opens a location, before janitorial companies do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
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.
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Your partners are in this room: commercial property managers, commercial real estate brokers, and general contractors.
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.
Find your local chapter →Give someone nine choices and they pick none. If you do one thing from this page, do this.
- 01
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerceYour partners are in this room: commercial property managers, commercial real estate brokers, and general contractors.
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.
Chapter finder → - 02
BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association)
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: commercial property managers and commercial real estate brokers.
People who own and run office buildings. Vendors can join, and the local chapters run events just for them.
Chapter finder → - 03
NAIOP (Commercial Real Estate Development Association)
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: commercial real estate brokers and real estate investors.
Developers, owners, and the money behind big projects. This is where a building exists before anyone digs.
Chapter finder → - 04
LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities
Online communityYour partners are in this room: commercial real estate brokers, real estate investors, and facility managers.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Chapter finder → - 05
Software & platform user groups
Vendor & supply chainYour partners are in this room: facility managers and IT and managed service providers.
Groups for the software your customers use, like practice management, property management, and accounting. You meet people in the middle of a problem.
- 06
BNI
Structured referral groupOne 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.
Chapter finder → - 07
LeTip International
Structured referral groupOne 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.
Chapter finder → - 08
Network In Action
Structured referral groupOne 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.
Chapter finder →
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Your partners are in this room: commercial property managers, commercial real estate brokers, and general contractors.
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.
Find your local chapter →Give someone nine choices and they pick none. If you do one thing from this page, do this.
- 01
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerceYour partners are in this room: commercial property managers, commercial real estate brokers, and general contractors.
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.
Chapter finder → - 02
BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association)
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: commercial property managers and commercial real estate brokers.
People who own and run office buildings. Vendors can join, and the local chapters run events just for them.
Chapter finder → - 03
NAIOP (Commercial Real Estate Development Association)
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: commercial real estate brokers and real estate investors.
Developers, owners, and the money behind big projects. This is where a building exists before anyone digs.
Chapter finder → - 04
LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities
Online communityYour partners are in this room: commercial real estate brokers, real estate investors, and facility managers.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Chapter finder → - 05
Software & platform user groups
Vendor & supply chainYour partners are in this room: facility managers and IT and managed service providers.
Groups for the software your customers use, like practice management, property management, and accounting. You meet people in the middle of a problem.
- 06
Prime Time Business Network
Structured referral groupOne seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.
A South Florida referral group. Only one person per job in each chapter. So your competitors are kept out, and your referral partners have the other seats.
See chapters → - 07
An independent local leads group
Structured referral groupOne seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.
Most cities have small leads groups you will never find online. A realtor or insurance agent usually starts them. Ask three people in your trade who they meet with.
- 08
A paid mastermind inside your own industry
Paid peer groupYour partners are in this room: real estate investors and private lenders.
Owners in your trade from other cities, so nobody competes. No local referrals by design. The real payoff is running a better business.
AIA (American Institute of Architects) chapter
Most architects join this room first. It is also the one most likely to be the wrong pick. Architects and the plans they draw. For trades, this is where your product gets named in the drawings before bidding starts. Everyone in it does what you do. Join it for the training, the licences, and the ties to manufacturers. Do not join it for referrals, and do not join it instead of the rooms above.
AIA (American Institute of Architects) chapter →Let us be straight with you. For architects, 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.
Is your seat open?
Prime Time takes one architect 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.
Prime Time doesn't operate where you are yet.
We have fifteen chapters in South Florida and none near you. Telling you to join would be bad advice. The rooms above are the real answer where you are. We can email you the one page version and let you know if we open near you.
Send me those roomsHave 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 architects, 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.
Your one-page action plan
Five partners, five things to say, three rooms. Print it and keep it in the car.
Networking plan: Architect
The five people who should be sending you clients
- Commercial Property Manager (They send you work)
Shared trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location - Commercial Real Estate Broker (They send you work)
Shared trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location - General Contractor (You send them work)
Shared trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel - Restaurant / Food Service (They send you work)
Shared trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location - Real Estate Investor (They send you work)
Shared trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building
The three rooms to be in
- Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: commercial property managers, commercial real estate brokers, and general contractors.
- BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association): Your partners are in this room: commercial property managers and commercial real estate brokers.
- NAIOP (Commercial Real Estate Development Association): Your partners are in this room: commercial real estate brokers and real estate investors.
- Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: commercial property managers, commercial real estate brokers, and general contractors.
- BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association): Your partners are in this room: commercial property managers and commercial real estate brokers.
- NAIOP (Commercial Real Estate Development Association): Your partners are in this room: commercial real estate brokers and real estate investors.
Don't confuse this with networking: AIA (American Institute of Architects) chapter. Learning and supplier access, not referrals.