← All categories

Auto Body & Collision Repair: 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 collision repair shops 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 collision repair shops, who else gets a call that same week?

Collision repair shops sell to both individuals and businesses, and most of the work starts when somebody gets in a car accident. It moves fast, so being the name already in hand matters more than being the cheapest. Clients return now and then, so the introduction has to keep paying off.

What starts the work
  • Auto collisionwhen somebody gets in a car accident
  • Storm damagewhen a named storm comes through
  • Injurywhen somebody gets hurt
Block one

Who should be sending you clients

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

  1. 01

    Chiropractor

    They send you work
    75

    Trigger: somebody gets in a car accident

    Chiropractors hear about it when somebody gets in a car accident, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  2. 02

    Towing & Roadside

    They send you work
    75

    Trigger: somebody gets in a car accident

    Towing operators hear about it when somebody gets in a car accident, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  3. 03

    Insurance Property & Casualty

    They send you work
    73

    Trigger: somebody gets in a car accident

    P&C insurance agents hear about it when somebody gets in a car accident, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  4. 04

    Orthopedic & Pain Management

    Two-way
    66

    Trigger: somebody gets in a car accident

    You and orthopedic and pain management practices both get the call when somebody gets in a car accident, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  5. 05

    Home Inspector

    They send you work
    64

    Trigger: a named storm comes through

    Home inspectors hear about it when a named storm comes through, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  6. 06

    Property Manager (Residential)

    They send you work
    64

    Trigger: a named storm comes through

    Residential property managers hear about it when a named storm comes through, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  7. 07

    Attorney Personal Injury

    Two-way
    63

    Trigger: somebody gets in a car accident

    You and personal injury attorneys both get the call when somebody gets in a car accident, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  8. 08

    Junk Removal & Hauling

    They send you work
    61

    Trigger: a named storm comes through

    Junk removal companies hear about it when a named storm comes through, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  9. 09

    Community Association Manager (HOA / Condo)

    They send you work
    61

    Trigger: a named storm comes through

    Community association managers hear about it when a named storm comes through, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  10. 10

    Physical Therapist

    You send them work
    60

    Trigger: somebody gets in a car accident

    You hear about it when somebody gets in a car accident, before physical therapists do. Expect to give more than you get back here.

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

Your county medical society

Your partners are in this room: orthopedic and pain management practices and physical therapists.

Doctors in one room, and almost nobody there is selling to them. You can usually go as a sponsor.

Your partners' association Monthly Under $500/yr ~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

    Your county medical society

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: orthopedic and pain management practices and physical therapists.

    Doctors in one room, and almost nobody there is selling to them. You can usually go as a sponsor.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  2. 02

    Local Facebook & community groups

    Online community

    Your partners are in this room: chiropractors, towing operators, and home inspectors.

    City groups, condo and HOA groups, and parent groups. For home services this is often the biggest free source on this list. Most competitors post ads instead of answers.

    Always on Free ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  3. 03

    Hispanic chamber of commerce

    Chamber of commerce

    Your partners are in this room: chiropractors and personal injury attorneys.

    Very strong in South Florida. People here trust each other, and far fewer people are selling.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  4. 04

    State chiropractic association

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: chiropractors and physical therapists.

    Chiropractors see crash victims within days. If your work starts after an injury, this is the busiest room there is, and almost nobody in it is a lawyer.

    Quarterly Under $500/yr ~2 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  5. 05

    Your city or county chamber of commerce

    Chamber of commerce

    Your partners are in this room: chiropractors, P&C insurance agents, and residential property managers.

    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 →
  6. 06

    Independent Insurance Agents (Big I)

    Your partners' association

    Your partner is in this room: P&C insurance agents.

    Insurance agents. They get the first call after almost any damage, and they talk to the client every year at renewal.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  7. 07

    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 →
  8. 08

    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 →
The competitor trap

Collision repair association events

Most collision repair shops join this room first. It is also the one most likely to be the wrong pick. Body shop owners see the crash first, often while the car is still on the truck. 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.

Collision repair association events →

Let us be straight with you. For collision repair shops, 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 auto body & collision repair 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 collision repair shops, 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: Auto Body & Collision Repair

The five people who should be sending you clients

  1. Chiropractor (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: somebody gets in a car accident
  2. Towing & Roadside (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: somebody gets in a car accident
  3. Insurance Property & Casualty (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: somebody gets in a car accident
  4. Orthopedic & Pain Management (Two-way)
    Shared trigger: somebody gets in a car accident
  5. Home Inspector (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a named storm comes through

The three rooms to be in

  1. Your county medical society: Your partners are in this room: orthopedic and pain management practices and physical therapists.
  2. Local Facebook & community groups: Your partners are in this room: chiropractors, towing operators, and home inspectors.
  3. Hispanic chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: chiropractors and personal injury attorneys.

Don't confuse this with networking: Collision repair association events. Learning and supplier access, not referrals.