Business Banker: 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 business bankers 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 business bankers, who else gets a call that same week?
Business bankers sell to other businesses, and most of the work starts when somebody needs a loan closed. People take their time deciding, so a recommendation carries most of the weight. Clients come back, which makes one good introduction worth years.
- Financing or refinancewhen somebody needs a loan closed
- Business formationwhen somebody starts a company
- Sale of a businesswhen an owner sells the company
- Commercial property acquisitionwhen an investor or operator buys a commercial building
- First hire / payrollwhen a business puts its first employee on payroll
- New lease or locationwhen a business signs a lease or opens a location
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
Attorney Business & Corporate
Two-way75Trigger: somebody starts a company
You and business attorneys both get the call when somebody starts a company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 02
CPA / Accountant
Two-way73Trigger: somebody starts a company
You and CPAs both get the call when somebody starts a company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 03
Commercial Real Estate Broker
Two-way66Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building
You and commercial real estate brokers both get the call when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 04
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.
- 05
Bookkeeper
You send them work61Trigger: somebody starts a company
You hear about it when somebody starts a company, before bookkeepers do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 06
Restaurant / Food Service
They send you work60Trigger: somebody starts a company
Restaurants hear about it when somebody starts a company, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 07
Commercial Property Manager
Two-way60Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building
You and commercial property managers both get the call when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 08
Hard Money / Private Lender
Two-way60Trigger: somebody needs a loan closed
You and private lenders both get the call when somebody needs a loan closed, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 09
Attorney Real Estate
Two-way60Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building
You and real estate attorneys both get the call when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 10
Staffing / Recruiting
Two-way58Trigger: a business puts its first employee on payroll
You and staffing and recruiting firms both get the call when a business puts its first employee on payroll, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 01
Hard Money / Private Lender
Two-way77Trigger: somebody needs a loan closed
You and private lenders both get the call when somebody needs a loan closed, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 02
Commercial Real Estate Broker
Two-way74Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building
You and commercial real estate brokers both get the call when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 03
Equipment Financing
You send them work74Trigger: somebody needs a loan closed
You hear about it when somebody needs a loan closed, before equipment finance companies do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 04
Attorney Business & Corporate
Two-way69Trigger: somebody starts a company
You and business attorneys both get the call when somebody starts a company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 05
Real Estate Investor
Two-way68Trigger: somebody needs a loan closed
You and real estate investors both get the call when somebody needs a loan closed, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 06
Attorney Intellectual Property
You send them work68Trigger: somebody starts a company
You hear about it when somebody starts a company, before IP attorneys 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.
LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities
Your partners are in this room: business attorneys, CPAs, and commercial real estate brokers.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Find your local chapter →Give someone nine choices and they pick none. If you do one thing from this page, do this.
- 01
LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities
Online communityYour partners are in this room: business attorneys, CPAs, and commercial real estate brokers.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Chapter finder → - 02
State CPA society
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: CPAs and bookkeepers.
A CPA is the person most business owners trust most. Sponsors can go to chapter meetings and classes.
Chapter finder → - 03
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerceYour partners are in this room: business attorneys, CPAs, and commercial real estate brokers.
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 → - 04
Software & platform user groups
Vendor & supply chainYour partners are in this room: facility managers and bookkeepers.
Groups for the software your customers use, like practice management, property management, and accounting. You meet people in the middle of a problem.
- 05
Vistage
Paid peer groupYour partners are in this room: business attorneys, CPAs, and staffing and recruiting firms.
Run CEO peer groups. You are buying advice, not leads, but the group turns into a warm list over time.
Chapter finder → - 06
BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association)
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: commercial real estate brokers and commercial property managers.
People who own and run office buildings. Vendors can join, and the local chapters run events just for them.
Chapter finder → - 07
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 → - 08
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 →
LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities
Your partners are in this room: business attorneys, CPAs, and commercial real estate brokers.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Find your local chapter →Give someone nine choices and they pick none. If you do one thing from this page, do this.
- 01
LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities
Online communityYour partners are in this room: business attorneys, CPAs, and commercial real estate brokers.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Chapter finder → - 02
State CPA society
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: CPAs and bookkeepers.
A CPA is the person most business owners trust most. Sponsors can go to chapter meetings and classes.
Chapter finder → - 03
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerceYour partners are in this room: business attorneys, CPAs, and commercial real estate brokers.
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 → - 04
Software & platform user groups
Vendor & supply chainYour partners are in this room: facility managers and bookkeepers.
Groups for the software your customers use, like practice management, property management, and accounting. You meet people in the middle of a problem.
- 05
Vistage
Paid peer groupYour partners are in this room: business attorneys, CPAs, and staffing and recruiting firms.
Run CEO peer groups. You are buying advice, not leads, but the group turns into a warm list over time.
Chapter finder → - 06
BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association)
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: commercial real estate brokers and commercial property managers.
People who own and run office buildings. Vendors can join, and the local chapters run events just for them.
Chapter finder → - 07
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 → - 08
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.
Let us be straight with you. For business bankers, 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 business banker 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 business bankers, 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: Business Banker
The five people who should be sending you clients
- Attorney Business & Corporate (Two-way)
Shared trigger: somebody starts a company - CPA / Accountant (Two-way)
Shared trigger: somebody starts a company - Commercial Real Estate Broker (Two-way)
Shared trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building - Facility Manager (They send you work)
Shared trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location - Bookkeeper (You send them work)
Shared trigger: somebody starts a company
The three rooms to be in
- LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities: Your partners are in this room: business attorneys, CPAs, and commercial real estate brokers.
- State CPA society: Your partners are in this room: CPAs and bookkeepers.
- Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: business attorneys, CPAs, and commercial real estate brokers.
- LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities: Your partners are in this room: business attorneys, CPAs, and commercial real estate brokers.
- State CPA society: Your partners are in this room: CPAs and bookkeepers.
- Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: business attorneys, CPAs, and commercial real estate brokers.