Business Broker: 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 brokers 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 brokers, who else gets a call that same week?
Business brokers sell to other businesses, and most of the work starts when an owner sells the company. 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.
- Sale of a businesswhen an owner sells the company
- Retirementwhen somebody retires
- Death / probatewhen somebody dies and an estate has to be settled
- Divorcewhen a marriage ends
- Financing or refinancewhen somebody needs a loan closed
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
CPA / Accountant
Two-way74Trigger: an owner sells the company
You and CPAs both get the call when an owner sells the company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 02
Financial Advisor
Two-way73Trigger: an owner sells the company
You and financial advisors both get the call when an owner sells the company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 03
Attorney Business & Corporate
Two-way69Trigger: an owner sells the company
You and business attorneys both get the call when an owner sells the company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 04
Real Estate Appraiser
They send you work61Trigger: somebody needs a loan closed
Appraisers hear about it when somebody needs a loan closed, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 05
Business Banker
Two-way61Trigger: an owner sells the company
You and business bankers both get the call when an owner sells the company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 06
Real Estate Investor
They send you work60Trigger: somebody dies and an estate has to be settled
Real estate investors hear about it when somebody dies and an estate has to be settled, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 07
Insurance Health & Benefits
Two-way57Trigger: somebody retires
You and health and benefits brokers both get the call when somebody retires, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 08
Commercial Lender
Two-way56Trigger: an owner sells the company
You and commercial lenders both get the call when an owner sells the company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 09
Business Consultant
You send them work56Trigger: an owner sells the company
You hear about it when an owner sells the company, before business consultants do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 10
Attorney Estate Planning & Probate
Two-way55Trigger: somebody retires
You and estate planning attorneys both get the call when somebody retires, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 01
Attorney Business & Corporate
Two-way68Trigger: an owner sells the company
You and business attorneys both get the call when an owner sells the company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 02
CPA / Accountant
Two-way64Trigger: an owner sells the company
You and CPAs both get the call when an owner sells the company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 03
Financial Advisor
Two-way63Trigger: an owner sells the company
You and financial advisors both get the call when an owner sells the company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 04
Business Consultant
You send them work62Trigger: an owner sells the company
You hear about it when an owner sells the company, before business consultants do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 05
Commercial Lender
Two-way57Trigger: an owner sells the company
You and commercial lenders both get the call when an owner sells the company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 06
Insurance Health & Benefits
Two-way57Trigger: somebody retires
You and health and benefits brokers both get the call when somebody retires, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
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.
Vistage
Your partners are in this room: CPAs, financial advisors, and business attorneys.
Run CEO peer groups. You are buying advice, not leads, but the group turns into a warm list over time.
Find your local chapter →Give someone nine choices and they pick none. If you do one thing from this page, do this.
- 01
Vistage
Paid peer groupYour partners are in this room: CPAs, financial advisors, and business attorneys.
Run CEO peer groups. You are buying advice, not leads, but the group turns into a warm list over time.
Chapter finder → - 02
Your local estate planning council
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: CPAs, financial advisors, and estate planning attorneys.
Estate lawyers, CPAs, bankers, and insurance people in one room on purpose. It was built for this kind of referral.
Chapter finder → - 03
State CPA society
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: CPAs and financial advisors.
A CPA is the person most business owners trust most. Sponsors can go to chapter meetings and classes.
Chapter finder → - 04
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerceYour partners are in this room: CPAs, financial advisors, and business attorneys.
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 → - 05
LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities
Online communityYour partners are in this room: CPAs, business attorneys, and business bankers.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Chapter finder → - 06
EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization)
Paid peer groupYour partners are in this room: financial advisors, business attorneys, and business consultants.
Owners above a revenue bar, meeting in private. Few referrals, but the ones that happen are big and close fast.
Chapter finder → - 07
Local mortgage bankers or brokers association
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: appraisers and commercial lenders.
Loan officers know a house is selling 30 to 60 days before anyone else does.
Chapter finder → - 08
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 →
Vistage
Your partners are in this room: CPAs, financial advisors, and business attorneys.
Run CEO peer groups. You are buying advice, not leads, but the group turns into a warm list over time.
Find your local chapter →Give someone nine choices and they pick none. If you do one thing from this page, do this.
- 01
Vistage
Paid peer groupYour partners are in this room: CPAs, financial advisors, and business attorneys.
Run CEO peer groups. You are buying advice, not leads, but the group turns into a warm list over time.
Chapter finder → - 02
Your local estate planning council
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: CPAs, financial advisors, and estate planning attorneys.
Estate lawyers, CPAs, bankers, and insurance people in one room on purpose. It was built for this kind of referral.
Chapter finder → - 03
State CPA society
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: CPAs and financial advisors.
A CPA is the person most business owners trust most. Sponsors can go to chapter meetings and classes.
Chapter finder → - 04
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerceYour partners are in this room: CPAs, financial advisors, and business attorneys.
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 → - 05
LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities
Online communityYour partners are in this room: CPAs, business attorneys, and business bankers.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Chapter finder → - 06
EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization)
Paid peer groupYour partners are in this room: financial advisors, business attorneys, and business consultants.
Owners above a revenue bar, meeting in private. Few referrals, but the ones that happen are big and close fast.
Chapter finder → - 07
Local mortgage bankers or brokers association
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: appraisers and commercial lenders.
Loan officers know a house is selling 30 to 60 days before anyone else does.
Chapter finder → - 08
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 →
Let us be straight with you. For business brokers, 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 broker 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 brokers, 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 Broker
The five people who should be sending you clients
- CPA / Accountant (Two-way)
Shared trigger: an owner sells the company - Financial Advisor (Two-way)
Shared trigger: an owner sells the company - Attorney Business & Corporate (Two-way)
Shared trigger: an owner sells the company - Real Estate Appraiser (They send you work)
Shared trigger: somebody needs a loan closed - Business Banker (Two-way)
Shared trigger: an owner sells the company
The three rooms to be in
- Vistage: Your partners are in this room: CPAs, financial advisors, and business attorneys.
- Your local estate planning council: Your partners are in this room: CPAs, financial advisors, and estate planning attorneys.
- State CPA society: Your partners are in this room: CPAs and financial advisors.
- Vistage: Your partners are in this room: CPAs, financial advisors, and business attorneys.
- Your local estate planning council: Your partners are in this room: CPAs, financial advisors, and estate planning attorneys.
- State CPA society: Your partners are in this room: CPAs and financial advisors.