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Commercial Lender: Best Referral Sources

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

Your top referral sources
  1. 01 Commercial Real Estate Broker 78
  2. 02 Attorney Business & Corporate 73
  3. 03 CPA / Accountant 72
  4. 04 Facility Manager 66
  5. 05 Commercial Property Manager 65
See why, and what to say to each ↓

Get the networking events worth showing up to

Tell us where you are. We will send you the best rooms for commercial lenders 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 commercial lenders, who else gets a call that same week?

Commercial lenders sell to other businesses, and most of the work starts when an investor or operator buys a commercial building. People take their time deciding, so a recommendation carries most of the weight. Clients return now and then, so the introduction has to keep paying off.

What starts the work
  • Commercial property acquisitionwhen an investor or operator buys a commercial building
  • Financing or refinancewhen somebody needs a loan closed
  • Sale of a businesswhen an owner sells the company
  • New lease or locationwhen a business signs a lease or opens a location
  • Business formationwhen somebody starts a company
Block one

Who should be sending you clients

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

  1. 01

    Commercial Real Estate Broker

    They send you work
    78

    Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building

    Commercial real estate brokers hear about it when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  2. 02

    Attorney Business & Corporate

    They send you work
    73

    Trigger: an owner sells the company

    Business attorneys hear about it when an owner sells the company, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  3. 03

    CPA / Accountant

    They send you work
    72

    Trigger: somebody needs a loan closed

    CPAs hear about it when somebody needs a loan closed, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  4. 04

    Facility Manager

    They send you work
    66

    Trigger: 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.

  5. 05

    Commercial Property Manager

    Two-way
    65

    Trigger: 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.

  6. 06

    Insurance Property & Casualty

    They send you work
    65

    Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location

    P&C insurance agents 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.

  7. 07

    Attorney Real Estate

    Two-way
    65

    Trigger: 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.

  8. 08

    Real Estate Investor

    Two-way
    64

    Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building

    You and real estate investors both get the call when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  9. 09

    Hard Money / Private Lender

    Two-way
    63

    Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building

    You and private lenders both get the call when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  10. 10

    IT Services / Managed IT

    Two-way
    60

    Trigger: 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.

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: commercial real estate brokers, business attorneys, and CPAs.

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: commercial real estate brokers, business attorneys, and CPAs.

    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: commercial real estate brokers, business attorneys, and CPAs.

    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

    BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association)

    Your partners' association

    Your 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.

    Monthly $500–$2,000/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  4. 04

    Vistage

    Paid peer group

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

    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 →
  5. 05

    NAIOP (Commercial Real Estate Development Association)

    Your partners' association

    Your 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.

    Monthly $500–$2,000/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  6. 06

    Software & platform user groups

    Vendor & supply chain

    Your 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.

    Quarterly Free ~2 hrs/month
  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 →

Let us be straight with you. For commercial lenders, 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 commercial lender 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 commercial lenders, 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: Commercial Lender

The five people who should be sending you clients

  1. Commercial Real Estate Broker (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building
  2. Attorney Business & Corporate (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: an owner sells the company
  3. CPA / Accountant (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: somebody needs a loan closed
  4. Facility Manager (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
  5. Commercial Property Manager (Two-way)
    Shared trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building

The three rooms to be in

  1. LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities: Your partners are in this room: commercial real estate brokers, business attorneys, and CPAs.
  2. Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: commercial real estate brokers, business attorneys, and CPAs.
  3. BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association): Your partners are in this room: commercial real estate brokers and commercial property managers.