Commercial Property Manager: 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 commercial property managers 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 property managers, who else gets a call that same week?
Commercial property managers sell to other businesses, and most of the work starts when a business signs a lease or opens a location. It moves fast, so being the name already in hand matters more than being the cheapest. Clients come back, which makes one good introduction worth years.
- New lease or locationwhen a business signs a lease or opens a location
- Compliance deadline or inspectionwhen an inspection or compliance deadline lands
- Building system failurewhen the AC dies, a pipe fails, or something in the building stops working
- Water damage / leakwhen a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking
- Commercial property acquisitionwhen an investor or operator buys a commercial building
- Storm damagewhen a named storm comes through
- IT or network failurewhen the network, the phones, or the servers go down
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
Facility Manager
Two-way80Trigger: an inspection or compliance deadline lands
You and facility managers both get the call when an inspection or compliance deadline lands, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 02
Community Association Manager (HOA / Condo)
Two-way75Trigger: an inspection or compliance deadline lands
You and community association managers both get the call when an inspection or compliance deadline lands, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 03
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.
- 04
Real Estate Investor
They send you work64Trigger: 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.
- 05
Restaurant / Food Service
Two-way63Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You and restaurants both get the call when a business signs a lease or opens a location, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 06
Hard Money / Private Lender
They send you work61Trigger: 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.
- 07
Insurance Property & Casualty
Two-way60Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You and P&C insurance agents both get the call when a business signs a lease or opens a location, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 08
IT Services / Managed IT
You send them work60Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You hear about it when a business signs a lease or opens a location, before IT and managed service providers do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 09
Business Banker
Two-way59Trigger: 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.
- 10
Commercial Kitchen Equipment & Service
You send them work58Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You hear about it when a business signs a lease or opens a location, before commercial kitchen equipment companies do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 01
Facility Manager
Two-way81Trigger: an inspection or compliance deadline lands
You and facility managers both get the call when an inspection or compliance deadline lands, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 02
Commercial Kitchen Equipment & Service
You send them work80Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You hear about it when a business signs a lease or opens a location, before commercial kitchen equipment companies do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 03
Commercial Janitorial
You send them work78Trigger: 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.
- 04
Cybersecurity
You send them work78Trigger: an inspection or compliance deadline lands
You hear about it when an inspection or compliance deadline lands, before cybersecurity firms do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 05
Commercial Real Estate Broker
They send you work77Trigger: 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.
- 06
Telecom & VoIP
You send them work76Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You hear about it when a business signs a lease or opens a location, before telecom and VoIP providers 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: facility managers, commercial real estate brokers, and real estate investors.
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: facility managers, commercial real estate brokers, and real estate investors.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Chapter finder → - 02
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerceYour partners are in this room: community association managers, commercial real estate brokers, and restaurants.
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 → - 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
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.
- 05
Restaurant & lodging association
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: restaurants and commercial kitchen equipment companies.
Restaurant and hotel owners. They replace equipment all the time, fail inspections often, and talk to each other more than almost anyone.
Chapter finder → - 06
CAI (Community Associations Institute)
Your partners' associationYour partner is in this room: community association managers.
Condo and HOA managers, board members, and management companies. One manager here can control hundreds of homes. They have a membership just for vendors, so you can join.
Chapter finder → - 07
CAI chapter trade show & expo
Event or trade showYour partner is in this room: community association managers.
Hundreds of association managers and board members walking a vendor floor, there to find vendors. One of the few trade shows where a booth actually pays off.
Chapter finder → - 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.
LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities
Your partners are in this room: facility managers, commercial real estate brokers, and real estate investors.
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: facility managers, commercial real estate brokers, and real estate investors.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Chapter finder → - 02
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerceYour partners are in this room: community association managers, commercial real estate brokers, and restaurants.
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 → - 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
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.
- 05
Restaurant & lodging association
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: restaurants and commercial kitchen equipment companies.
Restaurant and hotel owners. They replace equipment all the time, fail inspections often, and talk to each other more than almost anyone.
Chapter finder → - 06
CAI Southeast Florida chapter
Your partners' associationYour partner is in this room: community association managers.
South Florida has more condos than almost anywhere, so this room is packed with association managers. Vendors can go to the trade shows and the monthly lunches.
Chapter finder → - 07
CAI chapter trade show & expo
Event or trade showYour partner is in this room: community association managers.
Hundreds of association managers and board members walking a vendor floor, there to find vendors. One of the few trade shows where a booth actually pays off.
Chapter finder → - 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.
BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association)
Most commercial property managers join this room first. It is also the one most likely to be the wrong pick. People who own and run office buildings. Vendors can join, and the local chapters run events just for them. 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.
BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) →Let us be straight with you. For commercial property managers, 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 commercial property manager 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 commercial property managers, 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: Commercial Property Manager
The five people who should be sending you clients
- Facility Manager (Two-way)
Shared trigger: an inspection or compliance deadline lands - Community Association Manager (HOA / Condo) (Two-way)
Shared trigger: an inspection or compliance deadline lands - Commercial Real Estate Broker (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 - Restaurant / Food Service (Two-way)
Shared trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
The three rooms to be in
- LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities: Your partners are in this room: facility managers, commercial real estate brokers, and real estate investors.
- Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: community association managers, commercial real estate brokers, and restaurants.
- NAIOP (Commercial Real Estate Development Association): Your partners are in this room: commercial real estate brokers and real estate investors.
- LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities: Your partners are in this room: facility managers, commercial real estate brokers, and real estate investors.
- Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: community association managers, commercial real estate brokers, and restaurants.
- 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: BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association). Learning and supplier access, not referrals.