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Flooring Contractor: 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 flooring companies 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 flooring companies, who else gets a call that same week?

Flooring companies sell to both individuals and businesses, and most of the work starts when a homeowner decides to remodel. People take their time deciding, so a recommendation carries most of the weight. Most clients buy once, so the flow of new names is the whole business.

What starts the work
  • Renovation projectwhen a homeowner decides to remodel
  • Home purchasewhen somebody buys a house
  • Water damage / leakwhen a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking
  • Home salewhen somebody puts a house on the market
  • New lease or locationwhen a business signs a lease or opens a location
Block one

Who should be sending you clients

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

  1. 01

    Electrician

    They send you work
    69

    Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel

    Electricians hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  2. 02

    Plumber

    They send you work
    68

    Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel

    Plumbers hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  3. 03

    Interior Designer

    They send you work
    68

    Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel

    Interior designers hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  4. 04

    Insurance Property & Casualty

    They send you work
    67

    Trigger: somebody buys a house

    P&C insurance agents hear about it when somebody buys a house, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  5. 05

    Attorney Real Estate

    They send you work
    67

    Trigger: somebody buys a house

    Real estate attorneys hear about it when somebody buys a house, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  6. 06

    Remodeling Contractor

    They send you work
    66

    Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel

    Remodeling contractors hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  7. 07

    HVAC Contractor

    They send you work
    64

    Trigger: somebody buys a house

    HVAC contractors hear about it when somebody buys a house, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  8. 08

    General Contractor

    They send you work
    64

    Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel

    General contractors hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  9. 09

    Home Inspector

    They send you work
    64

    Trigger: somebody buys a house

    Home inspectors hear about it when somebody buys a house, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  10. 10

    Community Association Manager (HOA / Condo)

    They send you work
    64

    Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel

    Community association managers hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

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

Commercial contractors association (AGC / ABC)

Your partners are in this room: electricians, plumbers, and general contractors.

General contractors and the subs around them. Real value if you sub on commercial jobs.

Your partners' association Monthly $2,000+/yr ~4 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

    Commercial contractors association (AGC / ABC)

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: electricians, plumbers, and general contractors.

    General contractors and the subs around them. Real value if you sub on commercial jobs.

    Monthly $2,000+/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  2. 02

    Supply house counter days & contractor breakfasts

    Vendor & supply chain

    Your partners are in this room: electricians, plumbers, and HVAC contractors.

    Free food, a rep from the manufacturer, and every contractor for ten miles. The counter staff know who has more work than they can handle this week. That extra work is the easiest referral in the trades.

    Informal Free ~2 hrs/month
  3. 03

    Your city or county chamber of commerce

    Chamber of commerce

    Your partners are in this room: electricians, plumbers, and P&C insurance agents.

    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 →
  4. 04

    Local home builders association (NAHB affiliate)

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: interior designers and general contractors.

    Builders plus every trade that works for them. This one is mixed. The builders are buyers for the trades, so it is an exception.

    Monthly $500–$2,000/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  5. 05

    Your local Realtor board or association

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: real estate attorneys and home inspectors.

    Join as a vendor and you are in front of hundreds of agents. They need people they trust at every closing. Ask about the vendor committee and the classes for new agents, not just the parties.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  6. 06

    PHCC (Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors)

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: plumbers and HVAC contractors.

    Licensing, apprentices, and code. Not a referral room.

    Monthly $500–$2,000/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  7. 07

    AIA (American Institute of Architects) chapter

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: interior designers and general contractors.

    Architects and the plans they draw. For trades, this is where your product gets named in the drawings before bidding starts.

    Monthly $500–$2,000/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  8. 08

    Manufacturer training & certification days

    Vendor & supply chain

    Your partners are in this room: plumbers and HVAC contractors.

    Training you need anyway, in a room with the rep who decides which contractor gets the warranty calls in your area.

    Quarterly Free ~3 hrs/month

Let us be straight with you. For flooring companies, 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 flooring contractor 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 flooring companies, 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: Flooring Contractor

The five people who should be sending you clients

  1. Electrician (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel
  2. Plumber (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel
  3. Interior Designer (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel
  4. Insurance Property & Casualty (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: somebody buys a house
  5. Attorney Real Estate (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: somebody buys a house

The three rooms to be in

  1. Commercial contractors association (AGC / ABC): Your partners are in this room: electricians, plumbers, and general contractors.
  2. Supply house counter days & contractor breakfasts: Your partners are in this room: electricians, plumbers, and HVAC contractors.
  3. Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: electricians, plumbers, and P&C insurance agents.