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IT Services / Managed IT: 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 IT and managed service providers 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 IT and managed service providers, who else gets a call that same week?

IT and managed service providers sell to other businesses, and most of the work starts when a business signs a lease or opens a location. It is usually an emergency, so whoever is trusted at that moment gets the call. Clients come back, which makes one good introduction worth years.

What starts the work
  • New lease or locationwhen a business signs a lease or opens a location
  • IT or network failurewhen the network, the phones, or the servers go down
  • Business formationwhen somebody starts a company
  • First hire / payrollwhen a business puts its first employee on payroll
  • Compliance deadline or inspectionwhen an inspection or compliance deadline lands
  • Sale of a businesswhen an owner sells the 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 Property Manager

    They send you work
    85

    Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location

    Commercial property 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.

  2. 02

    Facility Manager

    They send you work
    77

    Trigger: an inspection or compliance deadline lands

    Facility managers hear about it when an inspection or compliance deadline lands, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  3. 03

    Commercial Real Estate Broker

    They send you work
    75

    Trigger: 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.

  4. 04

    Attorney Business & Corporate

    They send you work
    74

    Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location

    Business attorneys 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

    Restaurant / Food Service

    They send you work
    73

    Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location

    Restaurants 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.

  6. 06

    Community Association Manager (HOA / Condo)

    They send you work
    71

    Trigger: an inspection or compliance deadline lands

    Community association managers hear about it when an inspection or compliance deadline lands, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  7. 07

    Business Banker

    They send you work
    70

    Trigger: somebody starts a company

    Business bankers hear about it when somebody starts a company, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  8. 08

    Bookkeeper

    They send you work
    70

    Trigger: somebody starts a company

    Bookkeepers hear about it when somebody starts a company, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  9. 09

    Insurance Property & Casualty

    They send you work
    69

    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.

  10. 10

    HR Consulting / PEO

    They send you work
    69

    Trigger: a business puts its first employee on payroll

    HR consultants and PEOs hear about it when a business puts its first employee on payroll, 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

Your city or county chamber of commerce

Your partners are in this room: commercial property managers, commercial real estate brokers, 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.

Chamber of commerce Monthly Under $500/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

    Your city or county chamber of commerce

    Chamber of commerce

    Your partners are in this room: commercial property managers, commercial real estate brokers, 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.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  2. 02

    LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities

    Online community

    Your partners are in this room: facility managers, commercial real estate brokers, and business attorneys.

    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 →
  3. 03

    BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association)

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: commercial property managers and commercial real estate brokers.

    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

    Software & platform user groups

    Vendor & supply chain

    Your 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.

    Quarterly Free ~2 hrs/month
  5. 05

    Vistage

    Paid peer group

    Your partners are in this room: business attorneys, business bankers, and HR consultants and PEOs.

    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 →
  6. 06

    Restaurant & lodging association

    Your partners' association

    Your partner is in this room: restaurants.

    Restaurant and hotel owners. They replace equipment all the time, fail inspections often, and talk to each other more than almost anyone.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  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 IT and managed service providers, 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 it services / managed it 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 IT and managed service providers, 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: IT Services / Managed IT

The five people who should be sending you clients

  1. Commercial Property Manager (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
  2. Facility Manager (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: an inspection or compliance deadline lands
  3. Commercial Real Estate Broker (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
  4. Attorney Business & Corporate (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
  5. Restaurant / Food Service (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location

The three rooms to be in

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