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Commercial Janitorial: 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 janitorial 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 janitorial companies, who else gets a call that same week?

Janitorial companies sell to other businesses, and most of the work starts when a business signs a lease or opens a location. People take their time deciding, so a recommendation carries most of the weight. 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
  • Commercial property acquisitionwhen an investor or operator buys a commercial building
  • Compliance deadline or inspectionwhen an inspection or compliance deadline lands
  • Water damage / leakwhen a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking
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
    88

    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

    IT Services / Managed IT

    They send you work
    85

    Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location

    IT and managed service providers 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.

  3. 03

    Facility Manager

    They send you work
    75

    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.

  4. 04

    General Contractor

    They send you work
    74

    Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location

    General contractors 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 Kitchen Equipment & Service

    They send you work
    74

    Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location

    Commercial kitchen equipment companies 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

    Attorney Real Estate

    They send you work
    73

    Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location

    Real estate 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.

  7. 07

    Telecom & VoIP

    They send you work
    73

    Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location

    Telecom and VoIP providers 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.

  8. 08

    Insurance Property & Casualty

    They send you work
    71

    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.

  9. 09

    Commercial Real Estate Broker

    They send you work
    71

    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.

  10. 10

    Business Banker

    They send you work
    68

    Trigger: an investor or operator buys a commercial building

    Business bankers hear about it when an investor or operator buys a commercial building, 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, IT and managed service providers, and general contractors.

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, IT and managed service providers, and general contractors.

    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

    Software & platform user groups

    Vendor & supply chain

    Your partners are in this room: IT and managed service providers and facility managers.

    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
  3. 03

    LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities

    Online community

    Your partners are in this room: IT and managed service providers, facility managers, and telecom and VoIP providers.

    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 →
  4. 04

    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 →
  5. 05

    IT channel & MSP peer associations

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: IT and managed service providers and telecom and VoIP providers.

    Vendor certifications and comparing notes. Good for running your business, weak for finding work.

    Quarterly $2,000+/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  6. 06

    Supply house counter days & contractor breakfasts

    Vendor & supply chain

    Your partners are in this room: general contractors and commercial kitchen equipment companies.

    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
  7. 07

    Restaurant & lodging association

    Your partners' association

    Your partner is in this room: 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.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  8. 08

    Local home builders association (NAHB affiliate)

    Your partners' association

    Your partner is in this room: 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 →

Let us be straight with you. For janitorial 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 commercial janitorial 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 janitorial 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: Commercial Janitorial

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. IT Services / Managed IT (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
  3. Facility Manager (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
  4. General Contractor (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
  5. Commercial Kitchen Equipment & 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, IT and managed service providers, and general contractors.
  2. Software & platform user groups: Your partners are in this room: IT and managed service providers and facility managers.
  3. LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities: Your partners are in this room: IT and managed service providers, facility managers, and telecom and VoIP providers.