Merchant Services / Payment Processing: 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 merchant services 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 merchant services providers, who else gets a call that same week?
Merchant services providers sell to other businesses, and most of the work starts when somebody starts a company. People take their time deciding, so a recommendation carries most of the weight. Clients come back, which makes one good introduction worth years.
- Business formationwhen somebody starts a company
- New lease or locationwhen a business signs a lease or opens a location
- Rebrand or launchwhen a business launches or rebrands
- Sale of a businesswhen an owner sells the company
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
Bookkeeper
They send you work80Trigger: 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.
- 02
Insurance Property & Casualty
They send you work77Trigger: somebody starts a company
P&C insurance agents hear about it when somebody starts a company, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 03
Attorney Business & Corporate
They send you work76Trigger: somebody starts a company
Business attorneys hear about it when somebody starts a company, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 04
Business Banker
They send you work72Trigger: 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.
- 05
Medical Billing & Practice Management
They send you work72Trigger: somebody starts a company
Medical billing companies hear about it when somebody starts a company, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 06
CPA / Accountant
They send you work71Trigger: somebody starts a company
CPAs hear about it when somebody starts a company, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 07
Attorney Intellectual Property
They send you work69Trigger: somebody starts a company
IP attorneys hear about it when somebody starts a company, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 08
IT Services / Managed IT
Two-way69Trigger: somebody starts a company
You and IT and managed service providers both get the call when somebody starts a company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 09
Restaurant / Food Service
They send you work68Trigger: somebody starts a company
Restaurants hear about it when somebody starts a company, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 10
Commercial Property Manager
They send you work68Trigger: 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.
- 01
Graphic Designer
They send you work73Trigger: somebody starts a company
Graphic designers hear about it when somebody starts a company, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 02
Web Developer
Two-way72Trigger: somebody starts a company
You and web developers both get the call when somebody starts a company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 03
Printing Services
You send them work68Trigger: somebody starts a company
You hear about it when somebody starts a company, before printers do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 04
Digital Marketing Agency
Two-way67Trigger: somebody starts a company
You and digital marketing agencies both get the call when somebody starts a company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 05
Sign Company
Two-way64Trigger: somebody starts a company
You and sign companies both get the call when somebody starts a company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 06
Business Coach
Two-way63Trigger: somebody starts a company
You and business coaches both get the call when somebody starts a company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
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: bookkeepers, P&C insurance agents, and business attorneys.
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: bookkeepers, P&C insurance agents, and business attorneys.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Chapter finder → - 02
Software & platform user groups
Vendor & supply chainYour partners are in this room: bookkeepers, medical billing companies, 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.
- 03
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerceYour partners are in this room: bookkeepers, P&C insurance agents, 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.
Chapter finder → - 04
Vistage
Paid peer groupYour partners are in this room: business attorneys, business bankers, and CPAs.
Run CEO peer groups. You are buying advice, not leads, but the group turns into a warm list over time.
Chapter finder → - 05
State CPA society
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: bookkeepers and CPAs.
A CPA is the person most business owners trust most. Sponsors can go to chapter meetings and classes.
Chapter finder → - 06
State bar practice sections
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: business attorneys and IP attorneys.
Classes, standards, and lawyers who share cases. The exception is across practice areas. Estate and family lawyers refer to each other all the time.
Chapter finder → - 07
EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization)
Paid peer groupYour partners are in this room: business attorneys and IP attorneys.
Owners above a revenue bar, meeting in private. Few referrals, but the ones that happen are big and close fast.
Chapter finder → - 08
BNI
Structured referral groupOne 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.
Chapter finder →
LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities
Your partners are in this room: bookkeepers, P&C insurance agents, and business attorneys.
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: bookkeepers, P&C insurance agents, and business attorneys.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Chapter finder → - 02
Software & platform user groups
Vendor & supply chainYour partners are in this room: bookkeepers, medical billing companies, 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.
- 03
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerceYour partners are in this room: bookkeepers, P&C insurance agents, 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.
Chapter finder → - 04
Vistage
Paid peer groupYour partners are in this room: business attorneys, business bankers, and CPAs.
Run CEO peer groups. You are buying advice, not leads, but the group turns into a warm list over time.
Chapter finder → - 05
State CPA society
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: bookkeepers and CPAs.
A CPA is the person most business owners trust most. Sponsors can go to chapter meetings and classes.
Chapter finder → - 06
State bar practice sections
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: business attorneys and IP attorneys.
Classes, standards, and lawyers who share cases. The exception is across practice areas. Estate and family lawyers refer to each other all the time.
Chapter finder → - 07
EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization)
Paid peer groupYour partners are in this room: business attorneys and IP attorneys.
Owners above a revenue bar, meeting in private. Few referrals, but the ones that happen are big and close fast.
Chapter finder → - 08
Prime Time Business Network
Structured referral groupOne seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.
A South Florida referral group. Only one person per job in each chapter. So your competitors are kept out, and your referral partners have the other seats.
See chapters →
Let us be straight with you. For merchant services 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.
Is your seat open?
Prime Time takes one merchant services / payment processing 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 merchant services 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.
Your one-page action plan
Five partners, five things to say, three rooms. Print it and keep it in the car.
Networking plan: Merchant Services / Payment Processing
The five people who should be sending you clients
- Bookkeeper (They send you work)
Shared trigger: somebody starts a company - Insurance Property & Casualty (They send you work)
Shared trigger: somebody starts a company - Attorney Business & Corporate (They send you work)
Shared trigger: somebody starts a company - Business Banker (They send you work)
Shared trigger: somebody starts a company - Medical Billing & Practice Management (They send you work)
Shared trigger: somebody starts a company
The three rooms to be in
- LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities: Your partners are in this room: bookkeepers, P&C insurance agents, and business attorneys.
- Software & platform user groups: Your partners are in this room: bookkeepers, medical billing companies, and IT and managed service providers.
- Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: bookkeepers, P&C insurance agents, and business attorneys.
- LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities: Your partners are in this room: bookkeepers, P&C insurance agents, and business attorneys.
- Software & platform user groups: Your partners are in this room: bookkeepers, medical billing companies, and IT and managed service providers.
- Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: bookkeepers, P&C insurance agents, and business attorneys.