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Private Investigator: Best Referral Sources

Who should be sending you clients, and the rooms they are already sitting in.

Your top referral sources
  1. 01 Attorney Business & Corporate 78
  2. 02 Attorney Employment & Labor 74
  3. 03 Mental Health Therapist 68
  4. 04 Attorney Construction & Property Defect 67
  5. 05 Attorney Real Estate 64
See why, and what to say to each ↓

Get the networking events worth showing up to

Tell us where you are. We will send you the best rooms for private investigators 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 private investigators, who else gets a call that same week?

Private investigators sell to both individuals and businesses, and most of the work starts when somebody gets sued. It moves fast, so being the name already in hand matters more than being the cheapest. Clients return now and then, so the introduction has to keep paying off.

What starts the work
  • Lawsuit or claimwhen somebody gets sued
  • Divorcewhen a marriage ends
  • Arrest or criminal chargewhen somebody gets arrested or charged
  • Injurywhen somebody gets hurt
  • First hire / payrollwhen a business puts its first employee on payroll
Block one

Who should be sending you clients

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

  1. 01

    Attorney Business & Corporate

    They send you work
    78

    Trigger: somebody gets sued

    Business attorneys hear about it when somebody gets sued, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  2. 02

    Attorney Employment & Labor

    They send you work
    74

    Trigger: somebody gets sued

    Employment attorneys hear about it when somebody gets sued, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  3. 03

    Mental Health Therapist

    They send you work
    68

    Trigger: a marriage ends

    Therapists and counselors hear about it when a marriage ends, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  4. 04

    Attorney Construction & Property Defect

    They send you work
    67

    Trigger: somebody gets sued

    Construction attorneys hear about it when somebody gets sued, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  5. 05

    Attorney Real Estate

    Two-way
    64

    Trigger: somebody gets sued

    You and real estate attorneys both get the call when somebody gets sued, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  6. 06

    CPA / Accountant

    Two-way
    63

    Trigger: a marriage ends

    You and CPAs both get the call when a marriage ends, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  7. 07

    Bookkeeper

    They send you work
    63

    Trigger: a business puts its first employee on payroll

    Bookkeepers hear about it when a business puts its first employee on payroll, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  8. 08

    Community Association Manager (HOA / Condo)

    Two-way
    61

    Trigger: somebody gets sued

    You and community association managers both get the call when somebody gets sued, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  9. 09

    HR Consulting / PEO

    They send you work
    60

    Trigger: somebody gets sued

    HR consultants and PEOs hear about it when somebody gets sued, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  10. 10

    Insurance Property & Casualty

    Two-way
    59

    Trigger: somebody gets sued

    You and P&C insurance agents both get the call when somebody gets sued, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

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

State bar practice sections

Your partners are in this room: business attorneys, employment attorneys, and construction 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.

Your partners' association Quarterly Under $500/yr ~2 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

    State bar practice sections

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: business attorneys, employment attorneys, and construction 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.

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

    Your city or county chamber of commerce

    Chamber of commerce

    Your partners are in this room: business attorneys, employment attorneys, and therapists and counselors.

    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 →
  3. 03

    CAI (Community Associations Institute)

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: construction attorneys and 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.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  4. 04

    LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities

    Online community

    Your partners are in this room: business attorneys, employment attorneys, and CPAs.

    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 →
  5. 05

    State CPA society

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: CPAs and bookkeepers.

    A CPA is the person most business owners trust most. Sponsors can go to chapter meetings and classes.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  6. 06

    Vistage

    Paid peer group

    Your partners are in this room: business attorneys, CPAs, 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 →
  7. 07

    Your local Realtor board or association

    Your partners' association

    Your partner is in this room: real estate attorneys.

    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 →
  8. 08

    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 →

Let us be straight with you. For private investigators, 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 private investigator 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 private investigators, 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: Private Investigator

The five people who should be sending you clients

  1. Attorney Business & Corporate (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: somebody gets sued
  2. Attorney Employment & Labor (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: somebody gets sued
  3. Mental Health Therapist (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a marriage ends
  4. Attorney Construction & Property Defect (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: somebody gets sued
  5. Attorney Real Estate (Two-way)
    Shared trigger: somebody gets sued

The three rooms to be in

  1. State bar practice sections: Your partners are in this room: business attorneys, employment attorneys, and construction attorneys.
  2. Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: business attorneys, employment attorneys, and therapists and counselors.
  3. CAI (Community Associations Institute): Your partners are in this room: construction attorneys and community association managers.