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Salon & Barbershop: 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 salons and barbershops 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 salons and barbershops, who else gets a call that same week?

Salons and barbershops sell to individuals and households, and most of the work starts when a family plans a wedding or milestone event. 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
  • Wedding or major eventwhen a family plans a wedding or milestone event
  • Move-in / relocationwhen a family moves into a new place
  • Job changewhen somebody changes jobs or gets relocated
  • 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

    Commercial Property Manager

    They send you work
    68

    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

    Childcare & Preschool

    They send you work
    66

    Trigger: a family moves into a new place

    Childcare centers and preschools hear about it when a family moves into a new place, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  3. 03

    Primary Care Physician

    They send you work
    66

    Trigger: somebody changes jobs or gets relocated

    Primary care practices hear about it when somebody changes jobs or gets relocated, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  4. 04

    Mental Health Therapist

    They send you work
    64

    Trigger: somebody changes jobs or gets relocated

    Therapists and counselors hear about it when somebody changes jobs or gets relocated, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  5. 05

    Florist

    They send you work
    64

    Trigger: a family plans a wedding or milestone event

    Florists hear about it when a family plans a wedding or milestone event, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  6. 06

    Residential Cleaning

    They send you work
    61

    Trigger: a family moves into a new place

    Residential cleaning companies hear about it when a family moves into a new place, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  7. 07

    Attorney Business & Corporate

    They send you work
    60

    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.

  8. 08

    Photographer

    They send you work
    60

    Trigger: a family plans a wedding or milestone event

    Photographers hear about it when a family plans a wedding or milestone event, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  9. 09

    Dentist

    Two-way
    58

    Trigger: a family moves into a new place

    You and dentists both get the call when a family moves into a new place, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  10. 10

    Medical Spa / Aesthetics

    Two-way
    57

    Trigger: a family plans a wedding or milestone event

    You and med spas both get the call when a family plans a wedding or milestone event, 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

Your city or county chamber of commerce

Your partners are in this room: commercial property managers, primary care practices, and childcare centers and preschools.

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, primary care practices, and childcare centers and preschools.

    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

    Local Facebook & community groups

    Online community

    Your partners are in this room: childcare centers and preschools, therapists and counselors, and florists.

    City groups, condo and HOA groups, and parent groups. For home services this is often the biggest free source on this list. Most competitors post ads instead of answers.

    Always on Free ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  3. 03

    NAWBO (women business owners)

    Chamber of commerce

    Your partners are in this room: childcare centers and preschools, photographers, and med spas.

    Chapters built on relationships. Members say it turns into work more often than a regular chamber.

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

    Your county medical society

    Your partners' association

    Your partner is in this room: primary care practices.

    Doctors in one room, and almost nobody there is selling to them. You can usually go as a sponsor.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  5. 05

    BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association)

    Your partners' association

    Your partner is in this room: commercial property managers.

    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 →
  6. 06

    IREM (Institute of Real Estate Management)

    Your partners' association

    Your partner is in this room: commercial property managers.

    Property managers for apartments, offices, and mixed buildings. Vendors can join and go to chapter meetings.

    Monthly $500–$2,000/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  7. 07

    MGMA (Medical Group Management Association)

    Your partners' association

    Your partner is in this room: primary care practices.

    Office managers for doctors. They pick the vendors. The doctors just get sold to.

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

    Nextdoor

    Online community

    Your partners are in this room: childcare centers and preschools and residential cleaning companies.

    Neighbors asking each other who to hire. Answer questions without selling and the recommendations pile up on their own.

    Always on Free ~2 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →

Let us be straight with you. For salons and barbershops, 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 salon & barbershop 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 salons and barbershops, 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: Salon & Barbershop

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. Childcare & Preschool (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a family moves into a new place
  3. Primary Care Physician (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: somebody changes jobs or gets relocated
  4. Mental Health Therapist (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: somebody changes jobs or gets relocated
  5. Florist (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a family plans a wedding or milestone event

The three rooms to be in

  1. Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: commercial property managers, primary care practices, and childcare centers and preschools.
  2. Local Facebook & community groups: Your partners are in this room: childcare centers and preschools, therapists and counselors, and florists.
  3. NAWBO (women business owners): Your partners are in this room: childcare centers and preschools, photographers, and med spas.