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Smart Home & AV Integrator: Best Referral Sources

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

Your top referral sources
  1. 01 Interior Designer 80
  2. 02 Electrician 68
  3. 03 Community Association Manager (HOA / Condo) 68
  4. 04 General Contractor 66
  5. 05 Security Systems 65
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 smart home and AV integrators 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 smart home and AV integrators, who else gets a call that same week?

Smart home and AV integrators sell to both individuals and businesses, and most of the work starts when a homeowner decides to remodel. People take their time deciding, so a recommendation carries most of the weight. Most clients buy once, so the flow of new names is the whole business.

What starts the work
  • Renovation projectwhen a homeowner decides to remodel
  • Home purchasewhen somebody buys a house
  • New lease or locationwhen a business signs a lease or opens a location
  • Move-in / relocationwhen a family moves into a new place
Block one

Who should be sending you clients

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

  1. 01

    Interior Designer

    They send you work
    80

    Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel

    Interior designers hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  2. 02

    Electrician

    They send you work
    68

    Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel

    Electricians hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  3. 03

    Community Association Manager (HOA / Condo)

    They send you work
    68

    Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel

    Community association managers hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  4. 04

    General Contractor

    They send you work
    66

    Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel

    General contractors hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  5. 05

    Security Systems

    Two-way
    65

    Trigger: somebody buys a house

    You and security system companies both get the call when somebody buys a house, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  6. 06

    Plumber

    They send you work
    65

    Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel

    Plumbers hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  7. 07

    Window & Door Installer

    They send you work
    65

    Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel

    Window and door installers hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  8. 08

    Remodeling Contractor

    They send you work
    65

    Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel

    Remodeling contractors hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  9. 09

    Cabinetry & Countertops

    They send you work
    64

    Trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel

    Cabinet and countertop companies hear about it when a homeowner decides to remodel, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  10. 10

    Residential Cleaning

    They send you work
    63

    Trigger: somebody buys a house

    Residential cleaning companies hear about it when somebody buys a house, 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

Local home builders association (NAHB affiliate)

Your partners are in this room: interior designers, general contractors, and cabinet and countertop companies.

Builders plus every trade that works for them. This one is mixed. The builders are buyers for the trades, so it is an exception.

Your partners' association Monthly $500–$2,000/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

    Local home builders association (NAHB affiliate)

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: interior designers, general contractors, and cabinet and countertop companies.

    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 →
  2. 02

    Commercial contractors association (AGC / ABC)

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: electricians, general contractors, and plumbers.

    General contractors and the subs around them. Real value if you sub on commercial jobs.

    Monthly $2,000+/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  3. 03

    Distributor & showroom trade nights

    Vendor & supply chain

    Your partners are in this room: interior designers, window and door installers, and remodeling contractors.

    Showrooms and suppliers hold mixers that pull in designers, builders, and the people who write specs. Nobody calls it networking, so nobody is fighting for attention.

    Quarterly Free ~2 hrs/month
  4. 04

    AIA (American Institute of Architects) chapter

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: interior designers and general contractors.

    Architects and the plans they draw. For trades, this is where your product gets named in the drawings before bidding starts.

    Monthly $500–$2,000/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  5. 05

    Your city or county chamber of commerce

    Chamber of commerce

    Your partners are in this room: electricians, community association managers, 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 →
  6. 06

    NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry)

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: general contractors and remodeling contractors.

    Good for certification and finding subs. One exception: remodelers and specialty trades here really do hire each other.

    Monthly $500–$2,000/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  7. 07

    Supply house counter days & contractor breakfasts

    Vendor & supply chain

    Your partners are in this room: electricians, general contractors, and plumbers.

    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
  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 smart home and AV integrators, 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 smart home & av integrator 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 smart home and AV integrators, 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: Smart Home & AV Integrator

The five people who should be sending you clients

  1. Interior Designer (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel
  2. Electrician (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel
  3. Community Association Manager (HOA / Condo) (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel
  4. General Contractor (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a homeowner decides to remodel
  5. Security Systems (Two-way)
    Shared trigger: somebody buys a house

The three rooms to be in

  1. Local home builders association (NAHB affiliate): Your partners are in this room: interior designers, general contractors, and cabinet and countertop companies.
  2. Commercial contractors association (AGC / ABC): Your partners are in this room: electricians, general contractors, and plumbers.
  3. Distributor & showroom trade nights: Your partners are in this room: interior designers, window and door installers, and remodeling contractors.