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Water & Storm Damage Restoration: 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 restoration contractors 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 restoration contractors, who else gets a call that same week?

Restoration contractors sell to both individuals and businesses, and most of the work starts when a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking. It is usually an emergency, so whoever is trusted at that moment gets the call. Most clients buy once, so the flow of new names is the whole business.

What starts the work
  • Water damage / leakwhen a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking
  • Storm damagewhen a named storm comes through
  • Building system failurewhen the AC dies, a pipe fails, or something in the building stops working
  • Lawsuit or claimwhen somebody gets sued
Block one

Who should be sending you clients

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

  1. 01

    Community Association Manager (HOA / Condo)

    They send you work
    88

    Trigger: a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking

    Community association managers hear about it when a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  2. 02

    Insurance Property & Casualty

    They send you work
    86

    Trigger: a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking

    P&C insurance agents hear about it when a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  3. 03

    Commercial Property Manager

    They send you work
    84

    Trigger: a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking

    Commercial property managers hear about it when a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  4. 04

    Facility Manager

    They send you work
    83

    Trigger: a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking

    Facility managers hear about it when a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  5. 05

    Public Adjuster

    They send you work
    78

    Trigger: a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking

    Public adjusters hear about it when a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  6. 06

    Property Manager (Residential)

    Two-way
    74

    Trigger: a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking

    You and residential property managers both get the call when a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  7. 07

    Plumber

    Two-way
    70

    Trigger: a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking

    You and plumbers both get the call when a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  8. 08

    Roofing Contractor

    Two-way
    67

    Trigger: a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking

    You and roofers both get the call when a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  9. 09

    Septic & Drain Services

    Two-way
    64

    Trigger: a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking

    You and septic and drain companies both get the call when a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  10. 10

    Restaurant / Food Service

    They send you work
    63

    Trigger: the AC dies, a pipe fails, or something in the building stops working

    Restaurants hear about it when the AC dies, a pipe fails, or something in the building stops working, 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

CAI (Community Associations Institute)

Your partners are in this room: community association managers and public adjusters.

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.

Your partners' association 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

    CAI (Community Associations Institute)

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: community association managers and public adjusters.

    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 →
  2. 02

    CAI chapter trade show & expo

    Event or trade show

    Your partners are in this room: community association managers and public adjusters.

    Hundreds of association managers and board members walking a vendor floor, there to find vendors. One of the few trade shows where a booth actually pays off.

    Annual $500–$2,000/yr ~2 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  3. 03

    Independent Insurance Agents (Big I)

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: P&C insurance agents and public adjusters.

    Insurance agents. They get the first call after almost any damage, and they talk to the client every year at renewal.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  4. 04

    Your city or county chamber of commerce

    Chamber of commerce

    Your partners are in this room: community association managers, P&C insurance agents, and commercial property managers.

    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 →
  5. 05

    IREM (Institute of Real Estate Management)

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: commercial property managers and residential 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 →
  6. 06

    LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities

    Online community

    Your partners are in this room: P&C insurance agents, facility managers, and residential property managers.

    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 →
  7. 07

    Software & platform user groups

    Vendor & supply chain

    Your partner is in this room: 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
  8. 08

    Manufacturer training & certification days

    Vendor & supply chain

    Your partners are in this room: plumbers and roofers.

    Training you need anyway, in a room with the rep who decides which contractor gets the warranty calls in your area.

    Quarterly Free ~3 hrs/month

Let us be straight with you. For restoration contractors, 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 water & storm damage restoration 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 restoration contractors, 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: Water & Storm Damage Restoration

The five people who should be sending you clients

  1. Community Association Manager (HOA / Condo) (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking
  2. Insurance Property & Casualty (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking
  3. Commercial Property Manager (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking
  4. Facility Manager (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking
  5. Public Adjuster (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: a pipe bursts or a roof starts leaking

The three rooms to be in

  1. CAI (Community Associations Institute): Your partners are in this room: community association managers and public adjusters.
  2. CAI chapter trade show & expo: Your partners are in this room: community association managers and public adjusters.
  3. Independent Insurance Agents (Big I): Your partners are in this room: P&C insurance agents and public adjusters.