Join a Leads Group

How many times have you heard someone ask, “Do you know a good attorney? Dentist? Accountant? Chiropractor?” It happens all the time. For just this reason, a number of groups have emerged to keep professionals and business owners in contact with one another, and stimulate the exchange of leads.

Most professional leads groups will only accept one member from each industry or professional group. For example, an optometrist who belongs to a leads group can be assured that he/she is the only optometrist in that particular chapter or club. This prevents conflicts from occurring when a member brings a lead to a group where two or more people provide the same product or service.

The format of most leads group meetings is similar. There is typically a welcome by the club president or other executive officer, followed by 30-second or 1-minute “mini-commercials” given by each member. Then there is a slightly longer “program”, during which one member does a more detailed introduction to their business, and explains the type of lead that would be best for him/her. Sometime during the meeting, leads are formally passed to members using pre-printed lead sheets.

There are several leads groups that have grown to international proportion, and boast hundreds of chapters with thousands of members. Some of the more popular leads groups include Business Network International (bni.com) and LeTip (letip.com).
A benefit of joining a well-organized group like this is that, if you travel for business, you can often contact chapter presidents for the cities you are visiting, and arrange to attend as a guest. Provided that what you offer can be sold to people in this new area, this lets you extend your trading area into new regions.