Power Teams: Grouping Professions That Share the Same Customers

Think about what happens when someone buys a house in the West Valley. Within a few months they might need an inspector, a mortgage lender, an insurance agent, a mover, a handyman, an HVAC tune-up, a pest control service and maybe a new set of windows. That one customer touches a dozen businesses.

Now imagine those dozen businesses actually knew each other, trusted each other and passed that customer along at the right moment. That is a power team.

What is a power team?

A power team is a small group of professionals who serve the same type of customer but do not compete with each other. Because BNI chapters hold only one seat per profession, every chapter naturally contains several of these groups waiting to be organized.

The key is that the members share customers, not services. A real estate agent and a moving company sell completely different things, but they meet the same people at the same moment in life.

Common power teams

Here are a few groupings that show up in most chapters:

• Home buying and selling: real estate agent, lender, title or escrow, home inspector, insurance agent, mover, cleaning service
• Home improvement: general contractor, electrician, plumber, HVAC, roofer, windows and doors, flooring, painter
• Business services: accountant, attorney, business banker, insurance, IT support, marketing, printing, payroll or benefits
• Health and wellness: chiropractor, massage therapist, fitness coach, nutritionist
• Events and celebrations: caterer, photographer, florist, venue, DJ, printer

You can belong to more than one. An insurance agent might sit on the home buying team and the business services team.

Why power teams work

Power teams make referrals easier for a few reasons:

• Timing. When one member lands a client, the others are often needed right after. A roofer who just finished a job knows the homeowner may need gutters or solar next.
• Trust transfers. A homeowner who loves their electrician is likely to call whoever the electrician recommends.
• Shared language. Members learn exactly what a good lead looks like for each other, so referrals get sharper.
• Two-way flow. Because the customers overlap, referrals tend to move in both directions instead of one.

How to build a power team in your chapter

You do not need a formal process. Start small.

1. List your customer's journey. Write down what your client needs before they hire you, while they work with you and after you are done.
2. Match those needs to people in the room. Circle the members who serve those needs.
3. Book one-to-ones. Sit down with each of them. Ask who their best customer is and what triggers a need for their service.
4. Meet as a group. Once you have three to five members, get together once a month to talk about current clients and upcoming projects.
5. Track what happens. Notice which partnerships are producing referrals and invest more time there.

Make it about the customer

The best power teams keep the customer at the center. The goal is not to push business around for its own sake. It is to make sure the person who trusted you gets connected to someone who will treat them just as well.

When you refer within a power team, ask yourself:

• Is this person actually ready for this service?
• Do I trust this member to follow up quickly?
• Have I explained why I am connecting them?

If the answer to all three is yes, you are giving a referral that helps everyone.

Fill the gaps

As you map your power team, you will probably spot missing professions. That gap is an opportunity. Think about who you know in that line of work and invite them to visit. A strong power team helps the chapter grow, and a growing chapter makes every power team stronger.

Start this week

Pick one customer type you serve and list five businesses that serve the same person. Then look around the room on Thursday and see how many are already there.

Curious which power teams have an open seat? Visit BNI A1 Networkers any Thursday at 7:00 AM at Brothers Family Restaurant in Peoria. Plan your visit.