Carrie, my El Molino alum, I belong to a group called the Sonoma County Executive Association. We are a chapter of the Executive Association which has clubs all over the nation. I’ve never received a referral from anyone in another “exec’s” group but others in my group have. So I don’t think being with a national organization is a big deal. You may wish to check the web site. http://www.ieaweb.com/ and see if a chapter exists where you are. If not you may wish to start one!
We meet every Wednesday morning from 7:00am to 8:30am. We usually have a “Spotlight” where a member speaks on their business in more depth. We all fill out leads sheets and network for leads. This is NOT a service club. We are not here to change the world but get leads!! We are guaranteed exclusivity for all categories. I am the only Residential Realtor in the group. This year I have closed 8 units at an average brokerage fee of $12,000. (This IS California remember!). I have been in this group for over 10 years and replaced a husband and wife team who were Iconic legends in our marketplace.
I use all the members for all of my business and client needs. Our roster I give to all of my other Realtor friends as the businesses associated with this group are all long established and perform.
You can start your own very easily. I believe I still have your email address so if you wish I can email you an outline on how to start your own "Leads" group. Walter Sanford used to talk about his "Diamond Club" which is a "leads" group. There are national franchised groups such as "LeTip" but you really don't need a national presence to start one. I can't recommend them enough!

Sat Nov 24 2007, 13:30

Hi Carrie,
I belong to a networking group that meets once every two weeks. The group is limited to one person per profession and includes construction, computer networking, web design, mortgage pro, promotional product sales, financial planning, a moving company, CPA, attorney, development coach, and a few others. Each meeting, every individual gives a 3 minute intro and one person has the spotlight for an in depth discusssion of their business. That person brings the coffee, bagels, and muffins. :-)

Sat Nov 24 2007, 09:16

There are a lot of networking groups around. I belong to a networking group http://www.northbaybiz.org , Northbay Business Connection, and we meet twice a month.

In our group, we have one of each profession, Realtor, Mortgage Broker, Title Company, Contractor, Computer Networking, Physical Therapist, Coaching, Chamber of Commerce Organizer, Graphic Designer, CPA, Real Estate Lawyer, etc.

We will introduce ourselves and have a key speaker for the day to talk about topics related to their specific field and then Q and A session The meeting is during lunch and usually lasts 1+ hour.

We try to give each other referrals but we are not an exclusive group, meaning we give referrals when the situation fits but are not required to give referrals exclusively to each other. The atmosphere is casual by design.

Hope this helps.
Sylvia

Sat Nov 24 2007, 09:07

You might find professional groups meeting locally in Active Rain.

Sat Nov 24 2007, 06:50

Hi Carrie: Palace Properties International has key partner brokerage firms throughout the USA and Europe. However, we have yet to set up an official meeting schedule. Maybe we should set-up a schedule for regular meetings. What did you have in mind? What are you interested in?
Best,
Mark Palace, CEO/Founder
Palace Properties International, Inc.
www.PalacePropertiesOnline.com
321.773.5611
321.704.9305

Sat Nov 24 2007, 06:25