Changing Lives Through Referrals

Here at Nexstar, the highest praise we can hope to receive occurs when a current member reaches out to refer a prospective member. It tells us we’re all doing something right. A referral also strengthens our collective membership – we all win when we gain new knowledge, connections, and ideas from another excellent business in the residential skilled trades.

For our members, the best – and most rewarding – part of paying it forward and offering a referral to Nexstar, is this: when their referred prospective member joins our network, they’ll have handed them the tools they need to change their business, change their relationships, and change their lives for the better.

Today, many of our member companies were referred into Nexstar by other members. We thought it would be interesting to learn a little more about how referrals work and the many benefits of doing so.

Q: How does a current Nexstar member refer a prospective member?

A: There are a few ways referrals can work:

1. Direct the owner (or leader of the prospective shop) to Nexstar’s public website (www.nexstarnetwork.com/contact), where they can fill out an inquiry form online and quickly book an introductory call. Make sure they include the current member’s name as a referral.
2. Share your prospective member’s contact information with Nexstar’s new member sales team:
   • Graig Kosidowski, New Member Sales, at 651-789-8550 or [email protected]
   • George Stiles, New Member Sales, at 612-730-2107 or [email protected]

Q: Why are referrals so important?

A: “Referrals speak volumes,” says Jamie Menier, Nexstar’s Membership Sales Coordinator. “When a member knows about something – Nexstar – that’s impacted their life and changed the trajectory of their company, and they turn around and share that with fellow contractors, it just speaks volumes. That prospective member now knows that joining Nexstar is the first step towards achieving their goals for their company.”

Graig Kosidowski, who serves Nexstar Network members as Manager of New Member Sales, has observed how powerful referrals are in strengthening Nexstar’s membership.

“With Nexstar, a member-owned organization, referrals are vital,” he offers. “As our member businesses thrive with the support of the incomparable resources Nexstar offers, current members have a unique opportunity to influence future member selection. They get to choose who they want in their network. They also have an incredible opportunity to impact the lives of future members’ employees, and their employees’ families. After all, our members are the boots on the ground in their communities, so their voices are essential for recommending like-minded contractors who resonate with Nexstar’s goals and values. Each time we add a stellar Nexstar member, the strength and success of our shared membership grows.”

Q: What happens when a prospective member is referred to Nexstar?

A: First, we’ll check to see if the prospective member is in a location with available Nexstar memberships, or in an open market. Nexstar only allows a certain number of memberships in an area at one time. Sometimes, the area where the prospective member operates is in a place where there are currently no new memberships available. In that case, the prospective member will not be able to join Nexstar until a spot opens up.

Next, we’ll look to see if the prospective member meets certain benchmarks for memberships. Nexstar is designed to grow residential HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical businesses, but we want to make sure a prospective member is at a level with their business where Nexstar could be useful.

When everything is in place for a referred prospective member, they may then choose to join Nexstar. If they join, the referring member earns distinction as a Life-Changer for bringing a business owner into the membership. It’s called being a Life-Changer because that’s what they’ve done: paid it forward by changing the life of an owner.

But that’s not all…Life-Changers impact the life of that owner’s family; of their employees; of the families of those employees. As that member business experiences exponential growth, they’ll provide more jobs in their area and offer service, opportunities, and sponsorship to community members.

It’s not about changing one person’s life. A Nexstar membership changes countless lives.

Read firsthand these compelling quotes that underscore the benefit of Nexstar’s referral program: