By Drew Miller

Hello Agenda Readers,

My name is Drew Miller. I have been a business owner since 2003 and have learned that my business prospers when I create relationships with my customers and clients. My business isn’t brick and mortar, so I rely on networking and creating personal relationships to build my business.

I am thrilled at the opportunity to help you create new possibilities through successful business networking. I will be bringing you helpful hints to increase your business and positively affect your life along the way.

With this first article, I would like to create a road map of what you can look forward to.

My goals with this column are:
• To shed some light on some personal qualities that will bring you respect in your field and your life.
• To give you suggestions that will help you navigate through networking and strengthen your abilities to communicate.
• To give you some ideas that will help you create possibilities in your life where you have felt limitations.

Hint:
Networking is an art, not a science. Some people believe networking is a numbers game. Scientifically speaking, the more contacts you make, the more business you can get. The art of networking, however, is about building relationships and making connections. The trick is to leverage both the science AND the art.

Think about your definition of networking. Think about the successful people you respect in business. Go ahead and ask them for ideas and suggestions on how you can hone the art of networking. You will be amazed at how many people want to help. These are the people in your life who can help you succeed. These are the relationships that will strengthen your business.

Recently, I attended a networking event with about 25 people. At that event, I spoke with about 5 people. Not all were good contacts for me, but I did take the time to get to know each of them.
The first person I spoke with taught me a little bit about advertising on buses. That reminded me of Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex and the City” with her pink ballerina skirt. I turned out to be a good contact for them. Since I know a thing or two about the networking functions in the area, I was able to guide them to events that best suited their business. I made a connection, helped someone else and am pretty confident they will remember me if they need my services or run into someone else that does.

Next, I met a Bookkeeper. Bookkeep-ing businesses are always good for me because they are excellent contacts for my merchant account business. They usually have numerous contacts and have a strong influence over these decisions with their own clients. We shared mutual leads and discussed how she networks her business. She was interested in broadening her networking visibility and I suggested a leads group which she joined. Again, I made a connection, helped someone who can help me and I built a new relationship.

While speaking to a financial planner, we discovered we went to high school together. We had not seen each other in years and it was nice to rekindle an old friendship. Past associations and introductions from mutual friends are the easiest connections to make and to remember. The connection is based on more than just business. It’s personal. The more personal the connection, the stronger the connection.
These are just a few examples of how I use networking to grow my business. We all need to create a beautiful realm of possibilities to further our business and have a successful life. Remember, it’s an art as much as it is a science. Now go and create a new possibility.

Networking Events for April:

The Greater Fort Lauderdale
Chamber of Commerce Business Afterhours – Presented by Women’s Council
April 7, 2011, 5 pm – 7 pm
Hospice by the Sea, Inc.
1200 East Las Olas Boulevard Suite 203
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

BIZ PERKS
April 8, 2011, 8 am – 9:30 am
Covelli Enterprises / Panera Bread
5975 N. Federal Hwy.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308

Non-Profit Committee Meeting
April 13, 2011, 9:30 am – 10:30 am
Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce
512 NE 3rd Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

GLBX Afterhours
April 14, 2011,5:30 pm – 7 pm
PC Lauderdale
279 East Oakland Park Blvd.
Oakland Park, FL 33334

New Member Orientation
April 15, 2011, 8 am – 9 am
Greater Ft Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce
512 NE 3rd Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

Net@Noon
April 22, 2011, 11:30 am – 1 pm
Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce
512 NE 3rd Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

Downtown Council Breakfast
April 28, 2011, 8 am – 9:30 am
Tower Club Atop Regions Bank Bldg
100 Southeast Third Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33394

GLBX Afterhours
April 28, 2011, 7 pm
The Crexent Building
2881 East Oakland Park Boulevard
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33306

BPG Business Professional Group
Meets every Thursday morning from 8 am to 9 am
4351 NE 12 Terrace
Oakland Park Florida
Location: Hugh’s Catering

Drew Miller is a business and networking consultant. He can be contacted at Drew@DrewMiller.biz.