Francis Smookler on Networking in Miami

Starting a career as a businessman or businesswoman does not come easy. The competition in the 21st century is so ruthless that entrepreneurs must practically invent something new to get proper recognition. Under that kind of pressure from unresting competition luring form the shadows, one must always look for ways to expand and solidify their position. A very simple to achieve this is successful networking.

Speaking in technical terms, networking is an umbrella that will cover any mutually-beneficial relationship formed between people with aligned professional interests. In plain English, it stands for "I help you, you help me". Although it may seem like something that does not really require supplementary explanations, networking is one of the most difficult concepts for anyone who does not have prolonged experience under their belt. So, why is that the case?

Francis Smookler is a commercial lender that has been successful in his career for the past two decades. If one was forced to attribute Smookler's success to a single factor, they would have to discuss his in-depth knowledge of proper networking. Thus, the first insight that he provides is that networking will always come with the territory. Of course, that does not mean that two people trying to network with each other in Miami will make attempts to overtake one another's respective possessions. It simply means that parties involved will have to bring something of value to the table. This is often seen in the world of accounting where interns are recruited from local universities as explained below.

For example, when college students get approached by large employers, they are not being sought our for their experience as it is non-existent in most cases. But the reason why humongous, billion-dollar firms like Deloitte or PricewaterhouseCoopers will spend months expanding their student network at the University of Miami, per se, is because they are attempting to trade intern positions for fresh energy. That is the same way that Francis Smookler would trade his never-ending knowledge about the field of investing with other people's insight in the fields of finance or applicable laws.

The benefits of proper networking are meant to be long-term. Once again, large employers who network with less-specialized entities often do so because they aim to convert them to employees that will be with their company for a long time. This is where one has to be careful about the way they conduct any and all of their events that attract networking opportunities. Opening the doors to numerous parties that provide no future interest to the organizer is not optimal. To simplify with a scenario, a marketing consultant looking to increase his client base should not create a formal event where he will invite people that never need any marketing services. On the contrary, that type of event should consist of his associates, practice partners, and people who may need his help in the distant future.

Next, one who knows how to network can expect to have more friends than they may know what to do with. This is a benefit because it will help them with issues during their career that may overstep the boundaries of professional and formal. For example, if a person from Miami was involved in the latest disaster caused by a hurricane that stormed the area, they may be eligible to talk with someone from their large network and see if aid can be provided. Although most cases are not so dramatic, the point stands. Having a solid network makes it easy to get a hold of state-of-the-art resources or discuss common problems and combine efforts to solve them.

Ultimately, what makes networking so essential is the fact that it can be done anywhere. Going back to the case of Francis Smookler, who is known to be an avid golfer, it would come as no surprise to see him expanding his network with other professionals on a golf course. Likewise, people located in Miami could, theoretically, start networking anywhere from a small restaurant in the downtown to a large beach on the coastline of the city. The individual who wants to network must simply begin the conversation and look for common goals between the parties involved. Then, those common goals can be explored and established as the grounds for future partnered operations.

Thus, the bottom line clarifies that one will have to work very hard to maintain a status of relevancy in the business world. As described, doing so through networking is not impossible and it comes with numerous benefits. Besides obtaining connections that will serve a lifetime, people who know how to network can expand their circle of friends. Most importantly, this is not exactly a perishable skill. That means that a person who learns how to grow their own network will retain that skill for the rest of their professional career.