Bridging Gaps - The Business Podcast: In Conversation with Anne Renshaw Season 1 Episode 01
In this interview, Anne and I speak about her current business - Flamme Rouge, how it started, where the name came from and she shares how she ensures feeling confident when networking.
Extract of the Summarised Transcript - the full transcript is available at bridgeroadconsultants.com/podcast.
What is a key referrer network?
A small group of people that you establish a relationship with to enable referrals in both directions.
How do I set one up?
Go through the people and businesses that you do have referral relationships with and look at where the real opportunities lie, where there are people with a really great client bank and where there are people that you really get on with.
Bring your list of referrers to three or four key relationships that, if you give them five referrals, instead of the one, you're more likely to get them back.
Part of having referrer relationships is really getting to know the referrer. Having lines of communication so that it's as easy as possible for them to refer to you and indeed, for you to refer to them so that they then reciprocate. You can't do that with lots of referrers.
It's much easier just to have a small number of referrers that you can really get to know well and then the referrals will start coming through.
Do my referrers need to be professionals?
No - it can work across many industries. Seek the type of business where they are a good ambassador for you and have people in their network that can refer people to you.
Networking can be hard - how can I overcome my fears?
Are you able to give any tips on how to make networking less daunting? (6:56)
When you think, everyone else is great at networking and I'm not:-(
Anne says...
Remember at all times that probably 90 percent of the people in that room are feeling exactly the same way as you do. A lot of people feel quite worried about networking. Sometimes you can walk into that room feeling I'm the only person that feels this way and you're absolutely not.
When you think that you're really nervous about networking
Anne says...
I do a lot of networking, but I still get very nervous when I go into rooms. So I have what I call my little networking persona called Confident Anne, and I get to the door sometimes feeling very nervous but I become Confident Anne.
I walk into the room and I put a big smile on my face.
For the first five minutes, I go in and talk to people, force myself to look like this confident person.
Once you've got over the first five minutes, you'll become that person anyway and you'll suddenly realize that it's really not that bad and that everyone was feeling that way and it will be a great experience.
When you say, I hate walking into a room full of people.
Anne says...
Go to a networking event early.
It's so much easier to get there when there's only a few people. Then as people come in, you'll naturally be introduced to them.
This is much easier than walking into a room full of people where there's already conversations in flow.
When you say, I am not interested in the questions I think I should ask.
Anne says...
Ask questions that you're actually interested in about that person. There is no point in asking them 'What do you think of the state of the economy?' if you're not really interested. It will show!
There's nothing wrong with asking 'How's your year been so far in business?' or 'Have you got any holidays planned?'
When you wonder, what should I ask?
Anne says...
Ask them about themselves.
Lots of people want to speak about themselves since to talk to people about themselves is the easiest thing you can do and really if you're the kind of person just to talk to people about not necessarily the nitty gritty of their business but stuff to do with them as well.
It's quite a good place to start because you don't need to know what industry they're in and you don't need to know where they are in the company they are in. You are showing an interest an them as a person which is a good a thing to do.
How did you find the transition from working the corporate world to running Flamme Rouge? (10:26)
Wow, there are so many different things that I've experienced. Firstly being, owning your own business is just amazing in many, many ways. Every time you win a new client, you just, it's you and you're just so joyful that somebody has picked you and trusted you with their business and has trusted you to be able to help them take their business forward. And that's the fantastic aspect to it.
Even now when I win a new client, it's just a feeling like no other really.