Nancy Chin Wagner

Here’s What You Don’t Know About Networking That Could Change Your Game

harrison — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 16:10:51 +0000

During the Pandemic of 2020, our normal is no longer viable. Most people are working remotely from home and digitally with virtual meetings such as Zoom. Many of us still have a fear of word networking. Is our mindset stuck on the fear of attending events, trying to connect and mingle, grab some business cards and call it a day? We are still in a global pandemic, there are no networking events, no entertainment, or family gatherings, and there is still a fear for many to venture out. Since we cannot not physically network or meet people face to face, perhaps we can capitalize on the benefits of digital networking and avoid some of our fears about networking in-person. Am I correct?

Research has repeatedly shown that an individual’s success and work performance are driven by the quality of their personal networks. Forming those networks however, can be easy for some and significantly harder for others. Having to juggle in-person meetings, social etiquette, personal appearance, and conversations with other professionals made pre-Covid networking a worrisome experience for some people.

Here are four tips to make online networking easier than in-person networking:

Pay attention to your on-camera appearance. Testing your video and audio before a networking event is helpful because it may highlight some ways you can improve your on-camera appearance. If its too dark, you might want to turn on a light or add a lamp. If your microphone is crackly you may want to try a different headset or webcam. First impressions matter!
Take it easy, you’re at home! Being nervous meeting new people is natural, however overcoming that to be confident in these situations is highly beneficial. Take advantage of your surroundings, perhaps try a breathing exercise before the event to calm your nerves, make your favorite drink to enjoy during the event, or even change into some comfortable PJ-bottoms if that makes you feel better.
Network beyond your physical location. Thanks to the internet, we can connect with people anywhere. Take advantage of this by participating in networking and industry events that happen online. You might meet people from all over, and regardless of their physical location, those connections you make could be useful to you and them!
Lean on online networking tools. Tools like LinkedIn have been a staple in the networking community, and with online networking, its even easier! After you meet someone in a video call you would like to connect with, send them a LinkedIn request after the event with a customized message reminding them of who you are, where you met, and that you would like to connect.

Professional networks are adding many ways to connect with people, build relationships, exchange ideas, and create an extraordinary life. Those who have the skills and character to create value with others will prosper the most. This is a game changer. Will you be taking action to pivot your business?

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It’s About Listening

Nancy Chin-Wagner — Wed, 16 Jan 2019 20:37:26 +0000

Listening is not as easy as one thinks it is. Few people can listen well. It is one of the most important skills when you are networking. When you listen to the other person, you show an interest, and you are interested in what they have to say about their business. The person will start to be more open and share information with you. The start of a business relationship is trust, if it is the right connection. Your interest and listening to the other person will build trust through time.

Remember, you have two ears and one mouth. Listening is twice as important as talking. Believe me, I had to learn about this skill and work at it. Best thing is to listen and really hear what they are saying to you. What is their passion? Why do they do what they want to do? Maybe they “think” they love what they are doing and do not know how to go about it. This is where you hone in on your listening skills to ask the right questions. Bring them out, clarify what they are saying, and find out what holding them back, or why are they having writer’s block, etc. Listen and peel those onions skin layers away. Really dig deep and listen to what they are saying! You will be doing a great service and you may learn something from the other person, you didn’t know!

Take action and work on Listening at your next networking event.

Happy Connections!

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2018 The Poppy Lady

Nancy Chin-Wagner — Wed, 02 May 2018 21:14:18 +0000

Memorial Day – May 28th, 2018

The wearing of the Red Poppies in honor of soldiers who have fallen was the idea of a woman, Miss Moina Michael, the poppy lady. Mona Belle Michael was on duty at the YMCA Overseas War Secretaries’ HQ in New York. There was a reading room there where soldiers, friends and families met to say their goodbyes before the soldiers were deployed overseas.

A soldier left a Ladies Home Journal magazine on her desk. She found a few moments and found a poem that was inspiring to her. It was entitled “We Shall Not Sleep” and John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields” was an alternative to the above poem. She was inspired by the last verse:

Take up our quarrel with the foe

To you from Failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, through poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Mona decided to “keep the faith.” She titled a poem she pledged “We Shall Keep the Faith.”

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields

Sleep sweet-to rise anew?

We caught the torch you threw

And holding high, we keep the Faith

With All who died.

Moina set flowers in the rooms where she worked. A few men wanted to give her $10 as an appreciation to brighten up the place. She went out and bought 25 red poppies with the money. She showed the poem “In Flanders Fields” with her response of “We Shall Keep the Faith.” Poppies are worn in remembrance for all who died in Flanders Fields.

The Miracle Flower is the story of the Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy, by Moina Michael.

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Steve Jobs and the Seven Rules of Success

Nancy Chin-Wagner — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 02:46:49 +0000

BY Carmine Gallo | October 14, 2011
Original Article: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220515
Steve Jobs’ impact on your life cannot be overestimated. His innovations have likely touched nearly every aspect — computers, movies, music and mobile. As a communications coach, I learned from Jobs that a presentation can, indeed, inspire. For entrepreneurs, Jobs’ greatest legacy is the set of principles that drove his success.
Over the years, I’ve become a student of sorts of Jobs’ career and life. Here’s my take on the rules and values underpinning his success. Any of us can adopt them to unleash our “inner Steve Jobs.”
1. Do what you love. Jobs once said, “People with passion can change the world for the better.” Asked about the advice he would offer would-be entrepreneurs, he said, “I’d get a job as a busboy or something until I figured out what I was really passionate about.” That’s how much it meant to him. Passion is everything.
2. Put a dent in the universe. Jobs believed in the power of vision. He once asked then-Pepsi President, John Sculley, “Do you want to spend your life selling sugar water or do you want to change the world?” Don’t lose sight of the big vision.
3. Make connections. Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss. He took calligraphy classes that didn’t have any practical use in his life — until he built the Macintosh. Jobs traveled to India and Asia. He studied design and hospitality. Don’t live in a bubble. Connect ideas from different fields.
4. Say no to 1,000 things. Jobs was as proud of what Apple chose not to do as he was of what Apple did. When he returned in Apple in 1997, he took a company with 350 products and reduced them to 10 products in a two-year period. Why? So he could put the “A-Team” on each product. What are you saying “no” to?
5. Create insanely different experiences. Jobs also sought innovation in the customer-service experience. When he first came up with the concept for the Apple Stores, he said they would be different because instead of just moving boxes, the stores would enrich lives. Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand. What are you doing to enrich the lives of your customers?
6. Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can’t communicate your ideas, it doesn’t matter. Jobs was the world’s greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one presentation.
7. Sell dreams, not products. Jobs captured our imagination because he really understood his customer. He knew that tablets would not capture our imaginations if they were too complicated. The result? One button on the front of an iPad. It’s so simple, a 2-year-old can use it. Your customers don’t care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions. Jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their dreams, you’ll win them over.
There’s one story that I think sums up Jobs’ career at Apple. An executive who had the job of reinventing the Disney Store once called up Jobs and asked for advice. His counsel? Dream bigger. I think that’s the best advice he could leave us with. See genius in your craziness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those ideas.

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Author Beth Hayden on Pinterest: Marketing your business through Pinterest

Nancy Chin-Wagner — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 07:41:35 +0000

Author and Speaker Beth Hayden who wrote a best selling book, Pinfluence: The Complete Guide to Marketing your Business with Pinterest.
You’ve heard about Pinterest, now listen to the Beth as she tells you how to market your business through this social media medium and connect with your clients! It’s more than posting recipes, artwork, favorite items and sharing. Don’t know much about Pinterest? How about bringing more traffic to your website, increase business exposure, and market through Pinterest? Now is the time to get down to business!
An opportunity not to be missed! We will have heavy appetizers, presentation, and cash bar at happy hour pricing during this meeting. Stay after to network even more!

http://powerconnectionspinterest.eventbrite.com

Online Price: $25 plus small service fee from EventBrite
Walk-ins: $30.00 – Credit cards and checks payable to Nancy Chin-Wagner, LLC accepted.

See you at PowerConnections on Wednesday, November 28th 2012 at 5:30PM!
Nancy Chin-Wagner
Building Success through PowerConnections!

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Never "Park and Dump"

Nancy Chin-Wagner — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:22:08 +0000

Another classic networking faux pas… “park and dump”. Give people a chance to connect before you walk away.

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How NOT to Network

Nancy Chin-Wagner — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 22:57:18 +0000

This is a fantastic video that exemplifies all the things not to do when networking. Enjoy!

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