Part 2 of Marketing Tips for Consultants Series — B2M, Growth and Visibility for Niche Consultancies


Please join us for the second webinar in this series, presented by ‘Kahshanna Evans’, Director of Public Relations for Kissing Lions Public Relations.     Thursday, April 17th @11:00am (EDT) — Register (free) Here.
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“B2M, Growth and Visibility for Niche Consultancies.” 

Presenter’s Note: 
B2M, Growth and Visibility for Niche Consultancies will explore media strategy as it relates to visibility for owner operated small businesses and independent, highly specialized consultants. B2M will be introduced; a concept that will support small consultancies in better understanding essential steps for visibility as it relates to media and growth will be introduced. Topics will include content, social media, small business resources and media habits that support visibility. Estimated 40 minute presentation followed by a Zintro moderated Q&A. 

Thursday, April 17th @11:00am (EDT) — Register (free) Here

About Kahshanna Evans: 
Founder of Kissing Lions Public Relations, Kahshanna Evans, brings the skills she developed working for over a decade in communication, wellness, fashion and both sides of the camera to her approach to publicity and professionalism. Two decades of working closely with top names in film and television, advertising and fashion influence her sense of brand-telling for niche and emerging brands in business, design, wellness and philanthropy. Ms. Evans has recently launched PR in the Happiness Economy, an educational workshop with ongoing enrollment to help clients review media strategy. 

 

Seeking Experts to Work on Social Media Consulting Projects


Zintro  is a “Search and Connect Engine” that makes it easy for clients (expert-seekers) to find and connect with experts for projects (ranging from one half hour phone consults to multi-month on-site engagements). Some of the uses include:

▪   To engage in phone consults with experts for primary market research or to get challenging business or technical questions answered
▪   To source consultants or vendors for projects
▪   To identify candidates for full-time employment

Zintro has over 40,000 experts (browse) across every single industry sector. These experts have opted-in to receive system-matched inquiries from our almost 15,000 clients. Over 1,000 inquiries come in every month.

Zintro currently has numerous open projects related to the Social Media Industry.  A few of these projects are included below.  Click on the links below to see more detail about the projects

A SMALL SAMPLE OF ACTIVE  PROJECTS:

Digital Marketing And Strategy

Looking for an experienced digital marketing/social media expert to create a digital plan. Need to present innovative ideas to our customer that promtes our client’s brand and awareness…..more

Social Media Promotions

Non-Profit. Wanting help and direction for setting up and using facebook, youtube, bloggin and other avenues of social media to raise funds, develop projects, and stay in touch with supporters.

We are a start up and basically this is what we do.
We have purchased and rebuilt a shortwave transmitter. We transmit the bible in 7 languages all over the world 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with no commercials, no personalities, no false doctrines just a straight reading of the bible from cover to cover…..more

Social Media

seeking expert witness to testify at New Hampshire trial as to social media websites and cyberbullying…..more

HootSuite

We need an experienced social media manager (or team) for our fun and unique start-up social network website. You MUST be located in the US or Canada. We would prefer someone in the Pacific time zone, but it’s not a deal breaker. You must be a Hootsuite expert…..more

For Experts (client-seekers): Are you interested in marketing your services to Zintro’s Clients? It takes just a couple of minutes and is free to sign up as a Zintro Expert. Relevant projects will automatically be emailed to you. Click here to sign up.

For Clients (expert-seekers): In under 90 seconds, you can contact hundreds of relevant business or technical experts within any industry sector. Click here to post an Inquiry (free & anonymous).

Or, do you want to learn more about how Zintro works? Click here to view Zintro’s knowledge-base.

Zintro has experts in every industry sector, across every job function, in every geographic region. Recently, some of the following topics have seen a inquiry activity:

More on Resume Fraud


By Maureen Aylward

The CEO of Yahoo lied on his resume and was forced out. Several other high profile CEOs have done the same in industry and academia. We asked our Zintro experts to offer tools and ideas that boards of directors or company executives can use to research and combat resume fraud.
Don Richard, a healthcare services director and recruiter, says that people are waking up to the reality that the competition for top talent is here to stay. “Unfortunately, few have woken up to the reality that it is not as simple as once thought to trust the resumes of the individuals being considered for top posts in organizations,” he says. “As a recruiter, I have spent the last 12 years finding the best talent for clients, and I am still shocked when I hear stories like the dismissal of the Yahoo CEO for an oversight that seems so easily avoidable.”

Richard says that it may seem counterintuitive to think that paying a top recruiter can save a company money, but consider the cost of hiring the wrong employee. “An experienced recruiter brings years of expertise in evaluating human capital to the job and takes the time to research the historical background of each candidate,” says Richard. “The internet has made it easier to verify facts if you know where to look and take the time to conduct the research. That is where a trained nationally certified recruiter would be a great benefit.”

Warren Olson, a former high profile private investigator in Southeast Asia, says as a rule of thumb, he advises company directors/HR executives to take little notice of academic credentials until such time as you have made a shortlist of candidates. “At that stage, without exception, employers must validate all documentation by contacting the alleged issuing body directly and asking for confirmation,” he says. “In this day and age, fraudulent certification can be produced in moments. In South East Asia, fake copies often originating from Malaysia are identical to the real thing.”

Olson says that as a basic reference, ask the candidate to name his or her mentors. “You spend a number of years completing degrees and work closely with course mentors, so any legitimate graduate will know immediately who taught or coached them,” he says.

What do you think?

For Experts (client-seekers): Are you interested in marketing your services to Zintro’s Clients? It takes just a couple of minutes and is free to sign up as a Zintro Expert. Relevant projects will automatically be emailed to you. Click here to sign up.

For Clients (expert-seekers): In under 90 seconds, you can contact hundreds of relevant business or technical experts within any industry sector. Click here to post an Inquiry (free & anonymous).

Or, do you want to learn more about how Zintro works? Click here to view Zintro’s knowledge-base

Zintro has experts in every industry sector, across every job function, in every geographic region. Recently, some of the following topics have seen a inquiry activity:

Seeking Experts to Work on IT Software Consulting Projects


Zintro  is a “Search and Connect Engine” that makes it easy for clients (expert-seekers) to find and connect with experts for projects (ranging from one half hour phone consults to multi-month on-site engagements). Some of the uses include:

▪   To engage in phone consults with experts for primary market research or to get challenging business or technical questions answered
▪   To source consultants or vendors for projects
▪   To identify candidates for full-time employment

Zintro has over 40,000 experts (browse) across every single industry sector. These experts have opted-in to receive system-matched inquiries from our almost 15,000 clients. Over 1,000 inquiries come in every month.

Zintro currently has numerous open projects related to Food Industry.  A few of these projects are included below.  Click on the links below to see more detail about the projects

A SMALL SAMPLE OF ACTIVE  PROJECTS:

Network Management (SNMP)

Needs a customized SNMP course for 16-student within the next 1-2 months. Please see the requirements/course outline below and let me know if you have someone who can teach this class and has courseware (or need to develop it)….. more

Screen Capture Malware

Anti screen capture. Basically I want a solution for screen capture malware through software based keyloggers or hacking tools. Anything that can protect privacy while surfing so anybody….more

JIRA

I am operating a software development assembly line and look to hire a jira expert full time hire 40 hours a week to implement and maintain a complex jira workflow ….more

HTML, Javascript

I’m inserting a short javascript code into my html body of a webpage that was provided to me from my email database vendor. However, Dreamweaver 5.5 does not show anything after I insert the code and preview it in Firefox, Safari and IE. I have Windows 7 OS on my PC….more

 IT Business Acquisition

I am looking to acquire a small IT consulting firm in the Denver Colorado market space. IT Software development, consulting, ERM, CRM, Cloud Architecture developement, for implementation or functional….more

 

For Experts (client-seekers): Are you interested in marketing your services to Zintro’s Clients? It takes just a couple of minutes and is free to sign up as a Zintro Expert. Relevant projects will automatically be emailed to you. Click here to sign up.

For Clients (expert-seekers): In under 90 seconds, you can contact hundreds of relevant business or technical experts within any industry sector. Click here to post an Inquiry (free & anonymous).

Or, do you want to learn more about how Zintro works? Click here to view Zintro’s knowledge-base.

Zintro has experts in every industry sector, across every job function, in every geographic region. Recently, some of the following topics have seen a inquiry activity:

How to tackle resume fraud


By Maureen Aylward

The CEO of Yahoo lied on his resume and was forced out. Several other high profile CEOs have done the same in industry and academia. We asked our Zintro experts to offer tools and ideas that boards of directors or company executives can use to research and combat resume fraud.

Martin Dirks, an expert in investment management, says that any organization as large as Yahoo could easily contract with a vendor that focuses on background checks. “This would be the most efficient approach for them. Smaller companies can simply use the time-proven approach of calling the most important organizations on an individual’s resume to verify education or work experience,” he says. “People’s behavior is usually consistent. Past behavior is most predictive of future behavior; an individual that commits resume fraud has a higher probability of committing other employment fraud. It is foolish to assume that resume fraud could not happen. The modest expense to investigate resumes should be viewed as a cost of doing business.”

Jeffery Klink, an expert on fraud issues, says that resume fraud is all too common. “The average employer is likely to be defrauded again and again, unless safeguards are instituted that assure that what is claimed by the job applicant is true. I advise employers to assume that nothing is true on a resume, unless verified,” says Klink.  “There are many types of verification tools, but they need to include checking educational credentials either directly with a school or using third-party clearinghouses that sell data regarding degrees earned.”

Klink suggests that when checking employment experience, don’t rely on the reference provided by the applicant, but rather go straight to HR or another source inside a company, where possible. “When hiring for an important position, consider researching media records, bankruptcies, or other job-related data sources. I found that a CEO had falsified his job experience by finding a press release that had been issued from a prior employer. In all circumstances, play by the rules, don’t utilize social media sites, which are often wildly inaccurate, and don’t do searches that violate EEOC or other legal requirements,” he says.

What do you think?

For Experts (client-seekers): Are you interested in marketing your services to Zintro’s Clients? It takes just a couple of minutes and is free to sign up as a Zintro Expert. Relevant projects will automatically be emailed to you. Click here to sign up.

For Clients (expert-seekers): In under 90 seconds, you can contact hundreds of relevant business or technical experts within any industry sector. Click here to post an Inquiry (free & anonymous).

Or, do you want to learn more about how Zintro works? Click here to view Zintro’s knowledge-base

Zintro has experts in every industry sector, across every job function, in every geographic region. Recently, some of the following topics have seen a inquiry activity:

Seeking Experts To Work On Chemical Industry Consulting Projects


Zintro  is a “Search and Connect Engine” that makes it easy for clients (expert-seekers) to find and connect with experts for projects (ranging from one half hour phone consults to multi-month on-site engagements). Some of the uses include:

▪   To engage in phone consults with experts for primary market research or to get challenging business or technical questions answered
▪   To source consultants or vendors for projects
▪   To identify candidates for full-time employment

Zintro has over 40,000 experts (browse) across every single industry sector. These experts have opted-in to receive system-matched inquiries from our almost 15,000 clients. Over 1,000 inquiries come in every month.

Zintro currently has numerous open projects related to the Textile Industry.  A few of these projects are included below.  Click on the links below to see more detail about the projects

A SMALL SAMPLE OF ACTIVE  PROJECTS:

Agricultural Chemicals

I am looking to connect with one or more Agricultural Chemicals Experts for …..more

 Chemical Engineering

Looking for a reliability engineer for a chemical plant producing phenol and ….more

Global Chemical Sourcing

I am looking for a chemical sourcing expert to help provide expert analysis and insight into top performing chemical markets for a whitepaper my company is looking to publish. PIERS collects and publishes details on US waterborne imports and exports…..more

 Leather Chemicals

I am looking to connect with one or more Leather Chemicals …..more

For Experts (client-seekers): Are you interested in marketing your services to Zintro’s Clients? It takes just a couple of minutes and is free to sign up as a Zintro Expert. Relevant projects will automatically be emailed to you. Click here to sign up.

For Clients (expert-seekers): In under 90 seconds, you can contact hundreds of relevant business or technical experts within any industry sector. Click here to post an Inquiry (free & anonymous).

Or, do you want to learn more about how Zintro works? Click here to view Zintro’s knowledge-base.

Zintro has experts in every industry sector, across every job function, in every geographic region. Recently, some of the following topics have seen a inquiry activity:

US Midwest drought drives up costs and concerns


By Maureen Aylward

With the drought in the US Midwest continuing, we asked our Zintro experts about the repercussions and impacts for the agricultural economy in the US and globally as food prices rise.

As the worst drought in recent history sweeps across the US, its seismic impacts are reflected in soaring prices of corn and soybean in the past few weeks not only domestically but across the globe as well, says Raghavan Sampathkuma, an expert in agribusiness and agrimarketing. “As one of the major players in global agricultural production and trade, the US has greater and far-reaching impact in three fronts: food, feed and fuel,” he says.

Sampathkuma says that as other parts of the globe, including Europe and the Black Sea region, are experiencing tormenting weather patterns affecting wheat yields, it would not be surprising to see the world witnessing another crisis similar to 2008 that caused social and political unrest in many countries. “Lower global estimates of production and trade of wheat is bound to affect the world’s poorest as most of them depend on food aid. As the US is one of the major contributors to the global food aid, it would become increasingly difficult for it to balance its commitments,” he says. “The triple A’s of food (availability, affordability and accessibility) are important for all, but extremely critical for the economically weakest sections. Food security for two-thirds of the world’s population living in the developing world will become the biggest worry for those governments forcing them to take knee-jerk policy reactions such as export bans that may further distort the global trade.”

As the drought causes a significant reduction in yield and production of corn and soybean, the key inputs for animal feed, it pushes up food prices including meat and dairy products worldwide, notes Sampathkuma. “As this troubles the consumers, it equally affects the profitability of the industry. The worst affected will be the countries that are heavily dependent on US corn. In South East Asia, Vietnam imports over a million and a half tons of corn and any increase in the prices of US corn will impact the country’s livestock sector that is growing at about 9 percent annually. China’s insatiable appetite fuelled by its growing meat consumption will only worsen the crisis as it is another major importer of US corn,” he explains.

In regions like India, the fast growing animal protein sector will be facing a huge challenge to optimize their feed costs as domestic corn prices have risen by at least 15 percent in tandem with the prices in the US, says Sampathkuma. “Soybean prices also reflect similar upward trends in the domestic markets. Being highly-sensitive to feed costs, the livestock sector will be forced to substitute cheaper grains in place of corn causing prices of ingredients such as sorghum and other coarse cereals to rise. This may prompt the Indian government to announce a blanket ban on food exports including corn to stabilize the domestic prices,” he says.

Rising corn prices are sure to push up demand for other feed stocks for producing ethanol and will cause a surge in their prices. “The intense competition between food and fuel will result in global grain prices reaching a new high and trigger interest among the speculative investors who are waiting to jump in and cash in on the crisis. However, learning from the food crisis in 2008, the world could handle the crisis-like situation better,” he says.

Donald Nordeng, an expert in risk and sustainability, says there are several impacts:

1. Immediate and future price increases for commodities: corn, soybeans. “The model for this is the ethanol debacle. Drought in Australia, Brazil, Canada or China will radically affect food prices,” Nordeng says.

2. China is now a major importer as is Indonesia. “These economies are expanding and are larger than they were in 2007 with a bigger impact on prices than in 2007,” he says.

3. India’s inability to boost grain production. “While China and India are seen as mainly rice producing countries, in fact many areas in both rely on wheat for their staple. Wheat areas are gradually being eroded by heat in the US and will impact production,” Nordeng explains.

What do you think?

For Experts (client-seekers): Are you interested in marketing your services to Zintro’s Clients? It takes just a couple of minutes and is free to sign up as a Zintro Expert. Relevant projects will automatically be emailed to you. Click here to sign up.

For Clients (expert-seekers): In under 90 seconds, you can contact hundreds of relevant business or technical experts within any industry sector. Click here to post an Inquiry (free & anonymous).

Or, do you want to learn more about how Zintro works? Click here to view Zintro’s knowledge-base

Zintro has experts in every industry sector, across every job function, in every geographic region. Recently, some of the following topics have seen a inquiry activity

10,000 Hour Rule: Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 Hours of Practice Theory from Outliers Visualized


The value of expertise is something we spend a lot of time thinking about at Zintro. Having years (and thousands of hours) of dedicated focus and practice within a specific niche is obviously highly valuable and allows a person to have a unique, proprietary perspective on that niche (and usually highly valuable expertise). But how many hours is “enough” to achieve expertise status? One take on the subject we (and many others) found interesting was Malcolm Gladwell’s in the book Outliers where he popularized the theory that 10,000 hours of dedicated practice in a given field or area of expertise allows a person to become truly “expert”. We’ve created the infographic below to take a deeper look at this idea:

A visual representation of Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 Hour Rule

Obesity epidemic in the US: What to do?


By Maureen Aylward

One third of Americans are overweight and nearly a third of people under 20 are obese. We asked our Zintro experts to discuss the current leading ideas, approaches, or policies that are being developed to address the obesity epidemic in the US.
Sandra Ham, an expert in epidemiology and obesity, says that the obesity epidemic requires a systems approach because its causes and solutions are interrelated across multiple sectors of society including the food system, schools, the built environment, and healthcare system. “The environment in the US is obesogenic, meaning that it is easier to become obese than to maintain a healthy weight because unhealthy foods are cheaper than healthy foods and physical activity has been engineered out of everyday life, Ham says. “Current leading ideas and approaches target some key interactions between policy, the physical environment, social environment, healthcare system and individual behavior.”

Ham says that childhood obesity is the primary target for several reasons:

  • Overweight and obese kids are more likely to become obese adults than to become healthy weight adults.
  • Research is showing that some obesity-related diseases including type 2 diabetes are more severe and difficult to manage when they occur in youth versus adults.
  • Kids who adopt healthy habits for eating and physical activity are more likely to continue those habits throughout their lives.

“One strategy is to empower youth to make healthy choices that affect their environment. Farm-to-school programs purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers to serve for school breakfasts and lunches. Kids learn about sustainable and local agriculture while also learning how to choose to eat a healthy diet that includes locally-grown foods,” Ham says. “The potential long-term benefits go beyond healthy weight—youth may become more educated consumers with a taste for farm-fresh produce that supports the local and regional economy.”

Another strategy Ham suggests is to promote healthy eating at the policy level. “The USDA recently revised the minimum nutrition standards for school breakfasts and lunches and is working on standards for snack foods and beverages that are sold in schools outside mealtimes,” she says. “The aim of these policies is to make schools a safe haven from the obesogenic food environment where it is easier for kids to choose to consume healthy foods and beverages than junk foods and sugar-loaded beverages.”

David Koivuranta, an expert in corporate health and wellness, says that quite often the focus is on looking outside ourselves for a solution to weight problems; however, the cause or the source of the obesity epidemic is actually inside of us. “It relates to physical, chemical and emotional stress from our environments that are creating a chronic stress response in our bodies. Because of this, our nervous systems and endocrine systems are stuck in habits and patterns that suppress the immune systems, digestive systems, and reproductive organs. This sets the stage for weight gain that cannot be lost until these underlying problems are addressed,” he says.

Koivuranta explains that a return to lifestyle choices that promote optimum physical, chemical, and emotional well being on a maintenance level will foster an environment in the body that can not only decrease body fat and increase lean muscle, but also heal chronic illnesses and diseases. “There is hope and there is a step-by-step process to get it done. Society can benefit, but it will take a a paradigm shift from our crisis care model of health care to one of prevention and proactive choices that meet our expectations of health, happiness and prosperity in life.”

Karen Russell, a registered dietetic technician and health coach, thinks the obesity epidemic has gotten out of hand. “Diabetes is also on the rise in the US. I see overweight men and women along with their children. The only way to stop this epidemic is to make changes in how we shop, cook and eat,” she says. “Dieting is the old way of doing things and is a negative approach that is temporary most of the time. Dieting is restrictive and unbalanced.

Russell suggests a more positive approach, which is to incorporate small changes in the ingredients used in recipes. “People benefit from learning what to do step by step so changes can be made to live the right way without deprivation or starving. Also getting rid of inflammatory foods so that the digestive system can function at it’s best is best practice and can lead to losing weight,” she says.

What do you think?

For Experts (client-seekers): Are you interested in marketing your services to Zintro’s Clients? It takes just a couple of minutes and is free to sign up as a Zintro Expert. Relevant projects will automatically be emailed to you. Click here to sign up.

For Clients (expert-seekers): In under 90 seconds, you can contact hundreds of relevant business or technical experts within any industry sector. Click here to post an Inquiry (free & anonymous).

Or, do you want to learn more about how Zintro works? Click here to view Zintro’s knowledge-base

Zintro has experts in every industry sector, across every job function, in every geographic region. Recently, some of the following topics have seen a inquiry activity:

Yahoo CEO and motherhood


 

By Maureen Aylward

Marissa Mayer, who was recently named Yahoo’s CEO, is expecting her first child in October. The appointment has brought up again the issue of motherhood and professional careers. We asked our Zintro experts to lean into the issue and shed some light on it.

Charlotte Tomic, a public relations consultant, says that motherhood and business is a perennial issue because the reality for many women is that unless they want to advance in their career, they must be workaholics who can show they can work the hours necessary to be true leaders in a company. “This is true of lawyers trying to become partners or businesswomen trying to become CEOs. The reality, however, is that many women defer having children to advance their careers and then realize that they waited too long to have children. On the other hand, women who are financially well-off can hire nannies to take care of their babies, a luxury most other women can not afford,” she says. “The separation anxiety experienced by both classes of women from their babies is difficult but necessary if a woman wants to show her willingness to do whatever it takes to become successful.”

Jim Craig, an expert in sustainability strategy, says that Mayer is an ideal choice for the role, being an accomplished software engineer who has held various high level positions at Google. “But, the ‘problem’ with Mayer isn’t that she is a woman, the problem is that Mayer is about to make that wonderful transition from womanhood to motherhood. And that is the issue Mayer is facing,” says Craig. “In an age when there is supposed to be equality in the workplace, when woman can get to the top jobs, were the glass ceiling has at been removed, Mayer faces the seemingly impossible task of being a mother in charge of a multibillion dollar corporation. Why should this be a problem? It would seem that despite there being more women in top jobs there is still a dark, hidden and insidious form of discrimination taking place.”

Craig cites a Stanford study on the impacts of motherhood and careers. Participants received two CVs for a management consultant position, identical in every way, except one listed membership of a Parent Teachers Association (PTA). According to the participants the mother was 79 percent less likely to be hired, 100 percent less likely to be promoted, and be offered a salary $11,000 less.

“To deal with global issues such as climate change, poverty, and ecosystem destruction we need very different, very collaborative, and enlightened thinking. If we use the reaction to the hiring of Marissa Mayer as a barometer of how close we are to this new way of doing business, I think it’s fair to say, we are a long way off,” says Craig.

Brent Norris, a systems thinker and sustainability expert, thinks that Mayer stands out in a room of standouts. “She is vibrant with the ability of a politician to attract your innermost trust. Mayer will drive her Stanford, Walmart, and Google experiences through board meetings and pep rallies. For me, Mayer’s appointment represents a sincere risk on Yahoo’s behalf and one that will be welcomed by everyone, but it will be challenged and securitized greatly by shareholders that have tolerated Yahoo’s recent issues,” he says.

What do you think?

For Experts (client-seekers): Are you interested in marketing your services to Zintro’s Clients? It takes just a couple of minutes and is free to sign up as a Zintro Expert. Relevant projects will automatically be emailed to you. Click here to sign up.

For Clients (expert-seekers): In under 90 seconds, you can contact hundreds of relevant business or technical experts within any industry sector. Click here to post an Inquiry (free & anonymous).

Or, do you want to learn more about how Zintro works? Click here to view Zintro’s knowledge-base

Zintro has experts in every industry sector, across every job function, in every geographic region. Recently, some of the following topics have seen a inquiry activity: