Lynk expert network
Lynk Global Review
The Lynk Global expert network was founded in Singapore in 2015 as The Straits Network. Lynk’s founder is a PE and hedge fund professional. In this review, we’ll take a closer look at what you can expect as a paid expert signed up to the Lynk platform.
Sophie Fischer – Our Expert Network Specialist: Sophie is from Hamburg, Germany and is our specialist on Expert Networks. After several years of working as a top executive, Sophie is now an independent consultant and is signed up as a council member of several networks. When she is not helping HuginX write Expert Network reviews, she can often be found enjoying thrilling Nordic noir crime series.
How does it work?
- Register on the Lynk platform: Add and showcase your experience and expertise, to create a profile that matches you with the work you want. Indicate what opportunities you are interested in.
- Get matched: Lynk will match you to vetted opportunities with trusted clients, from sharing insights to projects and full-time roles.
- Further opportunities: Join the Knowledge Partners program to receive exclusive and unique opportunities with enterprise clients, from speaking at events to executive and board director roles.
“We believe in a world where our values are based on our experiences and knowledge, not just about our job titles or grades. The world is in the midst of a knowledge work revolution. We aspire to be at the centre of this revolution by being the platform that powers the new knowledge economy.” Lynk website
Opportunities are everywhere
- Be in good company: You can work with Fortune 500 companies, investment banks, consulting firms, and Big 4 private equity firms. Venture funds, hedge funds, venture capital funds, corporates, high-growth startups, and hedge funds.
- Get discovered: Contribute to the evaluation of growth opportunities, make strategic decisions, review operational frameworks, and share real-world insights
- Mentorship and advice: You can earn money by sharing your knowledge. For valuable industry knowledge, many companies will pay an hourly rate.
How do Expert Networks operate?
New to expert networks? Here is a quick guide to 10 key steps networks take when matching experts with clients for ad-hoc phone consultations.
Expert Networks explained in 10 steps
1. Client request recived
Expert Network receives specifications from client.
2. Search for candidates
Internal network checked for matching candidates
3. External resources utilized
Additional external candidates are sourced if needed
4. Vetting of candidates
Candidates are vetted over phone or through screener questions
5. Compliance and confirmation
Candidate undergoes compliance training
6. Scheduling of consultation
The phone consultation is scheduled
7. Consultation takes place
Phone consultation is conducted, usually on a single blinded basis.
8. Post-call confirmation
You receive confirmation of compensation amount after the call
9. Request payment
You'll fill in your payment details and request payment
10. Payment received
You receive the payment. Usually through bank-transfer, PayPal or pre-paid credit card.
Read more about how expert networks operate
Consult anywhere, anytime
- Spontaneous sharing: Give your first-hand perspective on a topic or issue. It is not necessary to do extensive preparation.
- You can work from anywhere: Lynk engagements are usually 30-60 minute long verbal conversations.
- Take control: Based on the topic’s relevance or availability, you can accept or decline any request or opportunity at your discretion.
Your knowledge skills will grow.
- Demonstrate your knowledge
- Show off what you know.
- Reputation building
- Your knowledge and expertise will make you well-known and highly valued.
- Accumulate credentials
- Your reputation will grow stronger the more you help others.
- Keep up-to-date and stay in the know.
- Keep up-to-date with market activity.
- Talk to investors and companies that are interested in your expertise.
How to become an expert at Lynx Global
- Register now to create a Lynk Knowledge Profile
- Take the Lynk Expert guide and compliance tutorial
- As new requests are received, review consultation options.
- You can accept or decline any opportunity at your discretion
- Participate in consultations to get paid for your time
Is Lynk legit?
A Lynk consulting request can sound too good to be true. A stranger reaches out to you on the Internet – often via LinkedIn – praising your ability and offering to pay you hundreds of dollars an hour for a brief phone call with their client. While you should always be cautious about people reaching out with unsolicited offers (Lynk will never ask you for payment to take part in consulting projects!), Lynk is not a fraud. An invitation to work with Lynk might be your entryway to the easy and lucrative world of expert network consulting.
How will my consultation with Lynk take place?
Lynk employs a small army of recruiters who spend their days searching for experts who fit the criteria for client project requests. LinkedIn is their favourite hunting ground, so if your profile seems to match what they’re looking for, they’ll often reach out via LinkedIn messenger, email or a phone call to introduce you to Lynk and provide a brief overview of the consulting opportunity.
Create a profile and answer screeners
Suppose you’re interested and look like a fit. In that case, you’ll be asked to create a profile on the Lynk platform and answer a few short screening questions about your qualifications for the project, which generally requires a few sentences about your relevant work experience, knowledge of and relationship to the subject of the call. You’ll also be asked a few yes/no compliance questions to ensure that you are permitted to speak about this topic and meet the compliance requirements set by both Lynk and the client. You’ll then have the opportunity to set your Lynk hourly rate (more on that in a moment!) and provide a list of times for a client call that are convenient for you. Getting set up with Lynk should only take 20 – 30 minutes of your time, and then you’ll only need a few minutes to respond to additional consulting project invitations in the future.
The client decides on who to consult with
The Lynk associate will then present your profile, screening answers, rate and availability to the client. The associate will send a calendar invite for the call if they’d like to speak with you. From first contact with the client, a call often takes less than one week. Don’t get discouraged if you’re not selected for the first project you apply for – landing about 1/3 of the relevant projects you respond to is typical with expert networks. Refining your profile and answers to screening projects can help improve your success rate.
Lynk’s business model works well
Lynk has an unusual business and pricing model for its clients. For most calls, the client pays a $75 markup on the expert’s consulting fee; this compares to rates of $1,000 or more for a consulting call at the largest firms, like GLG and Guidepoint Global Advisors. This fee covers sourcing and managing the expert, compliance checks and monitoring, and recording and transcription.
Hourly rates consulting with Lynk
How much should I ask? How much can I ask?
Expert network companies like Lynk often pique your interest by touting hourly rates in the hundreds of dollars or more and the ability for you to name your price. In-demand experts, like Fortune 500 executives or specialized surgeons, regularly command $1,000 hourly rates or even higher. However, for those whose resumes aren’t quite a platinum status, you’ll generally want to aim for typical bands within the industry.
Your rate depends on seniority and profession
For non-managers or people earlier in their careers, a $100 – $200 hourly rate is usually the starting point. Your Lynk hourly rate can quickly climb to $200 – $350 for director-level employees or professionals with solid credentials, such as doctors or engineers. Vice Presidents and C-level executives at mid-sized firms can often achieve $500 hourly rates or a bit more. According to an interview with the Co-CEO, the typical rate for Lynk consultants is $300 per hour. Rates are pro-rated to the length of the client call, so a 45-minute call will yield only 75% of your hourly consulting rate while your meter keeps running on a friendly conversation that extends beyond an hour.
Knowledge scarcity impacts your consulting rate
Remember that scarcity influences your rate and odds of being selected for a project. If the client wants to speak with users of a popular software package where hundreds of potential experts can easily be sourced, you may be passed over for lower-cost consultants. However, if the client wants to speak with senior finance managers who recently worked at a particular company, you may be the only game in town and have the leverage to command a higher rate.
Set your rate towards the lower end of your target band until you’ve landed your first couple of projects and established a reputation. Negotiating a higher hourly rate with Lynk for future projects is more manageable.
How to make the most out of a Lynk consulting call
Client calls tend to be accessible and engaging conversations. It’s always nice to be considered an expert in something. Things that can seem simple to you, such as how you set budgets or make purchasing decisions, can be valuable information to clients that generates unexpected enthusiasm!
Company focused discussions
Most client calls are centred on a particular company, industry, or product. The client is not expecting you to prepare a presentation or deliverable for the call; they are looking to download industry knowledge via your many years of experience rapidly. You can expect that clients have done their basic research, reviewed publicly available information, and heard a management presentation before speaking with you. They have come prepared with specific questions to confirm or clarify aspects of the business.
Competitor insights
The client often researches a particular company, especially those with a recent IPO, major announcement or volatile stock price. The client will be eager to learn your honest opinion about the company’s prospects, execution ability, and management quality. Frequent questions will be about how the target company compares to its competitors, product and feature differentiation, pricing strategy, quality of management, etc. These types of calls will often resolve around your former employer or a major vendor that you worked with often, with emphasis on the key factors influencing your decisions.
Industry insights
It would help if you had an easy time answering the questions during the call – the client often wants to learn about something you’ve been doing regularly for years. Even so, you may not have all the answers or know figures off the top of your head. Be honest and say you don’t know, and you should never make up answers. Clients are usually skilled at parsing fact from fiction, and manufactured responses can quickly result in a short call with an expert network, if not a brief career.
Take compliance seriously
It’s important to note that you will never be asked to share non-public or proprietary information during a client call and doing so can be illegal in more extreme cases. One of the critical responsibilities of expert networks is to ensure that improper information isn’t exchanged on a client call, with both parties bound by strict compliance standards (which you will receive before the call). All client calls are recorded by Lynk and reviewed by its compliance team (and often the client’s compliance team) to ensure that no inappropriate information is shared. Clients are usually well-versed in compliance requirements and strictly adhere to them when pursuing an investment idea.
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