Q & A Library: Access to Success

The following video clips are answers to audience questions posed to expert panels from various Direct Engagement Show's. You get access to unedited & unscripted answers to your most pressing issues not from one but a panel of leading industry professionals taped live. Learn how they gained competitive advantages using marketing, technology, financial partners, human resource strategies and government assistance.

Marketing & Sales

How to sell to big business?   Video

The question from the audience was what do small & medium businesses need to do to sell their products and services to large organizations.

Panelists:
Colin Davison, Owner & President, www.stealthacoustical.com: In the first year hit $5 million in manufacturing sales and in the third year signed a $4.5 million deal with Suncor & Siemens

Anthony Lacavera, Owner & CEO, www.globalive.com: A start-up that successfully sold VOIP into enterprise accounts having them change from traditional landline service to VOIP.

Conrad Mandala, VP of Small Business, SAP

Rick Spence, Small Business Columnist, Financial Post
3 Point Technology Strategy for Success Video
An award winning entrepreneur with clients that include Salesforce.com, Expedia & Red Bull, expounds on a 3 point tech for success strategy: Front-end, back-end & social media - all integrated..

Panelist:
Mark Graham, Owner & CEO, RIGHTSLEEVE.COM: A national award winning SMB. Vendors not speaking SMBs language: Not about bits & bytes. Video
Vendors have a disconnect with small & medium businesses.  It's about the customers and the relationships they have with SMBs not about the bits & bytes of technology.

Panelist:
Rick Spence, Small Business Columnist, Financial Post & Profit Dispelling the myths on selling into big business. Video
What are the key success factors and the level of commitment needed to sell your product & services to big enterprise? Paramount is being strategic. What does it mean?

Panelist:
Catherine McQuaid, Founder & Writer, Big Game Hunter

Carissa Reininger, Founder & Principal, Silver Lining Ltd: North American SMB consulting firm.

Hon. Harinder Takhar, Minister of Small Business Challenges & Competitive Solutions in Hard Economic Times. Video
What are the most pressing challenges facing SMBs today?  What are the solutions they are seeking to ensure their competitiveness through these economic times?.

Panelists:
Janice MacLellan, Director of Industry Relations, ADP

Mark Graham, Owner & CEO, RIGHTSLEEVE.COM: A national award winning SMB.

Kevin J. Peesker, VP & General Manager,SMB, Dell

Rick Spence, Small Business Columnist, Financial Post & Profit Increasing customer service levels for profit? Video
A number of questions came in on how small & medium businesses could increase customer service levels with minimal resource allocation in terms of time & money.

Panelists:
Ian Bacque, Director, Government Relations, Ontario & Toronto Automobile Dealers Association

Mark Graham, Owner & CEO, RIGHTSLEEVE.COM: A national award winning SMB.

Bob Stark, Deputy Minister & CEO, ServiceOntario,

Hon. Harinder Takhar, Minister of Government Services

How to locate & get government work? Video

A question from the audience was what do small & medium businesses need to do to sell their products and services to large organizations.

Panelists:
Hon. Harinder Takhar, Minister of Government Services,

Barb Dodds, Manager, Operational Procurement Policy, Ministry of Government Services

Shawn Bedard, Owner & President, www.jigtechnologies.com: SMB that has received contracts with a variety of ministries within the government

Frank MacKinnon, President, Ontario Small Vendors Association Marketing yourself: A PR firm or Ad agency? Video

What is the difference between a public relations firm and an advertising agency? Which one should you choose for your business' sales & marketing strategy?

Panelists:
Aldo Cundari, Chair & CEO, Cundari Advertising,

Carol Panasiuk, Executive VP & GM, Cohn & Wolfe Canda

Catherine McQuaid, Founder, Big Game Hunter

Amy Marcus, President & CEO, e-Roleplay: 8 year old SMB selling to banks & other enterprise clients

What does it take to succeed in the fashion industry? Video

It's a highly competitive industry but the rewards and glamour are a powerful allure.  What does it take to succeed?

Panelist:
Robin Kay, Head of Toronto Fashion Week: Robin started her career in retail fashion and her success saw her move to head Canada's biggest industry event, Toronto Fashion Week.

Human Resources

Hire slow. Fire fast! Video
The question is how can SMBs locate good talent & assess candidates?

Panelists:
Arlene Dickinson, Dragons' Den judge

Leyland Brown, VP of Commercial Solutions, Hewlett-Packard

Technology for leaner, more efficient & responsive HR. Video

Learn what technologies exist today and are being planned but also what your company is mandated to have by the government. Keeping your HR lean, efficient & responsive.

Panelists:
Janice MacLellan, Director, Industry Relations, ADP

Retention strategy? Treat employees unequally. Video

It's hard enough getting good employees how do you retain them?

Panelists:
Gabriel Bouchard, President, Workopolis.com

Rick Spence, Small Business Columnist, Financial Post

Pandemic Planning: It's about business continuity- prepared? Video

A pandemic would hit SMBs particularly hard for their resources are limited.  Is the government prepared and what can you do as well to defend against a pandemic? You also have a 'legal' obligation!

Panelists:
Bill Albino, President & CEO,  Smart Systems for Health Agency

Laura Karabulut, Lawyer, Filion, Wakely, Thorup, Angeletti, LLP

Dr. Donald Low, Microbiologist in Chief, Mount Sinai Hospital

Dr. David Satok, Chief Medical Officer, Apotex

Dr. Charles Solnik, Head of a Family Head Group & Author of "The Human Response Factor: A Critical Bridge for Business Continuity"

Maribeth Tessier, Advisory Services, Business Continuity Planning, Nortel Global Services

Marg Verbeek, Manager of Emergency Measures, Regional Municipality of Waterloo

Financing & Regulatory

Do entrepreneurs ever 'undervalue' their biz? Video

So you're ready to go seek financing do you think you or your entrepreneur peers have undervalued their businesses?  Arlene Dickinson, CBC's Dragons' Den judge takes the audience question.

Panelists:
Arlene Dickinson, Dragons' Den judge, CBC Get a large corporate investor to compete. Video

You've decided VC, angel & bank financing is out. Get a large corporation to invest. How?

Panelist:
Tony Lacavera, Chair, Wind Mobile: Tony, an SMB owner, went to an international conglomerate and got $750 million to compete in the wireless market against entrenched TELCOs.

VC, angel or bank? How to get it? Video

Access to credit is tight. Where should you target your financing need and how for the best chance of success?

Panelists:
Julian Spillane, CEO, Frozen North Productions: A start-up software company, Julianne answers how he first got angel investment and then proceeded to get VC financing.

Grant Tipler, Head, Life Sciences & Health, RBC Financial Group

Colin Webster, Owner, Hero Venture Capital Copyright: Protecting your Intellectual Property Video  Part 2: Video

Copyright is in the forefront once again.  It is either going to protect your biz or it can hurt it if you're on the infringement side.  What's going on & how to protect your biz?

Panelists: Part 1
Hon. Dan McTeague, Vice-Chair, Standing Committee on Industry, Science & Technology

Deane Cameron, President, EMI Music

Panelists: Part 2
Leslie Ann Coles, Award Winning Independent Film Producer & Actress

Giuseppina D'Agostino, Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School

Graham Hendersonr, President, Canadian Recording Industry Association

Jason J. Kee, Director, Policy & Legal Affairs, Entertainment Software Association

Wendy Noss, Executive Director,Canadian Motion Picture Association

Industry specific categories coming soon.

For more video clips please go to our YouTube channel: Videos