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Lisa Shepherd Speaks about Innovation in Sales and Marketing (Jun 12, 2008)
On June 12th, Lisa Shepherd presented innovative sales and marketing techniques to over 100 members and guests of Innovators Alliance. The focus of the event was fostering growth through innovation.
 
Mezzanine Joins PROFIT 100 for the 2nd year in a row (Jun 10, 2008)
Mezzanine is proud to be a member of the PROFIT 100 listing for the second year running. Experiencing 715% growth over the past 5 years, Mezzanine continues to grow by supporting clients with actionable marketing consulting.
 
Mezzanine Shares Marketing Expertise in the National Post (Jun 03, 2008)
As part of the New Ventures Case Series, Mezzanine Consulting's Lisa Shepherd offers marketing expertise for a startup with a great product, but not a great plan for capitalizing on that.
 
Mezzanine Presents at MRIA Open Skies, Open Minds Conference (May 26, 2008)
Lisa Shepherd spoke to conference attendees about researching brand perception among retail associates. Recent research shows that Retail Associates are among the top 3 influences for many computer and home entertainment purchases. For OEMs who sell through big box retailers, understanding what Retail Associates tell consumers about their brands is critical.
 
Mezzanine Presents: Getting Inside Your Customer's Head (Apr 23, 2008)
On April 23rd, Lisa Shepherd presented her unique insights to Company of Women. Entrepreneurs are expert at identifying opportunities. But it takes more than instinct to address an opportunity. And, if you don't know your customers inside and out, your products may not find the hungry market you expect. Attendees learned how to use practical market research to get inside the heads of their prospective customers and know what they will buy and how. And more importantly, found out what you need to do to sell and market to them.
 
Mezzanine and RBC Dominion Securities Present New Research on Women's Wealth (Apr 17, 2008)
Lisa Shepherd and Susan Fulford presented as keynote speakers at the 4th Annual Marketing to Women Conference. Research from RBC Dominion Securities and Mezzanine Consulting that shows that women are the new face of wealth in Canada - but they don't realize it and in many ways aren't prepared for it.Women are not taking advantage of their power and in many cases are letting others speak for them. As the baby boom generation ages, women must improve the return they receive on their investments and arm themselves with higher expectations and demands of those whom they work with to ensure their lifestyles.
 
Mezzanine Featured in Direct Marketing News (Mar 05, 2008)
Answering the question: "What was one of your most effective direct campaigns in 2007 and why?", Mezzanine detailed The View from the Mezzanine campaign. This year saw the expansion of the campaign, engaging a select group of individuals with a high-touch approach. Later in the year the content will be made available to a broader audience via our website.
 
Mezzanine Consulting offers expertise in CMA's 2008 Marketing Fact Book (Dec 06, 2007)
Each year CMA seeks the kinds of research, insights and trending information that support marketing decision making. This year, Mezzanine Trends in Market Intelligence have been included. The publication includes statistics and benchmarks about marketing media, sought after market segments, industry and consumer insights, social media, and more.
 
Mezzanine webinar: Need-to-Know: Using Practical Market Research to get inside your Customers' Heads (Nov 15, 2007)
Entrepreneurs are expert at identifying opportunities. But it takes more than instinct to address an opportunity. And, if you don't know your customers inside and out, your products may not find the hungry market you expect. On November 15, attendees heard how to use practical market research to get inside the heads of your prospective customers and know what they will buy and how. And more importantly, find out what you need to do to sell and market to them. Hosted by Lisa Shepherd of Mezzanine Consulting and joined by Herb Verma, CEO and founder of XCINO, a Canadian IT outsourcing and software development firm, this session was both insightful and practical.
 
A New Look for Mezzanine Consulting (Oct 11, 2007)
Mezzanine Consulting, Canada's fastest growing sales and marketing consultancy, launched its new brand image today, its first update since the company's founding. The logo is a new symbol of Mezzanine's continuing strategy, to deliver reliable perspective and expertise to business leaders.
 
Mezzanine to moderate the CMA’s B2B Roundtable ‘Finding Insights That Sell' (Oct 04, 2007)
At the Canadian Marketing Association's B2B Roundtable on October 30th, experienced B2B marketers will share stories from the trenches. More importantly, they will share insights on how to take B2B marketing to another level. The B2B Roundtable will be hosted by Lisa Shepherd, president of Mezzanine Consulting. Panelists include Canada’s leading B2B marketers from Aeroplan, Yahoo! Canada, Canada Post, BIC and Redwood Custom Communications. The session is intended to challenge marketers to take on new ideas and techniques that can improve B2B marketing effectiveness.
 
Mezzanine Consulting leads ‘THE EXPANSION EQUATION’ workshop (Oct 02, 2007)
Attended by over 20 CEOs, presidents and senior executives of Ontario’s leading growth firms, the event was sponsored by Innovators Alliance, an organization for presidents and CEOs of Ontario's fastest growth companies. Lisa Shepherd, president of Mezzanine walked the participants through the value of conducting market research and the importance it plays in organizations that are seeking new growth opportunities. The seminar provided participants with practical tools and methodologies to follow when conducting their own market research.
 
Lisa Shepherd speaks about the growth of small business in The Globe and Mail's Think Big feature (Sep 23, 2007)
"The thing that makes small organizations wonderfully successful is their flexibility and nimbleness. Large corporations will choose to work with a small company because we're very responsive: It's not about our process; it's about their needs."
 
Mezzanine Consulting honoured as one of PROFIT's 100 fastest growing companies (Jun 06, 2007)
Mezzanine Consulting knows growth. Recognized previously by PROFIT Magazine as one of the Hot 50 companies, Mezzanine is this year adding the PROFIT 100 credit to their name.
 
The News Group announces launch of new industry study conducted by Mezzanine Consulting (Jun 06, 2007)
The News Group has announced the launch of a comprehensive customer study, gathering insights on upcoming industry trends and retail customer needs. Conducted by Mezzanine Consulting, the study will build on recent research into the purchase behaviour of North American book and magazine buyers. The goal is to identify meaningful and practical ways The News Group can work with retailers to improve the books and magazines category.
 
Mezzanine presents to Wilfrid Laurier University (May 30, 2007)
Mezzanine Consulting president Lisa Shepherd spoke at the School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University on May 30th, 2007 to share expertise on business structure best practices, trends in market intelligence in Canada and tools used by business leaders to achieve sales and marketing success.
 
What to drop when work gets too busy - Toronto Star (Matthew Gray) (May 10, 2007)
"If you are spending 80 percent of your time filing government papers, getting all the accounting entries in place and it is adding 10 percent to the value of your organization, it is probably not a good tradeoff," says Matthew Gray, a senior associate at Mezzanine Consulting of Toronto.
 
Mezzanine shares expertise on marketing consulting with University of Toronto (Mar 08, 2007)
Three consultants from Mezzanine Consulting shared their expertise, perspectives on marketing innovation and outlook on the consulting industry with the University of Toronto last night. Over 25 people attended from the Organizational Development Alliance to hear Mezzanine discuss trends in market intelligence and Canadian marketing, as well as the growing marketing consulting industry.
 
Lisa Shepherd shares expertise in National Post article: (Feb 22, 2007)
The successful launch of new products can stymie even the savviest of marketers, witness the tepid success Microsoft and Sony have had with their Zune music player and Play Station 3 game console, respectively. If the giants can stumble, imagine all the ways an entrepreneur or small business owner can get it wrong going to market.
 
Lisa Shepherd speaks at Toronto MasterMind Group (Feb 15, 2007)
Lisa Shepherd shared her story of growing Mezzanine Consulting from start-up in 2001 to over $1.5M in 2006 with members of the Toronto Mastermind Group, hosted by Evan Carmichael on Thursday, February 15th. Members of the group, who ranged from wealth management advisors to mascot designers to chiropractors, heard the challenges and joys of establishing a business, refining the service offering and business model, and attracting the right talent at the right time to grow the business. The group participated in an interactive discussion on effective marketing and sales tactics for growing a new business, evolving the image of the business as it gains experience and expertise, and establishing effective partnerships with complementary businesses.
 
Rony Israel has been retained to provide Advisory Services to Mezzanine (Feb 05, 2007)
Dr. Rony Israel has joined Mezzanine Consulting’s Board of Advisors. Bringing over 30 years of experience in sales, marketing and general management, Rony provides deep experience and expertise to Mezzanine and its clients. The former chief executive officer and president of Pathfinder Learning Systems, he was also a senior executive with Unisys Canada and IBM Canada, specializing in financial services and education marketing. Rony is also currently a partner with the BDC Consulting Group. Rony will serve as an active member of Mezzanine’s Advisory Board as well as ad-hoc consulting and subject matter expertise for specific Mezzanine projects and clients.
 
Magazine Buyer Behaviour study conducted by Mezzanine featured in Marketing Magazine (Oct 23, 2006)
The study, conducted by Mezzanine Consulting, surveyed more than 2,000 Canadian and American magazine buyers. The findings show there's a lot more browsing going on a retail newsstands than buying.
 
Mezzanine presents at International Claim Association Annual Meeting in Seattle (Oct 17, 2006)
Mezzanine Consulting presented a best practice panel at the International Claim Association Annual Meeting in Seattle on October 17th. Over 350 delegates representing the top 20 insurance firms in the United States attended the meeting. Along with global IT leader CGI, Mezzanine consultants hosted a panel on best practices in insurance industry claims systems sharing findings from a recent Mezzanine study among leading US life insurance companies. The study assessed the needs, challenges, and priorities of claims department heads and reviewed technology solutions to address emerging needs.
 
Mezzanine President Lisa Shepherd featured speaker at a TEC B2B Marketing event (Oct 17, 2006)
Lisa Shepherd, President and CEO of Mezzanine Consulting, was the featured speaker at a TEC event on October 17th in Toronto. TEC is the pre-eminent leadership organization for the personal and professional development of chief executives. They provide businesses with the tools to perform such as peer-group sessions, access to world-class business experts, one-to-one executive coaching and a global community of more than 12,000 members. Lisa shared Mezzanine's expertise on B2B market intelligence and proprietary approach to assessing growth opportunities. Her presentation featured a comprehensive guide to finding, evaluating, and capitalizing on market opportunities. Mezzanine's focus is to develop and apply practical tools for performing competitive research, understanding buying behavior, and conducting internal company assessments. The guide presented was coupled with case study examples based on experience to illustrate the practicality of the process.
 
Mezzanine Hosts Seminar on Emerging Loyalty Practices (Oct 11, 2006)
Mezzanine Consulting hosted an interactive breakfast seminar on Emerging Loyalty Practices today. The event was attended by a mix of marketing managers, creative directors, and SMB CEOs at the Verity Club in downtown Toronto. The purpose of the seminar was to provide insight into successful loyalty practices and approaches that can be practically leveraged in all sizes and types (B2B or B2C) of organizations. The seminar featured a presentation that explored the evolution of loyalty practices, case studies of successful programs, and actionable recommendations on applying loyalty tactics to any business with the ultimate objective of driving revenue, profitability, and marketing ROI.
 
Mezzanine Joins RBC and Aeroplan on Panel of Loyalty Experts at CMA Conference (Oct 03, 2006)
Lisa Shepherd, founder and principal at Mezzanine Consulting, joined Andrew Mitchell, RBC senior manager of Rewards and Partnerships and Jennifer Jones, Aeroplan director of New Strategic Partnerships, on the loyalty expert panel at the CMA's Marketing Accountability conference today. The conference was moderated by Paul Gallant, vice-president of Client Strategy at Carlson Marketing. The panel shared their expertise on important loyalty issues such as lessons learned in loyalty over the last decade and the differences between B2B and B2C loyalty programs. Best practices for structuring programs effectively and measuring program success were also discussed. The session involved active participation from conference attendees, who included marketing professionals from Canada's leading companies.
 
Mezzanine awarded in seventh annual PROFIT HOT 50 ranking (Sep 19, 2006)
Mezzanine Consulting, a tactical consulting firm, is pleased to announce that it made the seventh annual PROFIT HOT 50 ranking for the second year in a row. The PROFIT HOT 50 is the definitive ranking of Canada’s emerging growth companies. Published in the September issue of PROFIT and online at PROFITguide.com, the PROFIT HOT 50 ranks young firms by two-year revenue growth. This year, Mezzanine was ranked 28th among the 50 fastest growing companies in Canada by consistently achieving a minimum 240% revenue growth over the past three years.
 
Mezzanine shares expertise with North American SMBs (Jul 17, 2006)
Opportunity Knocks - When a new market looks like a gold mine, follow key steps to make sure the opportunity doesn't slip through the cracks.
 
Minister of Finance Greg Sorbara Speaks at Mezzanine Cuisine Series Event (Jun 21, 2006)
Mezzanine Consulting hosted its third Mezzanine Cuisine Series which featured an exotic tea tasting. The event was an opportunity to thank new clients, business partners and contacts for contributing to the rapid growth Mezzanine has seen since its inception. The Honourable Greg Sorbara was the guest speaker who addressed attendees about change and growth in the government, touching on elements of education, healthcare, infrastructure and commerce. Minister Sorbara also took questions from the guests, speaking candidly about taxation and energy.
 
Mezzanine co-hosts “Grow Your Business” Seminar with Rogers (Jun 21, 2006)
Mezzanine Consulting concluded a 4-part educational series for marketing managers today. The ‘Grow Your Business’ seminar included a presentation by Deborah Rosser. Deborah is publisher of Canadian Business, Canada’s best-selling business magazine, PROFIT, Your Guide to Business Success and MoneySense, Canada’s leading personal finance brand. Deborah has been included in Who’s Who of Canadian Women and Who’s Who in Canadian Business and is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of Magazines Canada. Deborah’s presentation on the impact of success examined the benefits of strong corporate culture as well as effective methods of building a culture that supports and enables organizational growth.
 
Mezzanine Delivers Keynote and Sits on Panel at Prestigious Marketing Conferences (Jun 15, 2006)
June was a busy month for Lisa Shepherd, Founder and President of Mezzanine Consulting. Lisa was the keynote luncheon speaker at the 2nd Annual Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) ‘Diversity Marketing: Employing New Markets’ Conference, and also participated in a growth panel at Visa Canada’s ‘Small Business, Big Thinking’ Conference. Attended by marketing leaders from Canada’s foremost banks, retailers, technology and healthcare organizations, the CMA conference provided experiences and expertise in diversity marketing and exploring new markets. Shepherd presented Mezzanine’s approach to assessing new markets, and shared the firm’s expertise through case studies and examples of organizations who have been successful in new markets, as well as those who’ve stumbled and learned important lessons along the way.
 
Mezzanine among GE Canada, Proctor & Gamble and IBM as keynote speaker at APEX conference (Mar 03, 2006)
"Don't plan for success, plan for opportunity". This is the message from one of Canada's top 50 fastest growing companies. Lisa Shepherd, founder and president of Mezzanine Consulting, which was ranked the 23rd fastest growing company in Canada by PROFIT Magazine, will address 200 future business leaders at the Achieving Professional Excellence (APEX) Conference in Toronto, hosted by the Schulich School of Business.
 
The Easy Way Up - PROFIT Magazine (Dec 01, 2005)
It's tempting to keep brilliant business ideas to yourself, but taking your Next Big Thing to market solo might take too long, cost too much or distract you from your existing business.
 
Mezzanine Featured in InTouch Magazine (Oct 31, 2005)
"When you're growing very quickly, it's difficult to find good people fast," says Lisa Shepherd, HBA '95, MBA '02. "But we're lucky, we've got Ivey talent."
 
Know the Competition if you want to Succeed (Oct 13, 2005)
Competitive intelligence that meets small-business needs isn't difficult to obtain, says Lisa Shepherd, president and chief executive of Mezzanine Consulting, which helps small-business clients research the competition as part of an overall marketing plan.
 
Mezzanine Honoured with PROFIT HOT 50 (Sep 24, 2005)
The Editor and Publisher of Profit Magazine present Mezzanine with PROFIT HOT 50 Award
 
Corporate Managers Finding New Solutions to Role Overload (Sep 19, 2005)
More Canadian professionals are experiencing high 'role overload' than ever before. The number has grown over 25% since the early 90s, to 59% from 47% of employed Canadians. Professionals and managers in medium and large organizations are especially crunched, as their organizations become leaner and they face constant pressure to outperform.
 
Mezzanine awarded in sixth annual PROFIT HOT 50 ranking (Sep 19, 2005)
The HOT 50 is the definitive ranking of Canada's emerging growth companies
 
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"Mezzanine helped us focus the future of Ivey's on-line journal. Their insight delivered ideas about scope, audience and format. They uncovered new potential revenue opportunities and provided a means to unify our perspective on this important issue."
- Erich Almasy
Executive Director of Executive Development, Richard Ivey School of Business, UWO

"Mezzanine did a very nice job combining speed, efficiency, professionalism, commitment and contacts to provide very powerful insights. We were very pleased with the end product."
- Scott Wilson
Capital One Canada

“Dealing with Mezzanine was a value added experience for our company. We were most impressed with their flexibility and their fact based approach. Their recommendations were definitely actionable, and not so conceptually complex that we have had trouble putting it into practice.”
- Rob Smith
VP of Category Management, The News Group