Vendor Marketing Kit

Transcription

1 Vendor Marketing Kit

2 Profile Of An HTG Member... 2 Vendor s Role in the HTG Community... 4 HTG Meetings - Knowledge and Value... 5 Why HTG... 6 Learning to Speak HTG... 7 The HTG Plans... 9 The HTG Story... 10

3 Profile Of An HTG Member Company Bralin Technology Solutions Location North Battleford, Saskatchewan President Brad Kowerchuk In 2006, Brad Kowerchuk, president of Bralin Technology Solutions, might have been harboring a bit of a been there, tried that attitude about a business model for IT managed services. After about a decade of primarily offering IT products with supplemental business revenue coming from services, he had jumped aboard the managed services bandwagon only, as he put it, to fall flat on our faces. Attending a ConnectWise Partner Summit, he heard keynote speaker Michael Gerber tell his audience to focus on working on your business and not just in your business. The advice struck a chord with Brad that would become a playable tune after he attended an HTG Peer Group presentation. Sitting in a room with people who did nothing but managed services work, I felt encouraged to try again, he recalls. And this time, thanks to HTG Peer Groups, Brad would be moving ahead with some practical advice such as how one should monitor his MSP operation, and how to market the solutions being offered. For Brad, joining HTG Peer Groups was an easy choice, as was his decision to again pursue a predominately managed services business model for Bralin Technology Solutions. By the end of it, we were a managed services company, and now I m passionate about it, Brad declares. Now, Brad s business model is 70% services and 30% product sales a 180 degree reversal of the situation before the HTG intervention. Much more significantly, Brad notes that his company is now four times more profitable on the same level of revenue as five years ago. He attributes a big portion of that turnaround to becoming an HTG Peer Group member. Is there ROI? Absolutely! HTG gave me the confidence to change my business model. We now have a much more valuable company if we were to sell it. A key factor in HTG s effectiveness is the personal interaction between the members. You get great information from HTG, but it s also something entirely different, Brad explains. There s a level of depth and sharing that s just not possible with other groups. Being a part of HTG, you are no longer going to be alone with no one to turn to, Brad says. For two days each quarter, peer groups of company executives meet and work together sharing resources and information to formulate business goals for strategic planning, process improvement and life-work excellence. You will be part of a peer group where you will be able to have your questions answered so you can move your business forward. We generously share what we re doing well, and have others share in return. Of major importance in making that give-and-take possible is that members within any peer group are non-competing markets. There are no HTG members from my area so I can share absolutely everything, Brad says. Calling to mind the HTG Peer Groups slogan, business and personal growth, driven by execution, Brad says, I ve personally grown both as a leader for my company and within HTG. Ultimately, Brad suggests the power of HTG Peer Groups to effect positive change comes from something very basic the characteristics inherent in the people who comprise its membership. SERVICE EXECUTIVE 45 companies HTG GROUPS HTG Members At A Glance AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND EUROPE VENDOR 10 companies ONLINE 140 companies NORTH AMERICA 312 companies 21 $1B 2015 revenue over rolling 4 quarters - HTG members $3.5M Average annual revenue per member company 19.4 Average employees per member company 38.5 % of annual revenue in Product 60.4 % of annual revenue in Services Q

4 Profile Of An HTG Member Company Arterian Location Seattle, Washington President Jamison West Arterian founder and CEO Jamison West is someone with a mind open to opportunities and willingness to explore possibilities. A graduate of University of Washington with a degree in Business, Jamison, in fact, parlayed a hobbyist s interest in computers into a successful career as an IT consultant that has lasted for about 20 years. But going from tech work for a friend in the publishing business, to directing a Seattlebased IT managed services company with almost 30 employees wasn t a pre-ordained outcome. Rather, Jamison will tell you that if it weren t for his HTG Peer Group, he might have been satisfied running a nimble one-man operation. In 2006, Jamison had been doing business as Jamison West Consulting Services (JWCS) for about 11 years, when he happened to attend a conference for IT solution providers sponsored by Microsoft. It was there that Jamison met Arlin Sorensen, founder and CEO of HTG Peer Groups, an organization dedicated to helping IT solution providers implement a model for success in their own businesses through sharing and collaboration of best practices. The concept was very appealing to Jamison, and he joined 16 other IT professionals who comprised an early online incarnation of HTG Peer Groups. Up until I met Arlin at that conference, I was operating as an island, Jamison remembers. It was a real eye opener to find that community. For the first time, he was getting to know people who faced similar challenges and were asking the same kinds of questions. In January 2007, Jamison began taking tangible steps toward building his business. JWCS was incorporated and he hired a couple of employees. He was also continuing his association with HTG, becoming an official member a few months later primarily to learn ideas and best practices for increasing business. Yet even as Jamison was learning a lot of useful things that he could apply to his consultancy, he was also becoming aware that HTG offered much more than tips and tricks. And he was seeing fellow members who were truly serious about creating legacies in their companies of which they could be very proud. On a personal level, Jamison notes that some of his best friends have come out of HTG and he says, It s became a whole other level of getting to know people personally. It was nice to really get involved with people who are thinking the same things I am. Additionally, those relationships in the guise of positive peer pressure play a vital role in driving HTG members to succeed. For the first time, I ve been held accountable to get things done, he says. Having a peer board of advisors forces my hand. I m expected to set and meet goals for my business. He adds, In this industry, we re usually working hard, just to get through the day. Membership in HTG inspires us to a whole new level of leadership within our companies. Part of the formula for being a good leader, Jamison believes, is self-awareness as well as conscientiously following through on one s plans. He recalls a quote from Thomas Edison that serves as something of a mantra at HTG: Vision without execution is hallucination. Since becoming an active HTG Peer Group member, Jamison says he has experienced quite a few aha moments instances when some important insight about running a business has become crystal clear. Among these were the ability to recognize and work through a growth plateau, or learning to trust the people around you. Overall, Jamison credits HTG with giving him a uniquely rich, though strenuous, educational experience. It is an absolute pressure cooker of an MBA program. I could go to the best graduate schools and wouldn t learn anything as relevant to my business as what HTG has taught me. The wealth of information and knowledge that comes back to you is just amazing. In July 2011, JWCS became Arterian, and is one of the largest managed services providers in the Seattle area with separate, dedicated account executive and support management teams serving customers. A far cry from the one-man operation of the past, Jamison says, Because of our size, we re able to bring some scalability to our clients that sets us apart. HTG inspired that

5 Vendor s Role in the HTG Community Member Tips for Vendor Interactions (1:46) Vendor/Member Relationships (0:58) Building Member/Vendor Relationships (1:51) - 4 -

6 HTG Meetings - Knowledge and Value What is a Typical HTG Meeting (0:46) The Perfect Lunch & Learn (0:58) - 5 -

7 Why HTG What Keeps HTG Members Coming Back (0:52) What Makes HTG Different (1:06) - 6 -

8 Learning to Speak HTG Here s a listing of some commonly used terms in HTG. EBITA HABU HTG Lunch & Learn OML Earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization (EBITA) refers to a company s earnings before the deduction of interest, taxes and amortization expenses. It is a financial indicator used widely as a measure of efficiency and profitability. Highest And Best Use (of time) Heartland Technology Group 45 minute interaction with an HTG Peer Group. Can be used to share subject matter expertise, as well as to educate the group about their products and offerings. The facilitator of the peer group works hand-in-hand with the vendor to set the presenter up for success and also to help moderate the conversation in the room. Operational Maturity Level by Service Leadership Incorporated A systematic, proven methodology for determining the SP/MSPs management team s current understanding of the foundational needs of excellent Solution Provider operations. It also shows the SP s management team the next steps to laying that foundation from their current point in the process. The OML approach encompasses all aspects of running a profitable and growing SP/MSP business. It includes marketing and sales and their supporting operations, service operations, and back office administration. QBR Seat at the Table SLI The Farm Quarterly Business Report The information presented by each HTG member company to their Peer Group during the quarterly meetings. This engagement allows vendors to understand what IT company leaders struggle with on a day-to-day basis and how they can help. Often the insight offered by vendor members during these interactions are invaluable to IT company members as vendor companies have far more training and experience. Service Leadership Index The broadest and most detailed, ongoing financial and operational benchmark of Solution Providers, developed by 20+ year veterans of the industry and available to Solution Provider and channel executives. For more information about Service Leadership Incorporated, visit their website here. The HTG home offices are located on the Sorensen Family Farm in Harlan, Iowa

9 Learning to Speak HTG Service Leadership Index (SLI) Training Video (59:17) - 8 -

10 The HTG Plans Planning for Success - The HTG Plans (9:22) How to Order a 4 Plans Book (0:57) - 9 -

11 The HTG Story First meeting, 4 members HTG Buying Group with Ingram Second meeting, 5 members SWOT Process, 1st logo created, Lunch & Learn 7 members, Best Practice Contest Quarterly meetings, 3 goals, 9 members 12 members, 3 groups First non-hts facilitators, Canada HTG Groups, All HTS management, First HTG All HTG Summit, HTG 3.0, UK, 22 Groups Large Company Groups Content Days, Leaders, Workshops CEO Forum, Vendor Peer Group, ANZ Over 450 HTG members in North America, Europe and Australia/New Zealand Merged HTG and HLG for Coaching & Consulting JumpStart Onboard Meetings Centralized Meetings and Staff Facilitation VISION GROWTH PROCESS IMPACT Founded in 2000 by Arlin Sorensen, HTG is an international community of experienced Managed Service Providers focused on business and personal growth, execution and accountability. HTG provides peer groups, coaching and consulting and has over 450 member companies throughout North America, Europe and Australia/New Zealand. Peer group members meet face-to-face or online to share, benchmark, learn and set goals. Our vision is to connect leaders by fostering authentic relationships and opportunities for sharing. HTG is more than a professional network membership touches all aspects of life and work

12 The HTG Story The History of HTG (6:11)

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