Peer Groups
Overview | Meeting Topics | Frequently Asked Questions | Testimonials
The HTG peer group experience is a unique forum for technology industry leaders to interface around proven best practices and maximizing profitability.
No single company has a monopoly on good ideas. Other IT companies like you have the same issues, ask the same questions, and face the same problems. We network similar companies based on their size, number of employees, relative lines of service, ownership structure, and markets served to find unique solutions to common problems. Because HTG peer groups are national in scope, members are not operating in competing markets. The result is an intimate network where the expectation of confidentiality is an underlying facet of the group’s inherent design. The agenda for each meeting is designed around the felt-needs of the group and toward meeting the concerns and issues that face you as a company president in a fast-paced, increasingly complex business.
Be sure to visit the HTG Booth during the conference for more information.
What is an HTG peer group?
An HTG peer group is a group of 6-12 like-minded IT company executives who meet quarterly in a non-competitive environment to network and discuss issues specific to each member’s concerns as a company president or owner.
HTG peer group value proposition
The HTG peer group experience is a unique forum for technology industry leaders to interface around proven best practices and maximizing profitability.
Profile of a Peer
- Participatory management style (not “top down”)
- Open and willing to share information about all facets of the business
- Looking to learn from others and to share his/her experiences (both successes and failures)
- Progressive thinker—innovative and open to new ideas
- At least 5 years of experience in the business; strong understanding of the industry
- A good sense of humor
- Chemistry that works with other peers in the group
Requirements of Joining a Peer-Group Community
- Ownership structure
- Sign HTG contract with non-compete clause
- Disclosure of budgets and other financial information
- Sharing of ideas
- Expectation of regular attendance and participation by owner or company president
- Similar client orientation
- Similar business issues
Questions to consider:
- Are we mature enough to dedicate time and energy to a peer group? Are we looking to share our experiences with others and to learn from their experiences?
- Do we have a culture that welcomes new ideas and honest critiques?
- Are we industry leaders who are continually trying to improve and evolve?
Organizational Structure/Human Resources
- Job descriptions
- Corporate culture
- Strategic planning—positioning and markets
- Effective training methods
- Recruiting quality employees
- Compensation packages
Finances
- SWOT team financial analysis
- Risk management
- Bidding strategies
Business Development
- Sharing innovative ideas
- Sales strategies
- Identifying and targeting new markets
- How to deliver strong services
- Mergers and acquisitions
How are HTG peer groups set apart?
We are organized and led by Arlin Sorensen, president of Heartland Technology Solutions, one of the member companies. Arlin launched the first HTG peer group in 2001 based both on his desire for an opportunity to interact with peers in a non-competitive setting and on his observation of a lack of peer groups in the mid-market space. We are a group of industry leaders led by an industry insider. Arlin acts as Peer group leader by:
- Developing the agenda around the group's needs
- Bringing industry experts to the meetings
- Researching topics for the meeting
- Sharing feedback on ideas offered by other companies
- Publishing follow-up documentation/action plans for members on the HTG website.
- We provide a secure website for members to access information from each meeting and to make plans for subsequent meetings. *
- We screen and recruit new member companies.
How can I benefit from an HTG peer group?
Learning about new ideas, benchmarking performance, and identifying ways to improve profitability are key ways that members can benefit.
How much time does it take to participate in an HTG peer group?
We ask members to commit to attend four quarterly 2-day meetings. We try to meet in members’ host cities. Outside of the meetings, members commit to doing 1-2 hours of preparation for each meeting and to bringing an innovative idea from their own business practices to share. If you are hosting the meeting, hotel/logistic arrangements will have to be considered and communicated to all members.
Who attends the Peer Group meetings?
Usually, the CEO represents each company. For certain meetings, the CEO and key business members from similar departments (such as the human resources department) attend. A consistency of members at each meeting is critical.
How long does my membership in the peer group last?
As long as interest remains high and the group members continue to receive high value from the group, the group will continue.
How do I know there are no competitors in the group?
Membership is by unanimous vote of the group. Before joining an HTG peer group, members are required to sign a contract with a non-compete clause. This is vital because members must have 100% trust in one another for the group to be successful and for the members to find maximum benefit from participating in the group.
Can I trust the others in the group?
We depend on the professional integrity of the members within the groups to respect each other’s privacy and confidentiality. HTG has never experienced a problem with confidentiality in our previous peer groups.
Homework?? Please explain.
To maximize time and to make the short two-day meetings as productive as possible, members are occasionally assigned homework as it pertains to the topic for the next meeting. In addition, it is a standing expectation that each member company would come prepared to every meeting with a handout explaining an innovative idea from their own business practice. Our expectation is that each member will arrive at the meeting prepared and ready to actively participate in the meeting.
"The biggest asset our relationship affords is partnership. With only 11 staff members, it is impossible for ACES to get trained and stay certified on all of the solutions our customers expect from us. Our partnership with [HTG] allows us to leverage solution skill sets we do not currently have to provide value to our clients without the risk of losing control of the client relationship.”
-Phil Kenealy, President, ACES, Waterloo, Iowa
“Not only has working with my peers improved my attitude, my ambitions for growth, but it has directly affected my total sales and revenue. Growth requires confidence in your self and in your market. By working with others in my industry I have built the confidence I need to take that next step and continue the growth process soundly.”
-Jeff Howard, President, NetRes, Texas
“Our business was positively impacted by peer consulting primarily in two areas. The first is from a positioning and best practice standpoint in regards to migrating our customer base to managed services. Not only were our hesitations removed, but we were able to compile results data from multiple counterparts and analyze that data to begin developing our own pricing structure, marketing techniques, and roll out plans. Along with this data, we were also able to see and hear how others are implementing third party solutions to make this product offering much more manageable with less manpower and risk. The second area we feel like we made major progress is in regard to the major strategic vendor partnership programs that are available, the advantages they offer, and how to engage with those vendors. We don’t usually receive detailed information from most vendors on how to take full advantage of their partner programs, so meeting with folks that have those relationships currently, turned out to be very productive and informative.”
-Jeff Wood, President, Wood Networks
"We are able to pool the resources of our [HTG peers] and learn from their successes and failures. They are leading us down a path that we see as being very successful. The directions they point us to and the pitfalls they help us avoid are truly invaluable to our business.”
-Don Miller, GM, Northwest One, Havelock, Iowa
“In a fast paced, ever changing and dynamic environment like IT, only agile companies survive and thrive. Peer consulting has helped Applied tech not only to survive but to surpass the mediocre firms and has helped our firm to become one of the most respected and best SMB integrator in the area."
-Kurt Sippel, President, Applied Tech, Wisconsin
"The help and review [we] received from Arlin was invaluable. It was great to have a peer who understood our business but could look at it from an outsider’s viewpoint and make suggestions. Just having someone help us set the compass for direction has made all the difference in the world for our company, and I would recommend it for anyone wanting to grow their business."
-Mitch Miller, President, Dynamic Computer Solutions of Topeka, Inc., Kansas
"SMB technology providers often work in a vacuum. We are not big enough to justify a lot of time and effort from vendors on their needs and discussing technology issues with other local technology providers introduces competitive issues. The HTG has been a medium where we have been able to share freely the issues and details of our organization with other similar organizations. More importantly, the organizations in HTG have been willing to share the solutions to these issues which has led to significant improvement in our operations, which has led us to more success and allowed us to grow."
-John Pritchard, Catalyst Systems, Sioux City, Iowa
"We are honored to have been invited to join HTG. After attending only 2 meetings, our company has become more focused. We finally have the support we have always hoped to find, enabling us to plan and execute with confident."
-Gavin Steiner, President, Interprom, Inc.
