Online Business Management

Do You Need a Virtual Assistant or an Online Business Manager?

For many years, I think I've actually functioned in the capacity of an Online Business Manager rather than as a Virtual Assistant for many of my clients.
 
I guess the distinction that I make is that there's no question to me that I'm truly on equal footing in a full collaborative partnership with my clients -- I'm a fully functioning "business partner" to them.  I'm frequently challenging a client's idea or strategy or want to tweak it to make it stronger, or I initiate a whole new idea or strategy to present to a client that's way above and beyond the tasks I've been hired to manage as a Virtual Assistant.
 
I never realized that all Virtual Assistants didn't do that for clients until about a year ago. I was assisting one of my clients in finding another Virtual Assistant for her business, as I was paring down my practice. After searching for a month or so, she remarked that she was unable to find one person who could do all that I had done for her business.  Moreover, she'd never realized that I do so much more than what is traditionally offered by most Virtual Assistants.  I'd always suspected as much, but really hadn't heard that fact articulated until my client related that to me.
 
It wasn't until earlier this year that I finally came across a term that seems to be an appropriate description for the level of service I provide to my clients--an Online Business Manager (OBM), which Tina Forsyth, www.onlinebusinessmanager.com, first coined. For me, as an OBM, it's my goal to become an expert in the industries in which my clients work and to know the new technologies, techniques, service offerings, and fads in the industry. Do you remember a character from the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon called "Mr. Know-It-All?" This was one of my favorite cartoons as a child (ok, so I'm dating myself here) and was the beginning of my understanding of what a "know -it all" was, and the fact that the term wasn't terribly flattering.

About a year ago, I went to a Coachville Conference in Dallas.  Even as a newbie, I was the most experienced coach in the room, aside from the presenter. Anytime anyone was looking for a resource, I had one (or more) at my disposal that I could give someone. I soon developed the reputation as "Miss Know-It-All", which was not meant to be derogatory, but was said in awe of someone (me) who knew the industry pretty well and was pretty well-connected. One of the participants talked about being able to see the cards whirl in my mental Rolodex as I searched for connections and resources for the other participants, and it was often said, "How does she know this?" Well, I read a lot and do a lot of research and have always been pretty fortunate that I retain a good bit of what I read--I guess I'd have to call it a gift, and a curse... I love to help people and make connections, and did some brainstorming for several of the participants in their chosen coaching niches about what I saw as the needs for their industry and ideas for implementing those based on my own experiences. Thankfully, the on the last day of my conference, the host reframed my label as a "connector" --- much better, in my opinion.

Secondly, I'm always on the lookout for my clients. A few years ago, I was sitting on the couch reading the Parade Magazine insert in the Sunday paper and ran across a book review that I thought would be perfect for one of my clients.  I tore the page out of the magazine, and on Monday emailed the info to my client, at no charge.  Why? Because I'm always keeping my eyes and ears open for ways that I can help my clients build stronger, bigger, more profitable businesses.
 
Thirdly, I have my clients share with me their short and long-term goals.  I can function much better with a client when I see the big picture, and am much more effective for them when I can see the direction we're headed.  This enables the wheels in my brain to begin to whirl, and I can better come up with strategies to help take them there -- strategies that we work on together as a team.
 
Lastly, I'll initiate and present a whole new strategy or idea or marketing plan or niche development to my client, sparked by a conversation or an email from the client.  Most of the time I'll call them with the idea and give them a verbal overview of it before proceeding any further.  If they like it, we agree on how to move forward and they give me the latitude to do so.
 
So, I guess in this capacity, I wear the hats of marketing consultant, strategy consultant, brainstormer and idea generator, and sounding board, all wrapped up under the name of Virtual Assistant.  I'm not really an expert in any of these areas and don't particularly have any specialized training in any of these areas, but can bring a pretty developed skill level to the table, nonetheless.

For more information or to book your free consultation, visit my SOHO Business Solutions site.