Thank you to our guest blogger Danielle Keister for the following excellent post about Administrative Consulting that highlights the benefits of an ongoing business relationship with a Virtual Assistant. Feel free to contact me for your ongoing as well as ad hoc project needs.

You may or may not fully understand what Administrative Consulting is all about so every five weeks we like to spotlight an article that has to do with better understanding what it is and how to best work with an Administrative Consultant.

Administrative support itself is a niche, specialty and expertise all its own. Thus, an Administrative Consultant is a Virtual Assistant who specializes in the expertise of ongoing (monthly) administrative support to clients she (or he) works with in a one-on-one, collaborative relationship. Because of their expertise and focus on administrative functions, Administrative Consultants can also provide clients with advice and guidance on setting up administrative systems, analyzing workflows and improving operations.

Unlike a secretarial service, which is focused on piecemeal, transactional project work (sort of like dropping off a copy job at your local printshop), an Administrative Consultant specializes in ongoing (continuous) administrative support working in collaborative relationship with clients.

See, working only once or sporadically with vendors you are only impersonally or occasionally engaged which only accomplishes an immediate need. And sometimes that’s all you need. Isn’t it great that there are all these different kinds of businesses in our great, big, wonderful world?

But sometimes a business owner wants more continuity. He or she realizes that one little ol’ project being completed isn’t going to contribute in any substantive or permanent way toward building a more effective, smoother-running business. That business owner wants someone who can handle ongoing administrative functions as more of a right-hand who can then better understand the work and how it all ties together in the business. In this way, that “partner” is able to play a bigger, more effective, contributing role in helping the client achieve his or her objectives.

This is exactly what an Administrative Consultant is in the business of offering: right-hand administrative support delivered in an ongoing, collaborative relationship–a partnership, if you will. This is where all the magic and forward-growth happens. And the longer you work together, the more efficient and sympatico the work and your relationship becomes. By working together continuously, you are building upon a shared foundation of knowledge and understanding. You won’t get that starting and stopping from scratch on project-by-project basis working with strangers. They simply won’t have the same big-picture vision of what the works means to your goals and what you are striving to achieve.

So you see, it’s not outsourcing. It’s not project work. It’s a close, personal relationship and the chemistry that occurs only when two people work closely together.

RESOURCE: Learn how to get the most out of your relationship with an Administrative Consultant with ourClient’s Guide to Virtual Assistants.

About the Author: Danielle Keister is an author, business adviser and innovator in the Administrative Consulting profession. Through her organization, the Virtual Assistant Chamber of Commerce, she is passionate about helping administrative experts grow stronger, more financially successful practices that lead them to greater personal happiness, freedom and client satisfaction. An administrative professional of 25+ years and veteran Administrative Consultant of 12+ years, her no-nonsense approach to business development has gained her recognition as one of the leaders in the field.

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