Office Managers, Get Rewarded for Running the Place
Last week I had an interesting discussion with the Vice President of a software company that sells to the small business market. I asked who in a small business he typically sold his product to. I expected to hear him mention the company owner or an IT person, or other titles along those lines. He rattled off some titles but chief among them was “the office manager.”
So it was with some interest that I read today about Staples’ campaign to recognize and reward office managers who work in small businesses:
They’re the unsung heroes of the office, handling everything from accounts payable to human resources to office supplies. Now, office managers across the country can finally get credit for what they really do to make their organizations run smoothly. Today Staples announced the launch of My Real Job, a national campaign to recognize and reward office managers and to invite them to “rewrite” their job descriptions for a chance to win prizes and even learn their adjusted, My Real Job salary.
You get a chance to win prizes including a trip for two to Aruba. The contest runs through March 16, 2007 is now over.
Of course, we all know who really runs most offices so I guess it is only fitting that you should re-write your job description to reflect that fact. 
Although the information I have doesn’t mention virtual assistants, the contest would seem to cover you VAs, too, but check the rules to be sure.
Enter by going to: http://www.staples.com/myrealjob
Dubbed the Bill Cosby of Entrepreneurship
Founder of All Inclusive Marketing
You don’t mention what kind of software this company sells or the cost, but this VP is right on point with his target market.
It makes sense for IT managers, CEOs, and other traditional “decision maker” positions to give their office managers authority to purchase not only office products, but software as well.
Also, the cost of software keeps going down, and since so many businesses create programs specifically for SMBs, their prices are considerate of a smaller budget… giving those small businesses an ability to be more liberal about their purchases.
I’ve always maintained (for some 44 years) that were it not for moms, sergeants and secretaries (office managers in far more businesses than you would want to count) the entire world would grind to a halt. Way back when I was providing services to PR agencies, one asked me how come my messages were always on top of the stack. Simple, I paid attention to his gatekeeper that’s the real power.
Mila, the software was actually an online invoicing software/service. In some small businesses the Office Manager is handling Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable, too. So it makes sense that the Office Manager would be the decisionmaker for purchasing a tool to bring in the money.
Jim, I think you’re absolutely right. Failing to respect the Office Manager in a business could be a costly mistake.
– Anita