By Ramona Hurley

To be successful in business you don’t just need a great idea – you need the knowledge and insight to be able to sell it. If there is one hat you should never take off, no matter what aspect of your business you focus on today, it is that of marketer. For some, this comes more naturally. For many, this is the area of your business that leaves you with the most unanswered questions. The astute business owner knows when to seek help outside the organization for his business development solutions, whether it is to address an insufficient ROI; identify how to speak to new customers and prospects; increase his marketing efforts in areas not yet tapped (such as social media); or hire a professional service or expertise that does not exist within, or is needed on a temporary basis. We can seldom bring every skill set that we need to the table to make our business prosper, especially in tougher economic times, so bringing in an experienced, outside point of view that can sometimes easily see a solution that is sorely needed, can be the smartest move a business leader can make – especially when faced with specific challenges and situations he isn’t sure how to handle. For these reasons, it is a pleasure to introduce the highly skilled, straight talking expertise of Kathy Pabst Robshaw and Spectrum Strategy Resources.

Often known as “problem solver extraordinaire,” Kathy Pabst Robshaw delivers a valuable skill set based on over 30 years of experience in delivering business solutions that she has perfected both nationally, as well as internationally, in the UK. Her career began in New York where she would later be recognized and hand-selected by the British Direct Marketing Association to be a pioneer in the field of outbound B2B marketing. Robshaw spent 23 years in England, becoming a highly sought after keynote speaker and sales and direct marketing professional. She became the Chairperson for the 1st Association in Telemarketing, and worked with an impressive list of clients to including Avis Car Rental, IBM and American Express before returning to the United States in 1995. Robshaw possesses a talent for being able to identify valuable insights into both the pros and cons of your business, and has a gifted knack for quickly being able to provide solutions for internal business challenges. Her talents have made her a godsend for struggling businesses, or even those that seem to be stuck in the status quo and are looking to reach beyond mediocre. Her clients find her direct, “take no prisoners” approach both refreshing and appreciated as today’s challenged business owners need immediate solutions at a fee that is fair for their specific business scenario.

When asked the challenges of her profession, Robshaw responded, “sometimes companies or small business owners don’t want to address the issues at hand. They avoid what to them may seem like a complicated problem as they are too close to see the solution, or simply too stressed with the day-to-day demands of the business to implement needed changes. Bringing in that non-biased, outside set of eyes can be the lifeline they sometimes don’t even realize they need. If you want to be successful, you need to be willing to address the tough issues.”

Robshaw’s approach is comprehensive, detailed and with an all-in enthusiasm that is motivating in and of itself. Her process begins with a discovery assessment which, depending on the size of the company and the challenges they face, can be as quick as an afternoon or take 2 to 3 days. Her experience has touched most industries from manufacturing / distribution businesses to medical offices, with services provided in the areas of sales and marketing, lead nurturing and generation, lead management, improved customer service policies and training, staff coaching, scripting, telephone and front-line effectiveness. She has even completed the discovery process over the web or telephone for those not local and in immediate need. Robshaw is a born problem solver, often discovering the business can benefit greatly from making small, simple, inexpensive changes. She has tackled the full gamut of business problems and speaks proudly of her many success stories, such as an underperforming sales staff who weren’t reaching their goals in selling advertising space in their typical Monday to Friday work week. After spending time in the business and speaking candidly with staff she created an incentive program that offered Friday off for achieving their goals by Thursday of each week. The staff became so motivated to get as many three day weekends as possible that they listened and implemented Robshaw’s proven selling strategies and soon had tremendous success, with almost 100% of staff earning each Friday off. The company was more successful than ever by implementing these new strategies and the right training and motivation for staffing.

Spectrum Strategy Resources looks at every piece of the business through the eyes of the customer and is particularly skilled in lead generation and lead management. Many businesses spend valuable time, money and resources continually looking for new customers, and ignoring existing customers after the sale is made. While new business development is vital to growth and your company’s success, it is equally, if not more important to cultivate and nurture those existing customers. They are more likely to buy from you again and cost much less to pursue. Knowing how to do this is imperative to bottom line success, and managing your efforts between existing customers and new sales is critical.

Giving back to her community is also a part of Robshaw’s business mix as she spends time providing training to United Way of Tampa Bay. She also spends time teaching a workshop on telephone interviewing skills with WorkNet Pinellas, helping to teach those seeking new careers how to sell themselves and their strengths effectively. She is also on the board for the Chamber of Commerce of Central Pinellas, referring to them as “family,” and is on the Financial Advisory Board for the City of Largo, as well as the PAC board for Everest University. Robshaw is proud of her membership in the highly regarded British Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Kathy Pabst Robshaw’s love of her business comes from watching the results she is able to achieve for her clients. If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a thousand times – those who are especially good at what they do simply love their profession and never see it as “work.” Robshaw embodies the perfect example of this philosophy. Providing simple development solutions that work is surely Robshaw’s first love, which explains why she does it so well. For the small to medium business owner who wants to be more viable and see his business prosper, and perhaps even build the business he hopes to leave behind as a legacy, Spectrum Strategy Resources is here to be a key partner in your success, whenever you need it.
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Why Your Business Can Benefit From Calling Spectrum Strategy Resources:
• Low ROI – experiencing low conversion on sales leads, need to generate more prospects; struggles in areas of pricing, value / quality
• Low Repeat Customer Ratios – poor customer relations; poor consumer awareness of complete line of services/products; ineffective marketing strategies to speak to customers
• Downturn in Sales – marketing efforts are inconsistent; sales falling despite continued marketing; not able to manage social media leads effectively; unable to create good content for social media or any of your messaging
• Brand Image – sales efforts not in line with branding standards; sales team unable to effectively manage image and also make the sale; new branding direction needed
• Sales / Staff Issues – a need for telephone training, sales scripting and situation training, to address slow response time to new leads, or a need to add new sales staff if they are unable to meet sales goals.