IRVINE, Calif. /eNewsChannels/ — NEWS: The fear of self-promotion is a taboo subject in our small business community – no one will discuss it – however, it is the hidden cause behind business failure statistics, says marketing expert Luke Avedon. “It’s incredible how devastating ‘marketing phobia’ can be,” says Avedon, a respected authority on small business marketing in Irvine, Calif.
“The fear of self-promotion does not only apply to sales people making cold calls – it can even prevent your average mom-and-pop store owner from engaging in the most tame marketing possible, even something as simple as saying ‘hello’ to their customers.”
Avendon cites a 2009 study by Behavioral Sciences Research Press Inc., which showed that 43 percent of people working in retail stores were too shy to even greet visitors. (Customer Engagement Discomfort in Retail Sales Environments (2009, April). Bryant, T.R., Presented at the 55th Annual Convention, Southwestern Psychological Association, San Antonio, Texas.)
“The current statistics on small business bankruptcy are misleading,” says Avedon. “For example this past July, Statistics Brai, combined all the recent major surveys on business failure. They list lack of market awareness as only the seventh cause of bankruptcy. The problem with these statistics is that fear of self-promotion contributes to almost all the other causes of failure as well. For example, pride – number six – or the number one cause of bankruptcy, ‘going into the business for the wrong reasons.’ What this really means, the entrepreneur did not go into business to self-promote but to peruse a passion or hobby.”
Luckily there is a way to overcome “marketing phobia” using these simple steps provided by Avedon:
1. Two techniques taught to me by a Buddhist monk in San Diego which can help anyone overcome the fear of self-promotion.
2. Why rock climbing may be the most important new hobby for anyone dealing with fear.
3. The secret of rubber bands which can eliminate obsessive self-promotion anxiety.
4. One thing that happens to young men in puberty, which can devastate a business career in adulthood.
5. How the folks everyone assumes are natural self-promoters are in the greatest danger.
“‘Marketing phobia’ is fatal to small business. Corporations can hide behind a large advertising budget but the little guys have to rely on grassroots methods to generate sales,” concludes Avedon.
About Luke Avedon:
Avedon specializes in finding hidden marketing opportunities in established ongoing businesses so they can get more sales without having to spend a lot more money. Luke started off in real estate in Roswell, N.M., after college. He would find distressed homes and fix them up and rent them to working families. “I was completely clueless about business. I knew nothing about sales and marketing. It was a brutal experience. I remember that one fateful day at the library when I read my first book on ‘Direct Response Marketing.’ I was literally hitting myself over the head with it. Why Didn’t I think of this stuff before?”
For an entertaining, informative interview, call Luke at (562) 217-2164. For more information, visit: .
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