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66 The Seven Lost Secrets of Success

about advertising men, Barton did regard sincerity and
truth as the first essential of successful advertising.”

HONESTY SELLS

Barton was sincere. Even Julian Lewis Watkins, while
selecting several Barton ads for his book The 100 Greatest
Advertisements, said Bruce Barton’s ads were notable for
their sincerity.

Though Barton often had trouble balancing his work
life with his spirituality (hence his two most famous
books on trying to balance the two), he was earnest. And
his honesty showed. It is this characteristic that attracted
many people (including me) to his works.

Many studies have shown that the number one element
that keeps people from buying anything is lack of trust.
Other advertisers have burned them too often before.

You know this is a fact. When you read an ad, you
always wonder, “Is this true? Are the claims valid?” This
is another reason people read news stories five to nine
times more than they read ads. They simply don’t trust
advertising!

Do you believe in what you are doing or selling? If
you don’t, you’d better get into something else where
your heart and soul can live happily. After all, you are
the best salesperson for your business! If you aren’t con-
vinced, how are you going to excite anyone else?

Bob Bly, the author of 51 business books, says in his
The Copywriter’s Handbook, “When you believe in your
product, it’s easy to write copy that is sincere, inform-
ative, and helpful. And when you are sincere, it comes
across to readers and they believe what you’ve written.”