The other day I was reading an ad written by legendary copywriter Gary Bencivenga.

When something occurred to me:

I realized that in addition to the hundreds of other reasons Gary’s ads are so effective, there is one little thing that (in my opinion) makes him one of the best. This little “thing” rings true in every ad Gary wrote. It was what made it unique. And to this day it’s hard to find another direct response writer who does this as well as Gary Bencivenga.

What is this thing”?

He was believable.

Every copy Gary wrote is credible.

is believable.

It is real.

Which sounds simple enough, and like something every copywriter should do. Right? But the next direct response ad you read, ask yourself if you believe what the writer is saying. And if not, why don’t you believe the writer?

In most cases, I find the ads to be too full of hype and hype. They look like sellers. And every time you… or me… or someone else gets an overblown claim, it turns us off.

We say, “Yeah, sure. Here we go again. Just another person trying to get into my wallet.”

And that kills any chance the copywriter has of making the sale.

But not a Gary Bencivenga ad.

Gary’s stuff almost never contained far-fetched claims… or far-fetched benefits… or moments in the copy where you’d say, “Yeah, sure.” And in my opinion, this is what makes Gary so good.

So what about your sales letter?

Or your space ad?

Or even your client’s newsletter?

Are you making a bunch of exaggerated claims that you can’t back up with evidence?

Or are you telling a believable story about what your product can (and can’t) do?

Remember, there is nothing to add credibility to your appeal when you admit a fault. Tell your reader why you are not perfect.

In fact, the ad I was reading from Gary Bencivenga did this about halfway through the ad. And boy, did he add so much more credibility to what he was reading.

So there you have it.

The reason Gary Bencivenga was a great direct response ad writer.

And one last thing:

If you’re serious about growing your small business, what’s stopping you? Chances are all you need is a good idea. But you have to be careful where you look for ideas. Because nowadays everyone and his brother claim to be some kind of “business expert”.

So ask yourself this:

Who can you turn to for good ideas like the ones in this article?

I certainly have a lot of great ideas. But, our personalities may not mesh. In fact, if there is any “friction” between us, it will never work. You will not be happy. Me neither. To see if we’re a good fit, take a look around my website which you’ll find in the author box below.