Seven Lost Secrets of Success

This book about advertising legend Bruce Barton (1886-1967) recounts his timeless marketing and copywriting techniques that continue to be relevant in legal marketing and other industries.

Unknown to many today, Mr. Barton was "the second B in BBDO," which remains an advertising powerhouse with 15,000 employees in 79 countries.

Mr. Barton's seven secrets to marketing and advertising success include:

1. Reveal the business that no one knows. Applied to a law firm, this means less emphasis on legal services per se and more of an emphasis on benefits realized by the client (i.e., increased market share when a solidly written patent application is approved, or family financial security from a well-crafted trust and estate plan).

2. Establish yourself as an expert in your field (which is exactly what we recommend in our book Courting Your Clients).

3. Learn to use "story selling" methods to demonstrate how you improve the personal and/or business lives of your clients.

4. Challenge clients to "travel the upward path," like the Marines who are looking for "a few good men."

5. Marketing won't work if sincerity is missing.

6. Give yourself away. This is particularly relevant in today's Internet environment. Offer value to your prospects and they will come looking for you when in need of your services.

7. Sharpen the knife. Intended for written marketing and advertising copy, it could apply to legal work as well. Polish your pitch until it is perfect, pruning unnecessary words and focusing on effectiveness rather than cleverness.

Those interested in legal marketing will find this to be an easy read. "The Seven Lost Secrets of Success," by Joe Vitale, Wiley 2007.