limited budget advertising . more money than ever is now being spent on stimulating the public to travel abroad - whether for business or pleasure . but what about the smaller agent ? even the small agent with only limited resources should advertise , provided the money is well directed into the proper channels . bearing in mind the fact that the smaller travel agent offers special services to a particular client&amp;egrave;le , the problem is not as difficult as it looks . this first article therefore , deals with the press side ; the second will deal with public relations , and the third will deal with direct mail . and these aim to offer just a few suggestions on how the smaller agent can sell himself successfully . there are of course many other forms of publicity which will not be covered , such as outdoor posters ( roadside hoardings , bus sides , trains etc ) illuminated signs and so on . not most effective . naturally when one first thinks of press advertising , it conjures up the thought of taking space in the national dailies or Sunday papers ; but it must be pointed out that , whilst this is an ideal media , it does not mean it is necessarily the most effective method of reaching your public . with your type of client&amp;egrave;le , and the kind of money which you have available for advertising , the local press is probably the ideal way of reaching your client . whatever the flavour or colour of your local paper , do remember that these are read avidly for local information , etc . it has been proved by research as well as by the response of local traders that spaces however large or small certainly have the required pulling power ! in addition , of course , you will probably be able to afford to take small spaces in the small circulation local magazines , i.e church magazines , local shopping guides etc , whose readers are also susceptible to your kind of advertising . for this purpose it is necessary to find out which papers and magazines potential customers read - then use them . in most cases advertising rates are very economical indeed for the amount of coverage which they offer . to give an example of costs , the major counties of England have been selected and in the table on page 41 these are listed together with the number of weekly papers in each area , together with the overall average costs per single column inch . as will be seen these are extremely economical . when to advertise ? this is a very important factor when thinking of advertising . to reach the holiday market , it would be advisable to plan your campaign , if you are selling inclusive tours or package holidays , so that it appears in late December or during January . it is advisable to keep in reserve a small amount for advertising during March &amp;sol; April to catch those people who do not decide where or what they are going to do until later in the year , or possibly are wanting to see what the budget is going to do for them . it is at this time when the public are thinking of planning their forthcoming annual holiday . it would be extremely wasteful to spend money on promoting summer holidays in the middle of June or July . if you are in a highly industrial area where there are a number of top level executives who are unable to get away during the normal periods , then it may be wise to promote a special campaign selling the idea of getting away during late autumn , finding the sun , or travelling to a winter skiing holiday . this campaign would be best planned to commence around late August or the beginning of September . the writer feels that repetitive small spaces are better able to keep the company &apos;s name before the public , rather than putting all your eggs in one basket by taking say a half-page , and thus spending all your money in one large effort . it should be apparent from these remarks that very careful thought and planning should be undertaken before carrying out any type of advertising . quality is what counts . as has already been stated , it is not always the size of space which dominates but how the space which is bought , can be used to the best advantage . if you can only afford 2 in single columns in your local newspaper , it is wise only to promote the company name together with the facilities offered . an example of style for this format is shown . even in small spaces such as this the brand image is incorporated . it may , however , be felt that at certain times during the year you are able to offer the public in your area a special package holiday to various resorts . this will mean taking larger spaces to display this information . an example of this type of display is also illustrated . once again the brand image of the company is followed through . as will be seen the same name plate and border etc are adhered to , thus continuing the build-up of the company &apos;s image . creating a brand image . to promote your company successfully it is wise to create a brand image , and this can be done by standardising the style of the company name either by creating a name block of the company name , i.e Poly travel , or by adhering to a standard form of setting the company name . this should be carried throughout on letterheads , labels etc . this , together with a type of border display which is repetitively used whenever advertising the facilities offered , will in time become immediately recognisable as belonging to your company . an example of how this can be achieved in different sizes is shown on the layouts illustrated in this article . the basic qualities of personal selling by Stuart Thomson . successful salesmanship largely depends on a positive attitude . throughout the British Isles the benefits and pleasures of travel are being creatively sold or offered for sale . there is a considerable difference in these two functions and the difference will be emphasised in this series of articles . working from ill-equipped Dickensian offices or operating from large , plush showrooms of global romance , are the men and women who are , or should be , engaged in selling travel . without any doubt some of them have pledged themselves , by their mental attitudes , to a life of frustration , inertia and discontent , whilst some of their colleagues have destined themselves , because of quite contrasting attitudes , to a life of fulfilment , happiness and success . as each year passes the sum total of sales promotional activity within the travel industry grows more weighty and impressive . apart from the increased display advertisement space booked in newspapers and magazines , additional use is being made of television and commercial radio . add to this such media as posters and direct mail and it will be quickly appreciated that the consumer public is increasingly well served with information . whilst the ultimate intention of all this publicity is obviously to sell travel , its immediate aim is to foster desire , create awareness and stimulate the intention to act . through a variety of means , for a large number of varied reasons , it helps bring the public to the market place of travel . however , nothing materialises , no positive action takes place , no orders are negotiated , until the prospective purchaser is in contact with a travel agency or a transport organisation . people taking charge . it is now that people become involved and it is people , with their idiosyncratic ways , patterns of behaviour and thought processes , who make or mar a sale . the human personality takes effect . men and women influence the result of a commercial transaction . whilst it is the object of publicity to promote a sale , the inescapable fact remains that promotion is one thing and execution another . the key factor in successful selling is the degree of enthusiasm and competence of the sales staff . when they lack zest , belief and knowledge , they will mutilate opportunities to make sales . when they possess enthusiasm , belief and knowledge , they will create opportunities as well as accept those which are presented to them . as far as the practises and techniques of selling are concerned there are no secrets , no hidden mysteries . commerce has existed for so many centuries that all known usages and practises are on record . learning techniques . no one would deny that it is necessary for sales personnel to learn and practise all acceptable techniques which are applicable to the sale of their particular product or service . it is , though , almost a waste of time painstakingly to learn the routines of selling unless one approaches this stimulating , rewarding occupation with a positive attitude of mind . beliefs and attitudes play a role of greater importance than techniques which can be learned without difficulty . some people are outstanding , or noticeably good , as salesmen . their success is not wrapped up in mysticism , gift of the gab , unmitigated toil , family influence , or selfish desire for material gain . it may be pitifully comforting for those who fail to attribute the sales success of others to all sorts of weird , and sometimes quite petty , reasons , but it is profitless expenditure of nervous energy . all good salesmen and women possess four attributes without which they could not succeed . ( 1 ) . they have a sincere and genuine interest in the product or service which they market . ( 2 ) . they consciously enjoy their work - they like selling . ( 3 ) . most important of all they believe in themselves , their company , and their industry . they believe that what they are doing is the right thing to be doing . ( 4 ) . they think positively . they think of success , not of failure . they cast out doubts and defeatism , knowing that dwelling on negative corroding thoughts is destructive . there are , of course , numerous other assets which are required for a successful career in selling . obviously , for instance , one can not sell well without enthusiasm , but the man or woman who possesses the four main characteristics just listed is , automatically , enthusiastic . early in this article I said that some people destine themselves for success whilst others ensure for themselves a life of frustration . success in selling is as simple , or as complex , as the control exercised by the attitude of mind to the work to be done . automatic polish . the man who enjoys his work and approaches it creatively will find that the techniques , the competency and the professional polish will come to him automatically . he will learn and progress because he wishes to do so , not because he is forced to do so . when a man does not like what he is doing , when he does not believe in it , when he is perpetually day-dreaming and night-scheming as to how to escape from his present mode of life , then he is doomed to failure in his existing employment . to sell travel - or anything else - successfully , it is essential to want and intend to succeed . unaware of resources . the travel industry is not alone in utilising the services of some sales people who are mediocre - that word is high praise for them - and inefficient because they are unaware of their potentialities as human beings , and unappreciative of the power they possess to be of service to others . in certain of such instances it is unfair and unrealistic to place the entire blame on the men and women concerned . importance of example . an employer , the proprietor of a travel agency , has no right to criticize members of his staff for lack of enthusiasm and absence of application if he , personally , does not set an example . a large number of average or poor performers could , and would , be much more successful if only they were given a lead by their seniors and assisted with patience , understanding and fellow feeling . all too often this is not the case . successful selling primarily depends on liking the product or service , enjoying selling , believing sincerely in the benefits of one &apos;s work and cultivating a successful attitude to life . some people understand this truth instinctively , whilst others need much guidance in order to develop the potentialities that lie within them . modern sales office technique . most department and multiple stores of western Europe and north America spend considerably on staff training , and every sales person passes through a theoretical course as well as a period of practical apprenticeship . 