LIMITED BUDGET ADVERTISING .sx MORE MONEY than ever is now being spent on stimulating the public to travel abroad- whether for business or pleasure .sx But what about the smaller agent ?sx Even the small agent with only limited resources should advertise , provided the money is well directed into the proper channels .sx Bearing in mind the fact that the smaller travel agent offers special services to a particular cliente@3le , the problem is not as difficult as it looks .sx This first article therefore , deals with the press side ; the second will deal with public relations , and the third will deal with direct mail .sx And these aim to offer just a few suggestions on how the smaller agent can 'sell himself' successfully .sx 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 .sx Not most effective .sx 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 .sx With your type of cliente@3le , and the kind of money which you have available for advertising , the local press is probably the ideal way of reaching your client .sx 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 !sx 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 .sx For this purpose it is necessary to find out which papers and magazines potential customers read- then use them .sx In most cases advertising rates are very economical indeed for the amount of coverage which they offer .sx 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 .sx As will be seen these are extremely economical .sx When to advertise ?sx .sx This is a very important factor when thinking of advertising .sx 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 .sx It is advisable to keep in reserve a small amount for advertising during March/ 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 .sx It is at this time when the public are thinking of planning their forthcoming annual holiday .sx It would be extremely wasteful to spend money on promoting summer holidays in the middle of June or July .sx 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 .sx This campaign would be best planned to commence around late August or the beginning of September .sx The writer feels that repetitive small spaces are better able to keep the company'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 .sx It should be apparent from these remarks that very careful thought and planning should be undertaken before carrying out any type of advertising .sx Quality is what counts .sx 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 .sx If you can only afford 2 in .sx single columns in your local newspaper , it is wise only to promote the company name together with the facilities offered .sx An example of style for this format is shown .sx Even in small spaces such as this the 'brand image' is incorporated .sx 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 .sx This will mean taking larger spaces to display this information .sx An example of this type of display is also illustrated .sx Once again the 'brand image' of the company is followed through .sx As will be seen the same name plate and border etc. are adhered to , thus continuing the build-up of the company's image .sx Creating a brand image .sx 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 .sx 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 .sx An example of how this can be achieved in different sizes is shown on the layouts illustrated in this article .sx THE BASIC QUALITIES OF PERSONAL SELLING by STUART THOMSON .sx Successful salesmanship largely depends on a positive attitude .sx THROUGHOUT the British Isles the benefits and pleasures of travel are being creatively sold or 'offered for sale' .sx There is a considerable difference in these two functions and the difference will be emphasised in this series of articles .sx 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 .sx 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 .sx As each year passes the sum total of sales promotional activity within the travel industry grows more weighty and impressive .sx Apart from the increased display advertisement space booked in newspapers and magazines , additional use is being made of television and commercial radio .sx 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 .sx 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 .sx Through a variety of means , for a large number of varied reasons , it helps bring the public to the market place of travel .sx 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 .sx People taking charge .sx 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 .sx The human personality takes effect .sx Men and women influence the result of a commercial transaction .sx Whilst it is the object of publicity to promote a sale , the inescapable fact remains that promotion is one thing and execution another .sx The key factor in successful selling is the degree of enthusiasm and competence of the sales staff .sx When they lack zest , belief and knowledge , they will mutilate opportunities to make sales .sx When they possess enthusiasm , belief and knowledge , they will create opportunities as well as accept those which are presented to them .sx As far as the practises [SIC] and techniques of selling are concerned there are no 'secrets' , no hidden mysteries .sx Commerce has existed for so many centuries that all known usages and practises [SIC] are on record .sx Learning techniques .sx 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 .sx 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 .sx Beliefs and attitudes play a role of greater importance than techniques which can be learned without difficulty .sx Some people are outstanding , or noticeably good , as salesmen .sx Their success is not wrapped up in mysticism , gift of the gab , unmitigated toil , family influence , or selfish desire for material gain .sx 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 .sx All good salesmen and women possess four attributes without which they could not succeed .sx ( 1 ) They have a sincere and genuine interest in the product or service which they market .sx ( 2 ) They consciously enjoy their work- they like selling .sx ( 3 ) Most important of all they believe in themselves , their company , and their industry .sx They believe that what they are doing is the right thing to be doing .sx ( 4 ) They think positively .sx They think of success , not of failure .sx They cast out doubts and defeatism , knowing that dwelling on negative corroding thoughts is destructive .sx There are , of course , numerous other assets which are required for a successful career in selling .sx Obviously , for instance , one cannot sell well without enthusiasm , but the man or woman who possesses the four main characteristics just listed is , automatically , enthusiastic .sx Early in this article I said that some people destine themselves for success whilst others ensure for themselves a life of frustration .sx Success in selling is as simple , or as complex , as the control exercised by the attitude of mind to the work to be done .sx Automatic polish .sx 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 .sx He will learn and progress because he wishes to do so , not because he is forced to do so .sx 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 .sx To sell travel- or anything else- successfully , it is essential to want and intend to succeed .sx Unaware of resources .sx 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 .sx In certain of such instances it is unfair and unrealistic to place the entire blame on the men and women concerned .sx Importance of example .sx 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 .sx 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 .sx All too often this is not the case .sx Successful selling primarily depends on liking the product or service , enjoying selling , believing sincerely in the benefits of one's work and cultivating a successful attitude to life .sx Some people understand this truth instinctively , whilst others need much guidance in order to develop the potentialities that lie within them .sx Modern sales office technique .sx 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 .sx