Some of you may have noticed an important name missing from the list of people who work for the Sun Day on this page. That name is Carol Baffa, who recently retired from her position as an advertising representative after four years of service.
Carol came to the Sun Day to replace pioneering Sun Day ad rep Pat Hatton, who retired from the paper to pursue more time with her family…like Carol now. I knew right away that Carol was a good fit. She hails from a strong media background and came with the knowledge and experience to be successful with the Sun Day. But what immediately attracted my attention to her was that Carol is probably the most honest person Iâve ever met. I actually think sheâs incapable of telling even a small fib.
I like to think of myself as an honest salesman. In fact, my father, a salesman of forty years, once told me Iâm too honest to be a salesman. Not because in sales youâre supposed to lie. I donât condone that behavior, nor do I tolerate it. My problem with sales is that I say things I probably shouldnât because Iâve never been much of a salesman. For example, if someone asks me about our full-page ads, my first response is usually, âWell, itâs really expensive.â If youâre in sales, youâll know thatâs the wrong thing to say to a prospective buyer for so many reasons. But thatâs my natural inclination for some really stupid reason.
But for all my honesty in sales, Carol far surpasses that honesty but somehow does it with grace, which I lack completely.
Carol would also never fail to put herself in the advertiserâs shoes and never fail to alert them of a problem or potential problem right away, even when it made the Sun Day look like a complete ass. For a long time, I said she was the Sun Dayâs conscience, that little voice in the back of all our heads that, were an omission or something even vaguely dishonest to cross our minds, it would speak up, âYou know, Iâm thinking….â
Iâve always tried to instill proper ethics into the Sun Day. Weâre an honest sales staff who focuses on building relationships more than building revenue (and I think our success is proof of that effort) and we aim for truth and honesty in every word we write. Carol contributed to that commitment with just her presence alone and made the efforts of everyone who worked alongside her stronger, if not by her sage advice, then by osmosis alone, which will endure at the Sun Day for years to come.
So, Carol, from everyone here, thank you for your time and commitment and utter honesty. The Sun Day and its readers have benefitted from the time you spent in the pages of this newspaper.
Please take care…and Happy Trails!
