Libby worked on several successful marketing projects for Becky Jo's newspaper over a short period of time, including selling ads and creating content for special sections honoring local sports teams and senior citizens. Despite some initial challenges with data entry work, Libby persevered in selling ads, growing sections, and gaining new subscribers. Becky Jo praises Libby's positive attitude and people skills, and says she will go far in her marketing career.

1. Dear Libby,
It was such a joy working with you. With barely a ten-minute orientation, we handed you
the phone and you made your first ad sale, and in two days we sold an entire section for
the State Champion La Grange Leopards softball team.
One short week later, we had the same two-day timeline to sell an entire special section
for the Flatonia Bulldogs Baseball State Champions.
Both of these projects show community support for the youth in the community. Projects
like these make me so proud. After all, these young people are future subscribers who
will look back with fond memories of seeing their names and faces in the Record.
The boring job of data entry for a Readers’ Choice contest came with lessons to learn.
Make sure we get the information correct. It’s probably not a job for a Marketing Major,
but none-the-less, the management assigned it to you and you did your best. If you
already had known everything, then you wouldn’t need to learn anything. So while it
wasn’t in your wheelhouse, perhaps it will help you in some small way down the road.
A Senior Citizen special section was a project that allowed us only one week to sell. Your
words were “lets do it!” And we did! Not only did you sell the ads, but you created the
ads, and you wrote two articles!
This special section reached a niche market and was distributed in three newspapers
across two counties and was handed out at the Senior Citizen Expo in Lee County.
Together we manned a booth as a sponsor of the event.
As a sponsor, we used our marketing skills to gain new subscribers with a special offer.
We gave away two subscriptions in a drawing. We then used those entry forms to call the
people who did not win, and we gained even more subscribers. Growing our subscriber
base is such an important goal, but growing it in another county is a dream! How
wonderful it is to say… “Our newspaper is growing and that’s why you should advertise
with us!”
Over the next month, you were given full charge to sell the High School Football
Preview. Not only did you do well, you even grew it by four pages! There were times
when you felt discouraged, but that’s how it is in advertising. Everyone wants to wait
until deadline day. Everyone wants you to keep calling them back. And it makes you feel
like giving up. But you didn’t. And your persistence even gained an advertiser who very
rarely advertises. Sometimes it’s not how many hours it takes, but the victory of the sale
that makes you feel successful. Good Job!!!
Together we sold sponsorships for video broadcasts, online advertising, advertising in our
GoFayCo app, three special sections and two newspapers per week! Wow! There was
barely time to breathe, let alone eat.

2. When someone in the office got sick, we used Thieves essential oil in the diffuser. When
we were tired, we used “Awaken.” When we worked really hard, we used “Stress Away.”
When we felt things were slow, we used “Motivation.” When it looked like our tasks
were hard to accomplish, we diffused “Envision.” And anytime in between, we diffused
“Highest Potential.” We put drops of peppermint in our water and took DiGize to help us
when we ate too fast.
We hardly had time to eat, but on occasion we made time for lunch with other business
people in the community, and sometimes it was just the two of us. During those times,
we always asked God to bless our meal and each other.
What a blessing you have been to me. You have definitely chosen the right career. I know
you will go far in life and someone will be very lucky to have you as his or her marketer.
Your personality is cheerful and your people skills are fantastic. But your attitude is so
positive that it will rub off on all those around.
In this world of marketing, just remember these simple things. You are a problem solver.
Keep Smiling. Stay sincere. Listen to what people need, and try to help them find
solutions. Pronounce names the way they say them, even if it looks like it should be
something else. Keep all the details until you don’t need them anymore. And never delete
emails because they can help you years down the road.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the
Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3:23-24
I will miss working with you. If you need me, I’m a phone call or text away. Just HMU.
Love and Hugs,
Becky Jo Matthijetz-Weise