Alan May, Coldwell Banker Evanston Realtor, North Shore Realtor

If you want to feel really old, I think the best way is to hang out with young people. Truths just fall right out of their mouths, and they have no idea what the true impact is.

I was recently visiting with my daughter and her friends (a bunch of female 20-somethings), and my daughter asked If I'd been able to get her the information she'd requested earlier that week. I responded by telling her: "I texted that stuff to you yesterday".

Her friend, who is very cute, and I've known for years and years, turned to me, wide-eyed, and said:

"You know how to text, Mr. May?"...

and with that same smile & same treacly sweet voice that you reserve for your two-year old when they finally learn how to use the potty chair, she said to me...

"Good for You!"... (insert evil music, thunder clapping and maniacal laughter here).

I, of course, wanted to respond with:

"You know, I'm a professional Realtor® (note how I included the Registered Trademark symbol!!... huh? huh?) and I've been texting since long before you were born, little missy! Why, I INVENTED texting... yeah, that's the ticket... in fact, Shortly after I married my gorgeous wife, Morgan Fairchild, Al Gore and I invented the internet and have been texting each other back and forth since the election was stolen... er, I mean since he lost the election, you young whippersnapper."

I didn't, of course, say all those things... I know she didn't mean anything by it... in fact, I sensed she was kinda proud of me.... (grumble, grumble)... I managed to work a smile onto my face, and mutter under my breath "Thank you".

Studies have shown that the average U.S. citizen is more afraid of public speaking than of facing death! Let me emphasis that... more afraid of Standing up in front of a group of people and talking (on any subject at all), than they are of their own immortality.

Most Realtors are outgoing, by nature, or they wouldn't have gone into this "people business". But public speaking is a separate talent, that many still fear. I know an agent in our office who breaks out in a sweat on Monday mornings, when she has to announce her new listings to the attendees of our mandatory Monday-morning staff meeting. 50-60 people who she knows very well, and state some facts from a listing sheet. She's gone so far as to ask others (myself included) to do it for her.

At some point, or another, during our Real Estate careers, we will be called upon to stand up and speak to a group. A larger group that the two homesellers at our listing presentation. (which of course carries it's own angst).

If standing up in front of a crowd, or grabbing a microphone at a wedding causes your pulse to quicken, your sweat glands to go into overdrive, your mouth to turn arid and your vision to blur, here are a few tips to help you get through your ordeal, with a modicum of dignity, and a dry suit.

1. First and foremost... know your material. if you're not familiar with the subject (a new listing) learn about it before you stand up. Know more about it than you include in your speech, in case there are questions. Feel free to add humor, personal stories and conversational language – that way you won’t easily forget what to say... although I don't recommend "opening with a joke"... if you're nervous, or tense, that will come across, and it will undoubtedly kill the punch line.
   
2. Practice. Practice. Practice! If you're nervous trying rehearsing out loud, try it in front of a mirror. Change as necessary if you stumble over a section. My biggest recommendation is not to rush through it... slow down.... sloooowww down... allow air between each word. Make a full stop at the end of each sentence. The audience can tell when you're rushing... and it makes you look desperate to finish, and they have trouble understanding you.
   
3. Know the audience. Greet some of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to strangers. Make eye contact. Look up from your notes, every now and then... use this time to breath!!
   
4. Do not (I repeat) do not picture your audience in their underwear. This has never been successful for me. (I don't know... maybe it's a guy thing).
   
5. Try to Relax. Begin with a greeting. "Good morning... thanks for attending... I'll keep it brief". It buys you time and calms your nerves. Pause, smile and count to three before saying anything. ("One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand. Pause. Begin.) Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm.
   
6. Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. They’re rooting for you. Don't worry that the audience can tell your nervous... they expect a certain amount of nerves, and they'll be on your side. (they'd be nervous too, if they were up there)
7. Don’t apologize for any nervousness or problem – the audience probably never noticed it, or if they did, they didn't care about it nearly as much as you did! And apologizing for it will just serve to call further attention to it.
   
8. Gain experience. It's kinda like dancing... you're not going to learn how to dance by sitting down. Get up there and look foolish. Get up at any occasion, even if it's just to introduce the speaker. Each time it gets a bit easier.

Good luck, and get out there and grab that microphone. It's fun! (Okay, maybe not yet... but it can be fun... okay, okay... let's just agree that it doesn't have to be scary!)

I figured since I keep arriving at the "proxy error" whenever I click on somone's blog, today, that many of you, too are having the same problem.

And if you're going to end up at "proxy error" maybe instead of ending up at that boring "proxy error" you could end up on my "proxy error" post... it sounded like a good way to increase my "views" by having all of you end up at MY proxy error. Now I know that's not very linear logic... in fact, there's not a whole lot of logic to it at all.... but it shore is kinda funny... dontcha think?

dontcha?

Okay, most of us consider ourselves to be too smart to fall for these e-mail scams. And yet, I received them day-after-day, week-after-week, month-after-month... sometimes two or three in the same day. My guess is they wouldn't continue to send them, if they didn't work, and somehow they've managed to get otherwise intelligent people to send them money to prime the pump.

I recently ran into a potential buyer, on one of our developer's condos, who was interested in purchasing one of our new condos. He indicated that he'd be able to bring us the initial down payment, but he might need 30 days to bring us the $25,000, as he had recently won $5,000,000 in the Irish Sweepstakes.

When I gently pressed him for more information, as the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, he revealed that he had received his notification through the e-mail, and No, he didn't remember entering the sweepstakes, and Yes, he had already sent them $500.00 to help it clear through customs, but they might be needing additional funds, as things were bogged down in customs. When I questioned the validity of this "sweepstakes", he became a bit indignant with me, and told me that he'd already spoken with the Treasury Dept., and the FBI, and it was legitimate.

When I pressed further, and asked how he contacted Treasury and FBI, he indicated that, of course, they contacted HIM. As PT Barnum once stated, a Fool and his money are soon parted. The saga with this older gentleman, and he was a gentleman, went on for more than a year... postponing the purchase... changing which unit he wanted (as units went under contract).. until finally the entire building had been sold out, and he changed his focus to purchasing a resale in the building.

Now this doesn't sound all that bizarre until you consider this gentleman's profession. He was a retired professor from Northwestern University here in Evanston. One of the most prestigious schools in the country. No wonder they keep sending out those e-mails. If they can convince an NU professor, what hope do the rest of us have??

____________________________________________________________

Just so you can see what we're talking about here's a sample of the latest "twist" on an e-mail scam I received in this morning's e-mails... note the spelling and grammatical errors are the way it arrived... often a dead give-away:

Dear Sir/Madam,

NOTIFICATION OF PAYMENT VIA ATM CARD (This was the Subject Line... tempting isn't it?... you'd probably open it)

This is to officially inform you that we have verified your contract file presently on my desk, and I found out that you have not received your payment due to your lack of co-operation and not fulfilling the obligations giving to you in respect to your contract payment.

Secondly, you are hereby advised to stop dealing with some non-officials in the bank as this is an illegal act and will have to stop if you so wish to receive your payment immediately.

After the Board of director's meeting held in Abuja,we have resolved in finding a solution to your problem.We have arranged your payment through our SWIFT CARD PAYMENT CENTRE in Europe, America, Africa and Asia Pacific, This is part of an instruction/mandate passed by the Senate inrespect to overseas contract payment and debt re-scheduling.

We will send you an ATM CARD which you will use to withdraw your money via ATM MACHINE in any part of the world,and the maximum daily limit is Fifteen Thousand United States Dollars($15,000.00).

However, Note that this method of payment will be granted if it is acceptable to you for the release of your contract/inheritance entitlement. In View of this, you are advised to contact the Director (CBN, IRD, and ATM) DR.USMAN SHAMSUDEEN for further information with the following contact details:

Dr. Usman Shamsuddeen
Minister, Federal Ministry Of Finance,
Telephone line: +234-8032787700
Email: drusmanng@live.co.uk

If you like to receive your fund this way, Kindly reconfirm your

1. Your full name.
2. Phone and fax number.
3. Address were you want the ATM Card to be sent. (P.O Box not acceptable)
4. Your age and current occupation

We shall be expecting to receive your information as you have to stop any further communication with anybody or office.

Thanks for your co-operation.

Best Regards,

Dr. James Brown (Hon.)
CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA

CC: SENATE PRESIDENT
CC: ALL FOREIGN PAYMENT OFFICES
CC: BOARD OF DIRECTORS [CBN]
CC: ACCOUNTANT GENERAL OF THE FEDERATION

George J. Cyrus, Jr. passed away on Friday night. Among other things, he was also the founder of our agency (Cyrus Realtors) and our office, which was later purchased by Coldwell Banker. Following is a letter published by the local Chamber of Commerce executive director, Jonathan Perman. I thought it was appropriate to post here:

It is with profound personal sadness that I bring to you news that George J. Cyrus, Jr. passed away on Friday night. George defined what it meant to be a business leader. He was involved in so many facets of Evanston, providing wise counsel, serving on boards, providing financial resources, and most of all, contributing to the advancement of this community with his incisive wisdom and his outreach.

George served on The Evanston Chamber board for at least four terms (as far back as I could accurately research): 1987-89, 1990-92 (also Executive Committee), 1996-98, and 1999-2001 (also Executive Committee). He was one of the first businesspersons in Evanston that I was introduced to when I came to Evanston in the early 1990s, since George served on the selection committee that hired me. After, and often during, his service on The Chamber board of directors, George was also involved with The Chamber's Governmental Affairs/Economic Development Council, its Nominating Committee, and the City-Chamber Committee.

In 1994, The Chamber named George as the second winner of its annual Community Leadership Award, which honors an individual who has demonstrated over their career an unusual ability to:

* channel private sector resources
* respond creatively, effectively, and efficiently
* inspire others to become involved

to make the Evanston area a better place for its people and its institutions.

In the early 1990s, George was perhaps the leading voice of the business community to open up the zoning envelope in downtown Evanston and permit denser mixed-use development near transit stations. George understood, long before many others did, that to have a thriving and vital downtown, a city like Evanston needed to create a local customer base that would patronize the local stores and restaurants. On many late nights at the City Council, George and I worked very closely to fashion a zoning ordinance that would stimulate development and investment in Evanston. George seemed to know every chapter and verse of the complicated zoning ordinance and would offer recommendations as well as broker compromises. In the last year, however, George helped to craft a proposal for a new economic development organizational structure as he saw that Evanston would need to adjust to a more commercial-oriented strategy rather than relying so much on residential development.

George was a lifelong Evanstonian, a graduate of Evanston Township High School, and became involved with his father's firm, Cyrus Realtors, in the 1950s. At that time, the firm began building multiple family housing in Evanston. They developed construction activity from moderately-priced apartments to larger, profusely landscaped, court-type apartment buildings with underground garages which became distinctly known as "Cyrus-built" Evanston apartment residences.

In 1967, George became president of the firm, and in succeeding years, a program to build the residential brokerage business of the firm involved a combining of efforts with Walter Kihm, Jr., a former high school classmate. Cyrus Realtors became one of the leading real estate companies in the Chicago area. Their success with the company was due, in large part, to the community involvement of the ownership and its employees. Kihm and Cyrus would often say that, "the community is our product, our inventory and that is why we must be involved in the shaping and improving the quality of Evanston." Later, the two entrepreneurs would join with Donna Doberstein (a former Chamber president) to create CDK Mortgage Company.

In addition to his activities with The Chamber, where he served as President in the 1980s, George was involved with the North Shore Board of Realtors, and served as president of the Mental Health Association of Evanston. He also was on the boards of the Evanston Historical Society, Evanston Symphony, Northlight Theatre, Youth Job Center, and Youth Organizations Umbrella (YOU), just to name a few.

George's death is a great loss for this city. He was a "go-to" guy, and someone who's opinion was respected and listened to. George was not boisterous or loud, instead he listened attentively. But his heart was bigger than most and he showed us why he cared by the eloquence of his example. Most of all, that heart expressed his deep love for Evanston. And because George cared, today Evanston is a better place.

George, I will miss you, and so too, will all of Evanston.


Jonathan Perman
Executive Director