Kelly Sibilsky

I've been asked to come up with an elevator speech. In case you don't already know what an elevator speech is, it's a supposedly crafty little pitch about who you are and what you do for a living that you could deliver in the average elevator ride.

Anyway, since Lake Zurich has few elevators, let's imagine that I'm at a networking event instead. Great. Now I'm stuck in a room with a bunch of people all trying out their canned elevator speeches on me in hopes of getting me to understand what they do for a living, as if I'm not smart enough to know what a doctor does, what a loan officer does, what an insurance agent does. Instead, I get treated to:

"Hi, I'm so-and-so and I help keep people healthy by diagnosing and treating disease."

"Hi, I'm so-and-so and I help buyers with bad credit get into a home with no money down and low rates."

"Hi, I'm so-and-so and I make sure the money keeps flowing when your income stops."

What is the problem with these little speeches? In my opinion they are manipulative, silly and insult my intelligence. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not one for practiced scripts and memorized lines. Now, I know that there are many business coaches, books and sales trainers out there that argue that having a good elevator speech is incredibly important. I just don't agree. In fact, the minute someone tries using scripted or memorized dialog on me I get that feeling that I'm being sold. And I hate being sold.

In my opinion, most of the time when people ask what you do for a living, it is simply "small talk" meant to break the ice and start a conversation. So why not answer, "I'm a real estate agent" (gee, there's a novel idea) and then show genuine interest in the other person by engaging in an actual conversation with him or her?

The truth is, people need to decide whether or not they like you BEFORE

they ever would consider doing business with you.

When you jump in with your rehearsed elevator speech the minute you meet someone, you are doing things in the wrong order by putting business first, relationship building second. It's a turn off to me, and I'm pretty sure it's a turn off to other people as well. Simply put, if people want to know more about you and what you do, they'll ask. And they'll probably appreciate the fact that you are not playing silly word games with them.

I'm Kelly Sibilsky. I'm a real estate agent. What do you do for a living?

I'm pork chop challenged.

I looked up a recipe online today for pork chops and scalloped potatoes and decided to give it a whirl. Wouldn't you think that a pork chop that has been cooked in potatoes and sauce would turn out tender and yummy? Not so in my household! The potatoes were delicious, but the pork chops tough and chewy. Yuk.

I've tried several pork chop recipes. I've tried bone-in, boneless, tenderloin. I've barbequed, shake-and-baked, roasted, baked, stir-fried...you name it and I've tried it.

I know when I'm beat. The pork chop has won.

Sooooo, next time I want pork...I'm heading over to Stoney River. There, I can get a delicious pork tenderloin served with garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach. Mmm. It's perfect every time.

Stoney River is located at 20504 N. Rand Road, Deer Park, Illinois at Deer Park Town Center. Next time you're in town, head on over and enjoy one of their legendary steaks (or a little pork tenderloin).

As for me, I'm sticking with what I'm good at...selling real estate. (Can you hear my family applauding?)

Do you remember how annoying it can be to make telephone call after telephone call to cancel and set up your utilities, phone, cable, internet and similar services when you move? You almost need to set aside one whole day and plan to have the phone glued to your ear while you listen to bad, staticky elevator music.

If that sounds like a fun way to spend your day, then there's no use reading the rest of this post. But, if you would like an easier and more convenient option, try this on for size.

A few years ago I stumbled across a service that takes some of the pain out of this part of the moving experience. It's called MoveUtilities. On their website, you can shop and compare rates and services for most of your local home service providers. It is an online one stop shop...so you waste less time on the telephone enduring long hold times and confusing service options. Simply enter your address and zip code and MoveUtilities will present your options. You can even sign up for services online, get mover's quotes, and fill out your change of address form (no trip to the Post Office necessary). Pretty cool.

Have a happy move!

As an agent, I often read and hear stories from other agents who have had, shall we say, less-than-positive experiences with former (or in some cases, current) clients. It got me thinking about all of my former clients and how I felt about the relationships that were formed during the process of working together. This process of reflection prompted me to go through my database and evaluate all of my contacts. Should they stay on my list, or should they go?

I'm happy to report that when I went through my list of past clients, I was reminded how much I actually liked working with them. I do keep in regular contact with my past clients, not because I feel that I should, but because I really want to. You see, during the process of working together, I form a bond of shared experiences with my clients. I learn about their hopes, dreams and fears, about their children or parents, about the home they grew up in. I'm a part of one of the most important purchases of their lives. It's a job I take very seriously, but also one which I love, and a core belief of mine is that it should be as enjoyable a process as it possibly can be. Maybe that's why it can be so fun...and rewarding.

I also realized that there are people that I have met over the years, who were on my contact list, who I simply did not want to work with. They were added to my contact list because that's what I was taught to do when I became an agent. The truth is, they were people that I didn't form a connection with or feel good about working with for whatever reason. So, I made the decision to delete them. Life is too short to spend it with negative, demanding or unpleasant people.

My past clients are a treasure. A wealth of learning experiences for me, a history of shared laughs, shared meals, and shared challenging times, too. We worked so well together because we worked together, as a team, to meet a common goal. And we decided to have fun along the way. Isn't that how it's supposed to be?

With so much negativity about the real estate market in the news, buyers might be inclined to think that they will be able to:

Get a fantastic below market value deal-of-a-lifetime on their new home!

The reality is, I haven't seen many sellers giving away their homes. While it is true that the upward push on real estate values of a few years ago has come to a screeching halt, sellers have a bottom line, too. They are (more often than not) unwilling or unable to give away their homes (imagine that) and will simply refuse offers that are too low or seen as unreasonable.

Regardless of the fact that it is a buyer's market, the seller is still in control...

they don't have to sell you their home unless they want to!

Now, I know there are some sellers who must sell no matter what and who will be willing or will have to take a loss, particularly if they purchased within the past few years and need to sell now. But this is the exception, not the rule.

Does this mean that you won't get a good deal on your new home? Of course not! There are plenty of great houses being offered at wonderful prices and you have lots of choices. As your real estate agent, I will do a comparative market analysis of the home you are considering so that you can make an educated and informed decision about what is a fair price to pay for the property. Together we will devise a strategy that will both meet your financial goals and have the best chance of getting you into the home of your dreams.

By the way, the same principles apply when working with a new construction builder. Here, however, you can sometimes get more creative! For example, recently I closed a deal where my buyers were able to get the builder to rent back the property for up to six months for use as a field model. This enables my buyers to have a six month cushion in which to sell their present home...while being paid rent each month! In monetary terms, this incentive is worth up to $18,000.00 and gives my buyers tremendous peace of mind.

For a real estate transaction to work well, both parties must feel that they are winning. Everyone has different needs so negotiating to that win-win will be different for each transaction. For one seller, it may be about getting top dollar; for another seller the closing date is of greater importance. In the case of the builder in my example above, closing prior to the end of the year and having the funds to build a new model while still having use of the current model was key to getting the deal together. The builder wins, my buyer wins. See how that works? As a buyer, you will have your own criteria and I will negotiate hard on your behalf to achieve your personal win-win scenerio.

Please don't jump into the real estate market and purchase a new home because you've heard all the stories in the news and think you'll get that fantastic below market value deal-of-a-lifetime on your new home. Purchase a home because it is the right time for you to do so both financially and emotionally...and because you've found a home you love and plan to live in for a long time to come.