Real Estate References

I am a firm believer in the use of testimonials. You will notice on our Client Sites Page that many of the people whom we have helped with websites have also sent us testimonials. On that page, I integrated the testimonials with examples of websites we have created. Integration into the body of a site is the best use of testimonials as they are more likely to be read and they can directly back up the point you are making on the page.

However, below is a list of testimonials that speak more generally to our expertise in real estate. These along with the information in our About Us page should reassure you that we do know the business of real estate.

Top Producer and Franchise Owner
As a very good friend for over forty years and trusted advisor for the last 25, I have always listened closely to what Jeff Stone has to say. His 30+ years of real estate sales and management experience at a performance level that few can achieve is in itself quite impressive and I'm sure affords him instant credibility. Jeff has been responsible for helping some of Illinois' top producers reach their success.

Upon first meeting with Jeff or reading one of his well-written newsletters you will find that Jeff's message as Career Coach is insightful, instructive, encouraging, cutting-edge (he's on top of this market), understanding (he's been there!) and wise. Throw into the mix a fabulous sense of humor and an extremely high "geek-factor" and you are talking about Mr. Stone. Working with him is an extremely positive experience. Jeff is an easy person to like and trust.

As a thirty year veteran of real estate sales, management and franchise owner and top producer, I have seen most of the real estate "gurus" and have benefited much from many of them. None have been so hands-on helpful to me as the "Guru of Beaver Island", Jeff Stone - and his lovely wife, Sarah Rohner.

By the way, when I signed up with Next Level Solutions, I was looking forward to input from Jeff, but little did I realize that his current wife, Sarah Rohner, would also be involved.

Sarah has added an additional, invaluable point of view. Her organizational and creative talents and tremendous wealth of ideas have built my web-site into what I've been repeatedly told is the "best one out there".
Jeff and Sarah are really taking me to the "Next Level".

If Jeff had started Next Level Solutions ten years ago, I would've been first to sign-up and would probably be retired myself, enjoying the good life somewhere, like Beaver Island!

John Adamson, "Mr. Evanston" www.EvanstonAreaHomes.com

Web site expert using Advanced Access
Jeff Stone has done an amazing job working with Advanced Access. He has built and maintained an extremely successful and insightful real estate website. Jeff can show anyone how to propel their real estate business to the top. If you are thinking of working with Jeff, I can wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone that is seeking a path of success in the real estate market.

Jeff has intimate knowledge of our Flex Design system and has been using it to its fullest capacity for years. Jeff knows Advanced Access and how to make our sites search engine monsters.

Jeff, we´d like to wish you well and we will be happy to refer our business to you in the future. Best of luck!

Most Productive agents and fun
I worked with Jeff Stone for many years and was always impressed with his unique and effective leadership. Jeff has the ability to communicate ideas clearly to groups and individuals while also making presentations humorous and entertaining. His talent of coaching agents on meshing sales and technical marketing skills created great success for the offices and associates he managed. In turn, Jeff´s offices were continually the most productive per agent in our Coldwell Banker Company. I recommend Jeff as a mentor to any associate who is interested in growing success and having a good time doing it!

Terry J. Brinkman GRI, CRB, CRS
Former Director of Training
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Average to superstar
I've known Jeff Stone on a personal and business level nearly 30 years. He stands among the very best Sales Managers I've ever observed.

Through all types of real estate markets over the years, Jeff has been able to train and coach sales associates to achieve high performance levels. I've seen Jeff lead once average associates to top quartile status and even super star standing.

I know that Jeff's ideas and coaching will continue to help real estate sales professionals increase their productivity and earnings.

Bob Verbic
Executive Director
Builder Marketing Society

Struggling and ready to give up
Late in my 40th I started my third career and the one I had wanted to do all my adult life, I was ready to sell real estate. After almost two years of struggling to make a living, I was ready to give up. Then I was fortunate to have Jeff stone become my new manager. Everything turned around, with his guidance, encouragement and knowledge of the business. I became a, not a good, but a great realtor! Without him, I would have had to give up my dream. Thank you Jeff stone keep up the great work.

7 year veteran sees business double in 8 months
I had been in the business for about 7 years and was doing the same volume as when I had started. After 8 months with Jeff my business doubled and my business has continued to grow through the years.

Chris Cwik

Business increased 500% !
I wanted to write and thank you for your mentoring, coaching and cultivation of me as a successful sales associate over the years. When I came to your office in 1997 my production was lackluster. After joining your team I was able to increase my sales by an astonishing 500%!

You guided me into what shaped-up to be a very successful real estate sales career with over 9 years of consistently high production. I think what were then keys in starting me off in the right direction were the clear, simple and effective guides you provided. You suggested a few areas and activities to focus on--I followed your advice, and BOOM--my career took-off!

You continued to provide excellent insight and direction uniquely designed and on-point for my personal skill-sets and individual talents. I appreciated the fact you were able to evaluate me personally in helping me to design a winning business plan each year. Your superb advice to "keep it simple" proved invaluable because I often tried to over-complicate or over-analyze the market and my business plan. But together you helped me hone in on and reduce my activities down to the things I needed to do in order to successfully close real estate transactions--lots of them! And for that, I thank you.

Jane Pavis

$10,000,000 in sales 3 years in the business
Truly unbelievable! These are the best words to describe Jeff Stone and how he has helped my real estate practice grow. I started as a salesperson 3 years ago with absolutely no sales experience and limited computer knowledge. With Jeff´s guidance and wealth of knowledge in both the sales and computer areas, I have done 10- 12 million dollars in sales for the past 2 years. I´m on target to double my sales within the next few years.

Jeff is truly a real estate coach in every sense of the word. He keeps me on track, gives me great ideas, teaches me how to utilize my website to the fullest, but at the same time stresses the importance of a life outside of real estate. (Everyone needs a life)

His computer knowledge is second to none. Six months ago with limited knowledge of websites, domain names, Google ads, etc, he has taught me so much about this part of the business that many of my past and present customers are clients that I have received from my website, www. Buffalogrovehomes.com. My Google rating is 3/10, after only 6 months and I am currently number one on the MSN search engine in my market.

If you´re looking to a real estate coach who will get you to the next level, Jeff Stone is the one that you should hire.

Rookie of the year
Jeff Stone helped me to start my real estate career; his knowledge of the real estate industry and his experience in taking advantage of technology is amazing. He has helped me to develop confidence, grow, and become the Rookie of the Year of the Coldwell Banker Chicago Northwest Region! I can´t thank him enough! I´m now a successful real estate professional and Jeff supported me all along the way!

From rookie to real estate superstar
In 1986, I decided to try my hand at real estate. I had worked as a teacher and a manager at an insurance company with no sales experience whatsoever. I figured that I could sell real estate until I took myself out of the work force to concentrate on being a full-time mother. I signed on with Jeff Stone. He was the broker of a small real estate office for a major real estate company in a Chicago suburb. "What can we do to ensure that you are the most successful you can be?" is how he approached my training and career. He started out giving me detailed instruction so that I could learn the basics. He told me that everyone he hired sold something the first month they were there and he expected me to do that, too. There was no sugar-coating and no hand-holding but if I needed him, he was there. His sense of humor kept me smiling on the dimmest of days. If a situation was becoming counterproductive, he said "It's the law of averages. Let it go." When I worked too much, he told me to take a day off. If I was over-analyzing something and not seeing a solution, he looked at the big picture and made suggestions that almost always worked. He is the only person that I am not related to who truly delights in my successes and even lets me gush a little if I need to. Under his leadership, I was awarded Rookie of the Year for 1986, #1 Agent in Chicagoland in 1992 and #1 Agent in the Northwest Region (out of approximately 900 agents) for eight years in the last decade. Jeff has been able to adapt his leadership to work with agents of many different backgrounds, skill sets, and profiles. He sets high expectations for his agents and they strive to meet or exceed them. He has earned the respect of his peers as well as the people he reported to. Corporate management realized early on that they would "leave him alone" and let him work his magic. One of Jeff's greatest strengths is his vast technological knowledge. He embraced the Internet and saw the impact it would have on real estate long before it was even part of our daily vocabulary. He taught himself all the latest technology and introduced his agents to it before anyone else was using it on a regular basis. This enabled us to stand out above the competition. He held us accountable for this knowledge whether he was making us do regular e-mail checks or run reports. Always a patient teacher, he kept us up to date on the most recent developments.

As you can surmise, I never took myself out of the work force. I learned that I could enjoy a very full life while being a successful Realtor. I am still married with two children (that seem to be turning out pretty well!), play tennis at least three times a week, enjoy a busy social life, travel, perform regular volunteer work (Girl Scout leader, room mom, tennis committee chairman) and serve on the Board of Directors of a local charity. Jeff made me realize where I could delegate. He has helped me grow my staff from one person helping out with mailings to two licensed assistants that serve as buyer agents and provide full administrative support. It is great to be able to earn what I do and not miss important events as well as every day happenings in my kids' lives.

It is my opinion that anyone looking to succeed in real estate and enjoy their life would be well-served by working with Jeff Stone. His experience is rich and comprehensive. His track record is outstanding. His enthusiasm for your success is genuine. Real estate and its related technology are in his blood. Best of all, he is simply a great guy that will make a positive impact on anyone who works with him.

Respectfully submitted by,

Lori Rowe

All agents aren't created equal and technology with a personal touch
Jeff Stone has been my broker/manager for over 20 years. Jeff is a clear leader in technology and marketing training. He has been a front-runner in technology training and business planning. He teaches you to plan your work and work your plan.

Jeff understands the real estate business inside and out. He understands that even with all the technology, this is still a personal relationship business. He guides you to balance all the technology with personal contact.

Jeff assists in creating a business plan that works for you. He knows that not all agents are created equal. He helps you to identify your weaknesses and maximize your strengths. He then shows you how to capitalize on those strengths by incorporating specific goals in your business plan.

Working with Jeff has been a true pleasure. Besides being an ace manager and trainer, I've always felt that he genuinely cared about not only my real estate success, but my life success.