We recently connected with Amanda Sweeney-Jones and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Amanda thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about one of the craziest things you’ve experienced in your journey so far.
I made a splash- as they say!
National Association of Realtors research that found 75% of Realtors fail within the first
year- I knew I must not be one of those.
“I have heard my whole life-you have to think outside of the box, be creative, but then some people find me taking it too far!” Is there too far? Too creative? Too honest?
I don’t believe so. Standing out, in a sea of over 3,000,000 active real estate agent licensees in the United States- per The Association of Real Estate License Law Officials- has not been an easy task. I defiantly didn’t want to just go the traditional way of spending a fortune on buying leads- not my style- I’m frugal. I let my clients contact me when they need anything. I knew I must do something big, something people would talk about and share- make a splash, as they say. I was watching YouTube and seen a funny realtor parody video and it dawned on me- this is it- a realtor parody video!
The video inspired me so much, by Bob Tompkins-Old Town Realtor Parody Video. He is a realtor in South Carolina with ReMax. If you are ever thinking of buying in South Carolina, he is the man. I had to be the first realtor in Music City Nashville TN, to bring it-a fun parody. For this reason, I decided I had to make a parody. I picked a song (AA by Walker Hayes), re-wrote all of the lyrics to go with real estate, and found an amazing local producer in Nashville to bring my vision to life. Micah Atkinson exceeded my expectations. Micah is truly talented and amazing to work with-if you ever need anything-he is it. He works tirelessly, like I do, and he is full of ideas and passion for his work and it shows. If you feel like a good laugh, check out our video, Walker Hayes AA Amanda Sweeney-Jones Realtor Parody on Youtube. After putting the video on social media, aiming to reach the local TN market, I was surprised to received responses from a radio station all the way in New Jersey, podcast opportunities, and even HGTV contacted me wanting me to be on a show they were filming in Nashville. I don’t inspire to be a singer-lol, just marketing, hoping to reach new people who need help with real estate, and showing the world my fun side.
Amanda , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Obsessed much- as I am, with design, architecture, and real estate and I realized I was wanting to learn and grow professionally. So I decided to get my real estate license in 2020, and it was a perfect fit. I graduated from MTSU. Now could I tie all of my past experience with interior design and construction, and use it to grow my million dollar real estate business. Wow! What a difference that has made! I can understand more than the average realtor because I have been a project manager on builds-knowing your product (houses) from the ground up literally. I have always loved people and they open up to me freely, maybe because I am willing to listen and share also.
Before you go around thinking something is a negative about yourself, see if it might be a positive. What if the one thing you thought was a little weird about you- was your biggest superpower? I used to think there was something wrong with me, that when I met people they would tell me their whole life story, sometimes crying, people get real emotional with me and say I never tell anyone this but I just felt comfortable telling you. I am happy to have this superpower and it’s called being the trusted advisor. Some people have the ability to build trust pretty much immediately. I don’t just talk, to talk, but when I have something to say, I just say it and I don’t make any bones about it and I speak up and it has been a blessing in my career. I don’t speak up unless I know it’s right, and I don’t get involved unless I know I can help. Which allows people to listen, because when I have something to say- they think okay she must mean business, because she doesn’t just fill dead air.
So just being authentic, honest, genuine, and being vulnerable has been what sets me apart. I don’t just tell people what they want to hear, I speak the truth. If your house smells funny- I will tell you, because it will be helping you, never my intention to hurt anyone, just honest.
I want people to know that I have a passion for people first and foremost then real estate, when I get a listing or a buyer under contract I will work tirelessly to get your home sold and or find you a new property, it’s my mission and I can’t rest until it is completed.
I don’t just work with traditional buyers or sellers, I work with trusts and 1031 exchanges also. Not just selling Tennessee selling the dream of homeownership, which is definitely changing lives, and I am grateful to help with that. I enjoy seeing my clients build generational wealth through real estate, I have seen lives changed time and time again, which is the ultimate reward.
Being involved in the community is also very important to me, I have found my tribe and home at The Woman’s Club in Murfreesboro,TN celebrating 106 years- as the legacy continues, they are an amazing non-profit, that I am so happy and proud to be an active member of. If you would like to know more about us please check us out at
womansclubmurfreesboro.org
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Don’t be lame and boring- to grow your audience on social media, just be yourself. Don’t just post and do what everyone else is doing, if you want to stand out, get noticed, and build your audience and presence. Posting pictures use to be what was the best thing to do that has pivoted to videos now. Making videos are key to growing your audience, they want to get an inside glimpse into the life, not just the professional side either. That is a huge part of building on social media- for example I am a realtor but I post my gardening videos because it is one of my favorite hobbies, I get so much more interaction and new people from those posts than a market stat ever dreamed of. People who are on social media want to be either entertained or educated, so I do both- think about that, does my post add value to someone? So do that- add value. Also another big one I have noticed is- if someone takes the time to post a comment make it a point to comment back- you must interact to grow. Like anything in life- it is better to give than to receive. So pay attention to who supports your social media and show them some love back times 2! You don’t need to post 3 times a day either, I have had my social media for 2.5 years now and posted 120 times, but when you do post- make it count- they will see you and listen to you this way.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Having the right mindset is key for anything in life-once I stopped listening to everyone around me for example the coaches will say how much real estate do you want to sell this year? I re-worded that for my mindset and say how many people do I want to help buy or sell real estate this year, my number is people not a dollar figure, ever. Not being a secret agent as they say- letting everyone I know that I am a realtor has been effective for growing my clientele. My realtor parody music video has helped a lot also, social media, and just good old fashioned marketing. I asked one of my good friends Denise, who is a very successful business woman, how she gets new clients and she said “pray”! I agree with her.
Also one has to be careful and to try to keep yourself humble and to be a servant to the people, If you don’t humble yourself, God will do it for you.
Believing in and knowing that sells of any kind is ultimately relationships with people. If you love people and give back you will always have more than you can dream of. The more hands you shake, the more money you make. When you do an excellent job for someone the first thing they do for me is refer me to someone else, which is extremely rewarding.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.amandasweeneyjones.com
- Instagram: @realestatequeenamanda
- Twitter: @Tnestate
- Youtube: @amandasweeneyjones
Image Credits
Micah Atkinson