Ignite Your Estate Agency
Welcome to the Ignite Podcast, specifically designed to help estate agents ignite the growth of their agency, hosted by Sam Ashdown and Phil Jones. We'll share original content on all things marketing and agency related - from growth and lead generation, to creating and developing your personal brand and building a dream team. You'll hear from the biggest and best marketers, experts and agency coaches from around the world in exclusive interviews. And discover our top level tips, tricks and tactics that are designed to help YOU accelerate the growth of your business. About Sam and Phil: Sam and Phil are mother-in-law and son-in-lawn and co-directors of AshdownJones (the Lake District estate agency), AJ Mastermind (the home of world-class independent estate agency growth) and several other companies. Collectively they have a couple of decades of industry experience between them. We hope you enjoy the Ignite podcast. Let us know what you think by leaving a review. If you want to find out more about AJ Mastermind and what we can do for your agency go to: https://www.ajmastermind.co.uk
Episodes
241 episodes
"A banana skin around every corner" - and other agency wisdoms from Malcolm Prescott of Webbers
Sam sits down with Malcolm Prescott, Managing Director of Webbers Estate Agents, to talk about the shifting landscape of estate agencies, discussing what it takes to maintain market leadership across a wide geographical area and explore chal...
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Episode 236
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56:32
Estate Agents: You’re Doing Social Media Wrong (and How to Fix It)
Sam is joined by Liam and Tess from Hussell Up Social for part two of their interview about social media for estate agents. Why are most estate agents approaching digital platforms the wrong way? Liam and Tess reveal how to build an effectiv...
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Episode 235
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20:10
The Truth About Why Most Estate Agents Flop on Social Media
Sam is joined by Tess and Liam from Hussell Up Social on this week’s episode to discuss why most estate agencies struggle on social media, and what to do about it. The common pitfalls of estate agency content range from over-posting listings...
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Episode 234
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43:28
The Autumn Budget - what’s in it for us?
Sam and Phil look at what might be coming up in the autumn budget, breaking down the rumours and how they might impact buyers, sellers, renters, landlords and estate agency owners. Get insights on proposed capital gains ta...
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37:23
Carrots and Sticks - Keeping your team motivated in a flat market
Sam shares her strategies for keeping your team engaged in a flat market, discussing the challenges of fragmented market conditions and why motivating teams is more crucial than ever for estate agency owners.What is the differe...
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32:29
Your First Year in Agency What No One Tells You (But Should)
This week Sam shares what goes unnoticed during your first year as an estate agency owner, why the early months can test your resolve, and how to manage the emotional roller coaster that comes with launching your own business.S...
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Episode 231
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27:51
The 'F' Word - Who has Control of your Finances?
Sam explores who really holds the reins when it comes to financial control in your estate agency. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling to seven figures, Sam breaks down the core functions every estate agency owner should tackle, from ...
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Episode 230
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28:26
Why Your Sellers Feel Forgotten and What to Do About It
Why do many property sellers may feel overlooked during slower market periods and what can estate agency owners do about it? Sam and Phil review the growing communication challenges that surface when instruction numbers rise, but sales lag b...
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Episode 229
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22:58
Summer Mastermind Takeaways (and how to get your paws on the resources)
Sam and Emma reflect on the recent Summer Mastermind and unpack the key topics like effective lead generation, using AI tools for productivity, and practical accounting.Emma shares her recruitment and team-building practices, S...
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28:51
Roasting Phil Jones - by Noah and Rosie Jones, age 7 and 9
While Phil was out of the office, the Ignite Podcast was taken over by two of his kids, Rosie and Noah Jones! What do they want to be when they grow up? What do they think Phil actually does? And why wasn’t Noah allowed any pudding last nigh...
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Episode 227
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16:56
6 Agency Myths - Busted
Sam and Phil examine some of the most common myths holding back estate agencies. Is misinformation costing you time and money?Why do expensive websites and software packages rarely translate into more business? How can a simple...
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Episode 226
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39:06
100 Months of AshdownJones! - Sam and Phil riff on the journey so far (Part 2)
Sam and Phil continue to look back over 100 months of AshdownJones, reflecting on the evolution of the agency and what has or hasn’t changed since their journey began. You’ll hear about their early misconceptions, strategies that worked, mar...
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21:56
100 Months of AshdownJones! - Sam and Phil riff on the journey so far (Part 1)
Sam and Phil reflect on 100 months of AshdownJones, sharing the decisions that shaped their estate agency as they scaled from an idea with “a couple of laptops and a lot of confidence” to a thriving team.In eight years, they’ve...
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Episode 224
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23:16
Buyer Drought or Just a Blip? Our AJ team's market reaction
Sam sits down with Tom, Hannah, and Edward from the Ashdown Jones team to discuss current conditions in the property market and what trends they’re seeing. What has changed for estate agencies lately? Reduced viewing numbers? Lower response ...
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Episode 223
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44:52
Do you need an Ops Manager? Sam and Phil discuss
Sam and Phil break down when and why agency owners should consider hiring an Operations Manager, challenging misconceptions around the cost and value, and examining what an Ops Manager actually does day-to-day.The right operati...
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Episode 222
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13:37
THAT Panorama documentary - Sam and Phil discuss
Sam and Phil break down the recent Panorama documentary "Undercover Estate Agents," offering an insider's take on how estate agency practices were presented on TV. What was really uncovered? And what was missed?If you haven’t s...
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Episode 221
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34:19
End of Q2 2025 - Where Are We? And What's in Store for Q3?
Sam and Phil reflect on Ashdown Jones’ Q2 2025 and look ahead as Q3 approaches. Find out why regular reflection shapes performance, and why you should prioritise planning, even during quieter market periods.Hear about the curre...
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Episode 220
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37:12
How to Create a Stylish Property Description Using AI
Are you using AI to help write property descriptions? Find out why you should be! Replace traditional property description clichés with a story-led approach to help your agency stand out from the crowd.Using the right prompts c...
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Episode 219
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28:20
How to Build an Overseas Team and Get 3 Employees for the Price of 1 – with Georges Verdis
In this episode, we discuss building an overseas team for your estate agency. Georges Verdis joins Sam to talk about digital assistants, especially those based in the Philippines, and how they can support agency operations while managing cos...
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52:01
The 5 Languages of Appreciation and How They Help You Build a Better Culture
Let’s examine the five languages of appreciation in the workplace and their direct impact on team culture and retention. Sam discusses how to recognise, motivate and support your staff using strategies backed by research and shaped by real-l...
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Episode 217
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29:25
AI for Agents (Part 2)
Here is part 2 of the AI for Agents webinar that Sam and Phil wanted to share with you! If you missed part 1, go and check out the previous episode. This podcast will help you understand the difference between SEO and GEO ...
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31:19
AI for Agents (Part 1)
Recently Sam and Phil hosted a webinar called ‘AI for Agents - 5 Easy Ways to Use AI in Your Estate Agency TODAY’ and they wanted to share it with you on the podcast, so we’ve split it into two parts and you can listen to part 1 this week an...
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39:49
Business Challenge? Hire!
Sam and Phil tackle the ongoing challenge of hiring and recruitment, from feeling stretched too thin and hitting financial ceilings, to making key decisions about when and who to recruit to enable growth.Many common business ob...
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32:17