052 | Slow Feet Don't Eat

Speaker A: This is. She's equipped with Jennifer Allwood, a podcast for Christian women in business who want to earn more from their God given talent, grow their impact and lead with faith. Well, hello friends. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm excited to have you here with me today. If you're watching on YouTube, I know I look a little bit of a mess. Um, I've been working at our flip property. Um, this morning I've got. I don't know what this black stain is on my shoulder. I broke a nail today. Yes, I've got paint on my hands and I'm looking a little crazy. But I still have some great business advice for you. And so that's what I'm gonna be sharing with you today. So, um, I'm gonna title this podcast episode Slow Feet Don't Eat. And I wanna tell you, uh, I heard that saying for the very first time last week. So Jason and I bought our first fix and flip property in Kansas City. So many of you know that we have had bougie on the beach, bougie in the desert, bougie on Miramar beach. And then now we have our first flip property in Kansas City. So we bought it with the intention of fixing it up very quickly and then, um, immediately putting it back up for sale as soon as it's done. So I've challenged myself to having it done in 30 days. Um, I don't think I'm going to make it friends. And the truth is, like, we don't have to have it done in 30 days for any reason other than I'm going on vacation in 31 days. And so if I had, I'm like, if we can have it done before I leave to go to Florida, that would be great. Just because then I could sit on the beach and not have to worry about managing contractors who are possibly working at the property and, you know, looking at pictures and making sure everything's okay. And, um, and I don't want to push it back another week until I get home. So anyhow, it's just, it is what it is. I'm trying to see if I can get it done in 30 days. I don't think I'm going to make it. But, um, this slip house is in Kansas City. It's lovely. It's a four bed, two bath. We could actually use it as a rental both on the top and the bottom because there's a full kitchen, um, in the basement, a full laundry room, bedroom, bathroom, living room, downstairs, everything. Like a separate entrance, everything. But we're going to try to flip this. And, um, so I've been contacting lots of contractors. So, you know, we needed carpet, um, and new LVP and some work on a deck, and, um, let's see, a new roof, it turned out. So if you're not watching on my Jennifer Allwood home Instagram, I'm basically updating every single day there about how this project is going, including, like, finding nothing but ants in the, um, mailbox yesterday. So fun times. Okay, so back to the story. So, um, in calling all these contractors, if I can't get a contractor to come out and meet with me in the next day or two, like, I just pretty much, like, move on to the next. I've gotten emails from several of you, or not emails, DMs on Instagram. Hey, how is it that you're getting contractors come out so quickly? I can't even get anybody to show up. And so I just keep, keep the ball moving. I mean, I had somebody that worked for me one time. It's the only guy that's ever painted for me. And he said, you just don't let much grass grow under your feet, do you? I think his, his meaning I'm just a quick mover. Like, from the time I hit the ground in the morning, I'm running. And then, you know, as the day goes, my energy levels kind of sink in, so I'm slumped. Jason calls it. She's got the slump going by about 9 o' clock at night. You know, I'm getting exhausted. But between those two times, like, I just hit the ground running. And if I have trouble with a contractor returning a call, I'm not even bothering with a second or third call. Does that make sense? Because the world is full unless you're living in a really tiny town, but of contractors, of people who want your business. And so there's really just no reason for me to try to beg somebody for me to give them money. Okay? So that's how I get contractors to show up quickly. I call a lot of them. And so, you know, in whatever town you live in, if you're trying to find contractors, join a Facebook group for people that are flipping houses, for people that are in real estate. There's constantly posts in there. Hey, who do you know that can install lvp? Hey, I just need some light trim work done. Who do you know? Hey, I need some plumbing. How can you help? And you will find tons of people there. Okay, all right. Um, and just proceed with caution because, um, you know, you're rolling the dice. Um, you can check for. Are they insured, are they licensed? Can they give you a couple of their past, um, jobs, some pictures? Anyhow, that's not the purpose of this message. Okay. So, anyhow, I called several people about m. Fixing a deck. We essentially had, um, a, like, wheelchair ramp on the front of this property that I needed to be uninstalled. So I was calling different contractors to come out and take a look at that. Hey, can you fix this for me? And then it'll just need the steps redone, you know, walking up to the front door, et cetera. And there was one particular guy that I called that responded so fast, first of all, in the Facebook group, to my question about needing, you know, help with this, um, front steps and deck situation. So, a, he responded really quickly there. Then he sent me a dm, um, very quickly, because if you're. If you're in a Facebook group, people can actually dm and, you know, the person that did the post. So he sends me a dm. I respond. I ask him if we can take the conversation over to text, because I see text way faster than Facebook DMs. So we did that. He asked me where the property's at. I told him, I kid you not, you guys. He's. He's like, I can be there in a couple hours to give you an estimate. And I said, oh, my, I have to go back on our conversation. But I said something along the lines of, oh, my, you move fast. Or that was fast, or something like that. And his response was, slow feet don't eat. And I just. It tickled me because it feels like a. A saying that my. My grandfather would have. And I love that. Um, but also, there's just so much truth in that statement. Slow feet, don't eat, meaning from his perspective as the business owner, he knows that if he moves slow, he's less likely to get the job, which means less likely to get paid for something, which means you don't eat, essentially, you know, and so, um, it's a really good lesson for those of us, um, who are business owners. And I want to talk about that whole slow feet, don't eat, but from the, like, viewpoint of those of us that are in the online space, especially. Okay, so like, that guy, he asked for the address. He told me he was going to show up. He worked very quickly. He got me the numbers very quickly. He was very fast, and therefore, you know, had the best chance of being hired. And so speed communicates something. Okay. When somebody like you or I who owns A business is quick to respond to a dm. We are quick to respond to an email. We respond quickly to somebody. It communicates professionalism. It communicates like, competence, confidence, hunger, um, reliability. Because the worst thing that happens is when you're reaching out to a business owner. Like, if somebody's reaching out to you and I and we don't respond for a long period of time. When we respond quickly, the person on the other end, like their brain is subconsciously assuming that you'll work quickly, that you can get to their job quickly, that you'll get to their situation quickly. And on the adverse of that is if we're really delayed in our response time, immediately the brain goes to. Okay, I bet it's going to take them a long time for them to do this job. Like in terms of the hook House. But if I'm not responding quickly to DMs, let's say it makes people think that they're not a priority. It makes them think that, um, if they were to work with me, let's say they're in. She's equipped, they're in my coaching group and they ask a question, I'm going to be slow to respond. Um, if they're in my voxer coaching, are they, you know, they're worried, am I going to be slow to respond there? So it's not that you should hire the one that is the fastest. Okay, I'm not saying that, but, um, you know, that guy didn't get the job because, um, of, you know, one particular reason. It was. It was several combined m. One of which being because he removed a lot of the friction. He moved quickly enough that I was able to make a decision quick. Does that make sense? So let me relate this to back when I owned my painting company. Uh, most of you know by now, if you've listened to my podcast for any length of time from the year 2000 to 2017 in Kansas City, I own the Magic brush. We were, um, we did decorative painting. Um, we, we did the extra, the television show Extreme Home Makeover three times. It was amazing. Um, we had a really great business, worked for some of the best builders in Kansas City. Okay? And so one of the things that I really realized during that time is that, first of all, this is not a sexist statement, okay? So don't DM me your hate mail. But most of the time, when it's coming to something that has to do with the aesthetics of a household, the female is the decision maker. Now, um, most of the time, the husband has veto Power. And so that's the situation in my own marriage. Jason lets me have full control over whatever I want to put in the house. People say, I can't believe that you have, you know, pink in your bathroom or whatever. And I'm like, why? I can't believe your husband let you. They'll say. And I'm like, first of all, he doesn't let me do anything. Like we're equals. I. He doesn't let me just, like, I don't let him go play golf. I mean, I don't understand that thinking, first of all. Second of all, he just lets me have kind of my way with the house. He's very secure in who he is. He will wear pink. He doesn't mind having pink pillows. So, you know, there's that. So when it came to me owning my painting company, I knew that that was like an aesthetic thing. It wasn't like we were putting in garage doors. It was. We were painting the garage doors to look like wood. Um, we were painting the kitchen cabinets with a blue island. We were making the columns look like marble or whatever it was. So in those situations, usually the wife, if they were, if it was somebody who was married, had probably talked to their spouse about that project, but she's going to be ultimately the decision maker, okay? And so I'm not saying that the husband doesn't matter at all, but she's the one that wants the project. Okay? So here's what I need for you to understand when it comes to women. When a woman is ready, she's ready. She's ready. Yesterday, when I decide I need to shed, you know, 10 pounds, uh, or, uh, 20 pounds every other year, I'm like, I lost 20, I gained 20, I lost 20. When I decide it is time to lose this weight, it was time yesterday. When I decide I want to do something in my house, I wish it was done yesterday. When I decide, like, one time I woke Jason up one Saturday morning, this was years ago. And I'm like, hey, I've got an idea for a project today. He's like, yeah, what do you want to do, babe? And I'm like, let's build a retaining wall in the front of our house. And we were to Home Depot or Lowe's within like the next two hours, buying the bricks. Like, I have the idea that I'm ready to execute. And so if you are somebody who is in business and your primary clients are females, you need to keep that in mind. Because by the time a woman calls a service based industry by the time she's calling somebody to make her curtains, to sew an afghan for her, to hang up wallpaper, to paint something for her, to decorate something for her, she's already been thinking about that for six months. She's already looked at Pinterest. She's already got it done in her head. She's already mentally spent the money. What she doesn't want to hear then from you as the business owner is, it's going to be, we're about three months out. You are going to lose the job if that's the case. And so I saw that over and over and over again when I owned my painting company. If I couldn't get to a woman within, like, a month to six weeks, they would move on to somebody else. They would want me often to do the job, but they don't want to wait. And I get it. And so if your, like, main clientele is female, I want you to keep that in mind. You've got to move quickly. Us, uh, women, we move fast. Did you listen to my multitasking podcast? It was one episode back, I believe, maybe two, but just about the female mind and how we're constantly thinking, right? And so a lot of you are like me. When you make a decision, you've already made the decision. You already want it done. People buy when they're emotionally ready, not when you're, like, finally available. And this applies to any business online. My painting company, uh, me hiring people for the flip house, whatever. And so lest you think that this episode is not for those of you who have an online business, I mean, it's almost even more true online. Okay, for example, let me give you a bunch of example in your DMs, if somebody is saying, hey, I would love to know more about your marriage counseling. I would love to know more about your online math tutoring. I want to know more about this health and wellness course that you offer. If it takes you three days to answer, their excitement is gone. They've already looked for other people's, um, stuff. And the truth is, Meta has probably already served them up ads of some of your competitors, because that's how it works. If you don't think that they're not listening, they are. This is why I swear, I can literally, like, just have a thought, you guys. I can think about needing something. I need a new mattress or whatever. And I promise you I'll get an ad for that. It's the creepiest thing. And I'm sure that I probably have said it out loud, but does anybody Else, I mean, if you're watching on YouTube, will you tell me in the comments it's not just me, but I can think about something and I'll get an ad about it. I'm kidding, kid you not. So anyway, if you're answering DMS three days later, they've already bought something from somebody else or they've talked themselves out of it, the momentum has disappeared. Let's talk about you getting an email. Somebody has landed on your sales page. They see the course that you have or the membership group or whatever. So they send an email into you or support or help or whatever and you don't answer for two or three days. By this time it's too late, They've already moved on because they were on your sales page, they were ready to check out, they probably had their credit card in hand. But you've taken too long. And when you take too long, they move on to something else or they talk themselves out of it. If somebody's trying to book a call with you, how quickly do you send them a confirmation email? How quickly do you give them directions or next steps do you send them like a reminder? Because when you do those sorts of things and it's automated and by the way, if you're not using my equip360 software, you should go to equip360.com because you can set up all those automations. Because a slow like follow up via email and things, it feels disorganized, it feels like a mom and pop shop. And when it comes to the online space, there's so many people selling anymore in the online space, you can't feel like a mom and pop shop. If you're going to stay in business above your competitors, it needs to feel more professional than that. So another example of needing to move quickly is how quickly are you following up? This is huge because a lot of entrepreneurs, they just don't follow up. Somebody, you know downloads a freebie. For instance. Hopefully you have taken one of my classes on, you know, needing opt ins, getting people onto your email list. If you don't have an email list, why do you not have an email list? I love you. But if somebody downloads one of your freebies or they attend a webinar, um, you know, if they are on your checkout page and they're going to the checkout but then they abandon the cart, are you following up with that? Are they getting an email? Hey, saw you left something in the car. Are you following up with an email? Hey, you just downloaded this et Cetera. What about the comments on your social media, by the way? I'm not saying you need to, you know, respond to everyone with over, I don't know, six or seven hundred thousand followers at this point, there's no chance I'm responding to all of my comments. But on occasion, there's questions in the comments. Can you answer those? Can you have somebody on your team answer those? Can you have a virtual assistant answer those? If somebody is brand new to you, brand new to your email list, do they immediately get, like a welcome email, your best podcast, or your story in an email, or the next way that they could spend money with you? Or are you just kind of leaving them hanging? This is why so often you'll get an email from someone, guys, and uh, you're like, what the heck? Email list am I on? I never signed up for this. I don't know what this is. The truth is you probably signed up for it two months ago and you forgot, and now this is the first time you're hearing from that person. And so the way the world works, the speed with which the world is constantly moving and turning right now, if you aren't immediately following up with people, you're forgotten. It's just the way that it is, okay? And by the way, this is not a lesson on, like, moving fast, okay? But it is about, like, reducing uncertainty so that people want to work with you. When somebody is reaching out to you, what they ultimately want to know is, are you attentive? Do you actually care about them? Do you care about their question? Are you going to respond to them? People just want to be seen and heard. And so, you know, there's lots of other ways you can say slow feet don't eat. You could say, you know, you got to strike while the iron is hot. Um, my grandfather used to say, you got to make hay while the sun's shining. Um, you could say the early bird gets the word. You could say you snooze, you lose. Um, so there's lots of other ways you can say that. But the whole slow feet don't eat, it's such a, like, catchy phrase that I just was tickled by that I thought so many of you might be tickled by as well. So let me also just say this. There's a huge difference back to those of you that have service based businesses, between responding quickly and actually doing the work immediately. Um, that guy didn't have to fix my steps that day, but at least I got his pricing and everything right away, which gave me confidence that he would respond to things quickly. Does that make sense? And so please know that if you have a service based company, you don't have to be getting to people immediately to actually do the work, but just respond to them quickly. I've got somebody right now that's um, doing something on the house for me. And um, he was supposed to have given me some pricing on something yesterday and I didn't get it from him. So I messaged him this afternoon. He's like, so sorry, I will get it to you today. And he responded to my text immediately. And he and I said, you know when you'll be able to start the work? We'd originally talked about Thursday. And he goes, I think it's going to be Monday or Tuesday. And I'm like, that's fine because he's at least responding to me. It's not, you know, uh, it didn't have to be done on Thursday. I didn't expect that quick of a turnaround. But just the fact that he's responded is, you know, really meaningful. So that's my podcast episode for today, friends. I hope that that resonated with somebody. If nothing else, hopefully you got, you know, just were tickled by the fact that when a woman's ready, she's ready. She was ready yesterday. And um, and so if your clientele is female, you've got to be extra like disciplined and just in my opinion, being able to get to them quicker because they will move on. They really will. Next, they will just, they'll move on and they'll move on quickly. So hopefully this was helpful today. Love chatting with you guys. Um, leave me a comment if you're watching on YouTube. Forward this to a business buddy of yours if they don't already listen to the podcast. I appreciate, love you so much. Talk soon. Bye. Bye. Well, hey, thanks for joining me today on She's Equipped. And remember, growth in your business is coming from action, not just intention. So I want you to take what you heard today, pray about it, and then put it to work in your business this week. And if today's episode encouraged you, please make sure you hit the follow button so you never miss a strategy that helps you to scale your business and for more resources to help you grow, Head on over to shesequipped. Com. We'll see you there.