When someone reaches out to Atomic Object, whether through our contact form, email, or phone, I’m often the first person they’ll talk to. Whatever understanding someone has of our brand gets put to the test the moment they speak with a real person. I see my sale intake role as an opportunity to build trust and show that Atomic is here to help, even if I’m not the one who can make technical recommendations like our Managing Partners with deep software expertise.
I care about being helpful.
A core tenet of Atomic’s sales philosophy is helpfulness over hard selling. We focus on what’s best for the client, even if that means directing them elsewhere.
That might mean:
- Listening intently, asking the right questions, and taking great notes so the Managing Partner doesn’t have to make the client repeat themselves during a triage call.
- Being upfront about what I know and what’s best answered in a consultation.
- Helping people, even when their request has nothing to do with software development.
For example, I once had someone reach out about a need that had absolutely nothing to do with our services. I could have said, “Sorry, we can’t help.” Instead, I recommended LinkedIn Sales Navigator as a tool that could help them based on what they were asking for, and they were delighted. That interaction will never turn into a project, but it built goodwill, and that matters.
Other times, people will call or write in with ambitious ideas and limited budgets, like wanting to build the next eBay with $10,000. I’m not going to write them off or tell them that their budget is far too small. I’m going to connect them with a Managing Partner knowing they’ll provide realistic guidance on feasibility.
These small moments add up. Recently, a lead came in, and a Managing Partner recognized the name — it was someone they’d spoken with nearly a decade ago. We’d never done a project with them, but we provided pre-project consulting. We make lasting impressions on people without ever formally working with them, meaning that the sales intake process will always be important as a touchpoint.
That kind of trust and reputation doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of hundreds of interactions where we prioritize being of service.
Speed and clarity matter.
When I started at Atomic, our promised response time for inquiries was two business days. That didn’t sit right with me — first impressions are everything, and “speed to lead” is a real factor in business development. I prioritized getting our response time down to one business day, ideally much sooner and right after I see the inquiry.
In a world where it’s increasingly difficult to reach an actual human and where automated responses and endless hold times have become the norm, I wanted Atomic to stand out. A fast, thoughtful reply reassures people that their message wasn’t lost in the void.
But speed alone isn’t enough. The response also needs to be clear and useful.
Depending on the inquiry, I take different approaches:
- If the request is clear and specific, I immediately connect them with a Managing Partner to schedule a triage call. I also provide a link to a clear outline of what the pre-project consulting process looks like and answers to the most common questions we get about it.
- If the request is vague, I ask just enough follow-up questions to understand their needs without making them feel like they’re jumping through hoops.
The goal is always the same: Make the next step easy. A good sales intake process should feel frictionless.
I try to handle difficult inquiries with professionalism.
Not every conversation is smooth. Some people are frustrated, skeptical, or in a rush, and they clearly express it to me.
The key is staying professional, composed, and solution-oriented. On a personal level, the key is to acknowledge that these people are just coming from a place of frustration and that it has nothing to do with you.
Here’s how I approach tough conversations:
🎯 Stay neutral and keep the conversation on track. If someone is impatient or abrupt, I focus on the facts and next steps rather than taking it personally.
🚦Set clear boundaries. If an inquiry isn’t relevant to our work, I politely redirect or clarify what we do without over-explaining. I carefully navigate ending the conversation.
🌱 Keep it productive. Even if we’re not the right fit, I always try to leave the person with helpful information or a resource they can use.
While most interactions are positive, how we handle the difficult ones says just as much about our company as the easy ones do. Ensuring that every inquiry is met with patience and professionalism reinforces Atomic’s reputation.
The Power of a Good First Conversation
At the end of the day, my job isn’t just to process leads. It’s to contribute to Atomic building trust with our potential clients and our communities. Whether someone hires us or not, I want them to walk away thinking:
✅ That was a quick and easy intake process.
🤝 Atomic Object seems like a company that knows what they’re doing and wants to help me.
🕒 That was a good use of my time, and I’m glad I reached out.
Not every inquiry leads to a project (well, the majority don’t!), and that’s totally okay. What matters is that every interaction leaves the door open for future opportunities.
If a high school student emails us with computer science career questions, I want them to walk away feeling encouraged. If a CTO calls looking for help modernizing their enterprise software, I want them to feel confident that they’re about to receive expert consulting from a Managing Partner.
Because, in the long run, helpfulness always pays off.