Implement a lean, automated script to qualify inbound service inquiries before they reach your primary inbox.

If your contact form is open to the internet, a predictable thing happens: most of the people who fill it in are not your customers. They are price-shoppers, students doing research, competitors checking your rates, or people with a $50 budget looking for a $5,000 service. Responding to every inquiry manually is one of the most expensive habits a small business can have — expensive in time, in attention, and in the slow drain of optimism that comes from getting excited about leads that go nowhere. For $1, this article walks you through a practical, low-cost system that filters inbound inquiries automatically before they reach your inbox.