Protecting Your Energy Starts with a Better Intake System (AI Blueprint Inside)
Why I stopped manually reviewing leads—and what I built instead
Let’s talk about lead overwhelm.
If you’re running a service-based business—or even just starting to offer something—you’ve probably had moments where your inbox gets ahead of you.
People fill out your form.
They’re interested, curious, maybe even excited.
And you want to respond with care.
But the truth is: not everyone is a fit.
And trying to manually sort through each one can get exhausting.
Here’s what was happening to me:
Every time someone filled out my intake form, I’d read through their answers and try to figure out:
Are they aligned?
Do they meet the budget?
Is this even the right offer for them?
Sometimes it was clear.
Sometimes it wasn’t.
And I’d end up spending way too much time trying to figure out how to respond.
I’d go back and forth in my head.
Overthink how to say no.
Worry about being too cold—or too slow.
And eventually, a few people would slip through the cracks completely.
I wasn’t proud of that.
But I also couldn’t keep doing it the way I was.
Why this matters more than we think
When you don’t have a way to filter leads early:
You waste time on people who were never going to move forward
You burn energy trying to be “nice” when what you need is clarity
You start dreading your own intake process—because it becomes a source of decision fatigue
You lose momentum with the right leads because your nervous system is still stuck on the ones who aren’t a match
It’s not about being picky.
It’s about protecting your time, energy, and attention—so you can actually show up well for the people you do want to work with.
What I built instead
I set up a system using Fillout + Make.com + GPT that helps me prequalify leads before they hit my inbox.
It’s simple. Here’s what happens:
A lead fills out my form.
Their responses get sent to ChatGPT through Make.com.
GPT checks a few things:
Do they meet my budget range?
Based on that, it branches:
If they’re a fit: GPT drafts a warm follow-up email and sends my booking link.
If they’re not: it drafts a gentle “not right now” message that I can review and personalize if needed.
Everyone gets a response.
But I don’t spend hours deciding how to say no—or worse, avoiding it completely.
What this has changed for me
I feel lighter when I open my inbox.
I can focus on actual conversations, not just sorting through forms.
I know the people getting my time are the ones who are ready for it.
And I’m still treating every lead with care—even if they’re not a match.
This system didn’t just save me time.
It helped me feel more like myself in the process.
More clear. More grounded. Less reactive.
If this sounds like something you need...
👉🏼 I’ve added the exact blueprint here
👉🏼 New to Make.com? Here’s how you import the blueprint.
You can plug it into your own Make.com account in a seconds.
If you have questions about adjusting this to fit your needs or tech stack?
Let me know in the comments or chat.
Final thought
You don’t have to do it all manually.
And you definitely don’t need to spend your best energy deciding how to write another follow-up email to someone who wasn’t a match in the first place.
A thoughtful intake system is a small change.
But if you’re holding a lot, it’s one that makes everything else easier.
—Tam