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Many sales teams are bloated because companies hire to compensate for inefficient systems. If client discovery depends on googling, follow-ups depend on memory, and qualification depends on gut feel, the only way to grow is to add layers. The default fix becomes another hire.
At Graphite, we built a multi-million dollar annual revenue business with a two-person sales team by designing an inbound engine that’s intentionally high-leverage. We optimize for fewer, better conversations. And we show our value early and move fast without making the experience feel rushed.
Our go-to-market stack starts with Rox. We use it to run scaled, deep account research and power the context engine behind our pre- and post-call workflows. It cuts prep time and lets two senior operators show up with the leverage and impact of a much larger team. Rox integrates directly with Salesforce, which remains our system of record, while Gemini helps us move quickly on thinking and materials.
Our goal is to make the sales process feel so tight that the obvious question becomes: why does anyone need 10+ people doing what Graphite does with two?
The Philosophy Behind a Lean, High-Leverage Sales Engine
Graphite’s sales engine is deliberately designed to stay small and high-impact. We have clear roles and a tech stack that reduces manual work so humans can focus on what only humans should do.
That philosophy shows up in how our sales team prioritizes conversations rooted mostly in inbound interest and referrals, rather than volume-driven outbounds.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
We can run a high-velocity, high-trust sales process because our sales team isn’t spending hours stitching together context across scattered tools. Instead, we protect the quality of the first real customer touchpoint.
Kristen, who leads our sales efforts, has designed a process leveraging fewer, higher-impact tools that allow Graphite to do upfront legwork that usually demands more people, especially around discovery prep and lead qualification. We’ve enjoyed more organized follow-ups and less manual jumping between research resources.
“Rox is often the first thing I see when prepping for my day. As I’m having my morning coffee, Rox just reaches out to me and tells me what I need to care about for the day versus me having to sit down and spend that extra 20 minutes planning my meeting agendas.” — Kristen Vaughn-Welch
Radical Clarity Across Tools
We don’t have a single “source of truth” or a one tool that does everything. Instead, our sales team uses Rox, Gemini, and Salesforce together during prep and lead workflows. It consolidates everything without compromising flexibility.
Salesforce handles CRM, Gemini supports targeted prompts for discovery prep and relevant client examples, and Rox speeds up research and puts everything in context. The system we have lies in the clarity of how these tools connect. It allows our sales duo to operate like a much larger team without inheriting the complexity of one.
Speed Over Bureaucracy
Speed is a competitive advantage, and our work culture recognizes that. It matters most in two places: responding quickly when leads approach and turning around proposals before momentum fades.
In a small team, there’s no room for internal delays or multi-step approvals. Kristen has even replied to a lead on Christmas, and they decided to sign with us instead of another company. The speed tells people what it’s like to work with us. When our first touchpoint is fast, prepared, and strategy-forward, it sets expectations for the entire relationship.
“If someone says they want to work with us, our sales team will give them the statement of work almost immediately. It goes a long way with leads because it’s an indicator for what it's like to work with us. When the first person they talk to shows that type of intensity, they feel more confident that the rest of our team will do the same thing.” — Ethan Smith
Where Our Inbound Pipeline Comes From
Our pipeline is 100% inbound; we don’t do any outbound outreach. Our philosophy is: if we earn trust through clear thinking and public proof, the right people will raise their hand.
Leads approach us through a few consistent channels: our website form, referrals from past and current clients, and direct reach-outs from people who’ve seen our work in the wild — podcasts, conference talks, Reforge sessions, and even my LinkedIn posts. In other words, we “market” through thought leadership and genuine credibility, not typical campaigns.
However, not all inbound is equal. When your reputation creates demand, volume isn’t the problem. If lead volume spikes, we use Rox’s research to see who's the best fit for us and where we can create the most impact.
“Leads reach out to us on our website or reach out to me personally, and our sales team responds immediately and sets up a call. Right after the first conversation, we return a proposal really quickly. If you wait a week or two, you lose momentum.” — Ethan Smith
Inbound → Qualification: How We Decide Who Gets a Call
Our pipeline is 100% inbound, so we’re deliberate about who we hop on a call with. We don’t want to waste our time or a lead’s, especially if they’re looking for something lighter-weight or short term than what we do best. The only way a two-person sales team handles an inbound-heavy approach is by deciding whether a lead is strong enough to justify a high-value conversation. The workflow is simple: website form → Salesforce → manual review → outreach.
What happens after a lead submits the website form: The inbound lands in Salesforce, we read the request, scan for intent and clarity, and check whether their ask is something Graphite actually solves. If the form request is vague or doesn’t match our strengths, we’ll reply with a quick follow-up for context or explain how we typically work before committing to a call.
How we manually qualify for fit: There are a few questions we answer here. Is the problem in our lane? Are there enough signals to diagnose? Is this the right moment for them? If there’s a mismatch, we’re direct about it early.
When a lead enters Rox: Rox enters the picture the moment an inbound turns into a qualified conversation. That’s when a discovery call is booked and added to our calendar—Rox syncs at that point and pulls the context we need to show up prepared for the call.
“We prioritize quality conversations over quantity. Our sales model isn't set up to have 20 conversations a day. Instead, we like to have three very meaningful, valuable conversations.” — Kristen Vaughn-Welch
Discovery Calls: Where Rox Delivers Maximum Leverage
As a two-person sales team, we prepare for a few high-impact conversations each day. Discovery calls with Graphite aim to offer value first, but the work starts way before that.
Pre-Call Research, Enhanced
We have a set of advanced prompts and checks we run before every discovery call to explore three factors:
Funding signals, company size, and stage
The most relevant client examples we’ve worked with
The new prospect’s likely target personas
Their key competitors
This information lets us personalize the conversation quickly and avoid generic positioning. We can say, “We’ve helped companies like yours,” and mean it—not with an extensive list of logos, but with examples that accurately match their category and context.
We also routinely look at funding signals as a proxy for budget and readiness. When you’re a small team, you can’t afford to walk into a call unaware of basic info that should’ve been obvious with a little due diligence.
Instead of running these steps separately across multiple tools and prompts, we now have most of our information in one place in the Rox dashboard. Before a discovery call, Kristen can quickly open a single overview and see the core context that used to require manual research. We still can (and occasionally do) add extra research as an optional layer to cover all our bases.
“Rox has cut my call prep time in half. It gives me a clear read on a company’s growth stage, competitors, and key personas before I ever hop on a call. Instead of draining leads with basic questions, we come in prepared, verify direction, and deliver value upfront instead of homework.” — Kristen Vaughn-Welch
Faster Prep, Better Calls
Our discovery calls aren’t like traditional lead qualification interviews. We take the opposite approach: if we’re getting on a call, our job is to offer value—not to interrogate the prospect and decide how much effort they deserve. We spend time understanding needs and briefly explain how we work with relevant examples. Then, we dedicate a meaningful portion of the call to a “problem-and-solution” diagnostic where we provide strategy and free advice in real time. We want to align early and set both parties up for a long, successful relationship.
Rox makes the value-first approach easier to execute. It gives us enough context on objectives, company overview, funding signals, competitors, and personas for us to go into a call fully prepared. We still adjust if the lead comes in with a very specific ask, but the default baseline is stronger.
“Traditional biz-dev is to ask a bunch of questions, gather information, and there's no value offered to the lead in the first conversation. We cut out a lot of that. It’s still important for us to hear in their own words, their goals, challenges, and needs, but we've done a lot of that prep in advance. Then, we can just dive right in and tell them how we’d approach the problem.” — Kristen Vaughn-Welch
Because we already have context, we can move from vague statements to specific, strategic statements that resonate with the lead:
Instead of saying, “We’ll map your personas,” we can say, “One of your key personas might look like X—here’s the type of content that would win them over.”
Instead of asking, “Who are your competitors?” we can say, “Here’s where you’re leaving an opportunity on the table relative to a competitor we’re seeing in your space.”
In practice, when prep gets faster and more precise, the discovery call is more productive. It also gives a small team the kind of leverage you’d usually associate with a much larger organization. Even with two people, we can lead with informed examples, without presenting them as absolute truth—just enough to show we’ve done our homework and can provide more value.
From Discovery to Proposal to Handoff: What Happens Next
After wrapping up a strong discovery call, the rest of the process is intentionally simple. We want to move quickly while the conversation is still fresh.
The post-call workflow: If the call feels aligned for both parties, we try to turn proposals around within three to five business days—and faster than that for high-priority leads. The main deliverables are a strategy deck and a statement of work.
Proposal creation and internal alignment: This is where a high-quality prep and discovery process compounds. We aren’t starting from scratch when building a deck, but sharpening what we already know about the prospect. The strategy itself is still the most manual, highest-value step. Rox doesn’t automate our thinking, but saves us time to think.
When legal gets involved: We involve legal early, looping them in when shaping the statement of work. We send an initial statement of work to them alongside the strategy deck, so by the time the client is ready to move, we’re not waiting to start contract review. Instead of waiting for a “yes” and starting contracts from scratch, we’re proactive and have documentation in good shape.
The handoff to account management: Once we close a deal, we focus on a structured handoff that protects continuity. We record our conversations and use Gemini to turn discovery, strategy, and proposal inputs into a detailed handoff doc for the account team.
“Our sales model is built on a “show them versus tell them” mentality. We show our expertise throughout the conversation. We eliminate any stressful, time-consuming components using Rox, so we can spend more time on strategy and impact. Ultimately, that’s what leads care about.” — Ethan Smith
Closing: The Repeatable Formula
Most companies don’t need a bigger sales department. When you move with speed and show up to discovery calls with real context and value, even a two-person team can operate like a much larger organization.
Our system reflects that philosophy. Tools like Rox do the heavy lifting during preparation, but humans own the strategy conversations. If your team is growing faster than your sales process, you’re hiring to patch the wrong problem.
Take the Graphite approach, borrow our blueprint, and rebuild your sales strategy.
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