Lesson 05 · Form to CRM Follow-up

Goal

Build the most requested small-business automation: a lead form that saves to a CRM, replies instantly, and follows up on its own. Speed to lead wins deals; this replies in seconds, every time.

Prerequisites

• Module 03 (Google Sheets credentials, Append or Update)
• Gmail credential (same Google Cloud OAuth client as Sheets, with the Gmail API enabled)

Concepts

• n8n Form Trigger: a hosted form, no website needed. The test URL is /form-test/<path>; the production URL (published) is /form/<path>.
• Field labels become keys: a field labeled What do you need help with? arrives as $json['What do you need help with?']. Normalize them into clean keys right away.
• Lead scoring: a simple rule (budget === 'Over $5k' → high) is enough to start prioritizing.
• Referencing earlier nodes: after the Sheets node, $json is the sheet row. Use $('Normalize Lead').item.json to get the lead.
• Wait node: pauses this execution (for minutes or days) and resumes it later. Waiting executions survive restarts.

Build it

Step 1: Form

n8n Form Trigger Contact Form:

• Title Work with me, description of your choice
• Fields: Name (required), Email (type Email, required), Company, What do you need help with? (Dropdown: Automation / AI agent / Integration / Something else, required), Budget (Dropdown: Under $1k / $1k-$5k / Over $5k, required), Details (Textarea)
• Options → Path: work-with-me; Form Response → custom text "Thanks! Check your inbox…"

Step 2: Normalize and score

Edit Fields Normalize Lead:

• name = {{ $json['Name'].trim() }}, first_name = {{ $json['Name'].trim().split(' ')[0] }}
• email = {{ $json['Email'].trim().toLowerCase() }}
• company = {{ ($json['Company'] ?? '').trim() }}
• need = {{ $json['What do you need help with?'] }}, budget = {{ $json['Budget'] }}, details = {{ $json['Details'] ?? '' }}
• priority = {{ $json['Budget'] === 'Over $5k' ? 'high' : 'normal' }}
• status = new, submitted_at = {{ $now.toISO() }}

Step 3: Save to the CRM sheet

Create a sheet with a CRM tab using the headers in assets/crm-template.csv. Google Sheets Save to CRM → Append or Update Row, match on email, map every column.

Step 4: Welcome email

Gmail Send Welcome Email → Send:

• To: {{ $('Normalize Lead').item.json.email }}
• Subject: Got it, {{ $('Normalize Lead').item.json.first_name }}! Next steps for your … project
• Email type HTML; message greets them by first name, mentions their need and company, and asks two questions that make the first call useful.
• Options → Append n8n Attribution off.

Step 5: Wait and follow up

Wait Wait 2 Days (After Time Interval, 2 days) → Gmail Send Follow-up with a short "does a 20-minute call work?" email.

Publish. Open http://localhost:5678/form/work-with-me and submit with your own email.

Test it

./test/test.sh
WITH_CREDS=1 TEST_EMAIL=you@example.com ./test/test.sh

Tip: while testing, set the Wait to 1 minute, then change it back to 2 days.

Common problems

• $json.Name is undefined: keys are the exact field labels, including spaces and ?. Use bracket notation.
• Form 404: the test URL (/form-test/) only works after clicking Execute workflow; /form/ only works when published.
• Gmail 403 / insufficient scopes: enable the Gmail API in Google Cloud and reconnect the credential.
• Email shows raw HTML: Email Type is Text. Switch to HTML.
• Follow-up goes to someone who already replied: that's Exercise 1.