## Introduction
For Data & Analytics teams in startups and growing businesses, maintaining high-quality lead data is critical for effective sales and marketing. Often, the raw lead data collected via forms, events, or CRM entries lack depth—missing valuable context such as company size, industry, or contact details. Manually enriching this data from external sources is time-consuming, error-prone, and not scalable.
Automation can solve this challenge by connecting lead generation platforms with external enrichment APIs to automatically augment lead profiles. n8n, an open-source workflow automation tool, provides the flexibility to integrate various services—like Google Sheets, HubSpot, Clearbit, or LinkedIn API—and orchestrate complex workflows without heavy coding.
This article provides a step-by-step tutorial on building an automated lead data enrichment workflow using n8n. It targets Data & Analytics teams, automation engineers, and startup CTOs who want to implement a scalable and maintainable system for lead enrichment.
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## Problem Statement
– Raw inbound leads typically include limited details (e.g., name, email).
– Sales teams need enriched data to qualify and prioritize leads (e.g., company size, tech stack).
– Manual enrichment is slow and inconsistent.
– Existing CRMs might not offer comprehensive enrichment.
## Tools & Services Used
– **n8n**: Workflow automation platform.
– **Lead Data Source**: Example using Google Sheets or CRM.
– **Enrichment APIs**: Clearbit (for company & person enrichment), Hunter.io (email verification), or similar.
– **Output Destination**: Update back to Google Sheets, HubSpot, or a database.
## Workflow Overview
1. **Trigger**: New lead inserted in Google Sheets (or CRM webhook trigger).
2. **Retrieve Lead Info**: Extract lead email and basic info.
3. **Enrich Lead Data**:
– Query Clearbit API for company and person enrichment.
– Verify email with Hunter.io API.
4. **Merge Enriched Data**: Combine original and enriched data.
5. **Output**: Update Google Sheets or CRM record with new data.
6. **Notify**: Optional Slack message for sales team about enriched lead.
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## Step-by-Step Tutorial
### Prerequisites
– n8n installed (local/docker/cloud).
– API keys for Clearbit and Hunter.io.
– Google Sheets spreadsheet with leads or access to CRM.
– Slack workspace (optional).
### Step 1: Create a New Workflow in n8n
– Open your n8n editor.
– Create a new workflow and name it “Lead Data Enrichment”.
### Step 2: Set Up Trigger Node
– Add a **Google Sheets Trigger** or **Webhook** node depending on source.
– If Google Sheets:
– Use “New or Updated Row” trigger.
– Connect to the spreadsheet containing new leads.
– If CRM (e.g., HubSpot):
– Use webhook node capturing lead creation events.
### Step 3: Extract Lead Email and Basic Details
– After the trigger node, add a **Set** or **Function** node to sanitize and extract email and fields.
– For example, map `row.email` to a variable for API requests.
### Step 4: Add Clearbit Enrichment Node
– Add an **HTTP Request** node to call Clearbit API:
– Method: GET
– URL: `https://person.clearbit.com/v2/people/find?email={{ $json[“email”] }}`
– Add Authorization header: `Bearer YOUR_CLEARBIT_API_KEY`
– Parse response JSON with a **Set** or **Function** node to extract key info like:
– Person name, role, social profiles
– Company name, size, industry
### Step 5: Add Hunter.io Email Verification Node
– Add another **HTTP Request** node:
– Method: GET
– URL: `https://api.hunter.io/v2/email-verifier?email={{ $json[“email”] }}&api_key=YOUR_HUNTER_API_KEY`
– Extract verification status, score, and flags.
### Step 6: Merge Data
– Use a **Merge** node to combine the original lead data with Clearbit and Hunter.io enrichment results.
– Ensure fields are renamed/described clearly for downstream use.
### Step 7: Output Enriched Data
– Add Google Sheets **Update** node or CRM **Update Record** node:
– Map the merged data fields back to columns or fields.
– Consider adding timestamp and enrichment status.
### Step 8: Optional Slack Notification
– Add Slack **Post Message** node.
– Format a concise message about the new enriched lead.
– Send it to a sales channel.
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## Common Errors and Tips
– **API Rate Limits**: Clearbit and Hunter.io have limits; add delays or batch processing.
– **Missing Data Handling**: Use conditional nodes to manage null responses gracefully.
– **Error Handling**: Add error workflow branches to log failures or retry enrichment.
– **Field Mapping**: Verify field names in spreadsheet/CRM to avoid update errors.
– **Security**: Secure API keys via environment variables.
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## Scaling and Adaptation
– **Multiple Enrichment APIs**: Add more providers (e.g., LinkedIn API) and merge data.
– **Batch Processing**: For large lead lists, paginate and batch requests.
– **CRM Integration**: Extend workflow to support Salesforce, HubSpot, or Pipedrive.
– **Custom Scoring**: Add scoring nodes for lead qualification.
– **Scheduling**: Run enrichment periodically via cron triggers to refresh data.
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## Summary
Automating lead data enrichment with n8n enables Data & Analytics teams to deliver high-quality, actionable lead profiles rapidly to sales and marketing. By integrating trigger sources with robust enrichment APIs like Clearbit and Hunter.io, you can create efficient, scalable workflows that reduce manual effort and improve lead qualification processes.
The step-by-step tutorial covers everything from initial setup, API integration, data merging, and output to notifications. Incorporating error handling and scaling strategies ensures your workflow is resilient and adaptable to growing data needs.
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## Bonus Tip
Consider implementing a cache or database to avoid redundant API calls for the same email address, which saves costs and reduces API usage. You can create a lookup node before enrichment steps to check if the lead was already enriched recently.