Restflow.io

## Introduction

In sales, timely and organized follow-ups after product demos significantly impact conversion rates. However, manually tracking these follow-ups, assigning tasks, and communicating with teams can be error-prone and time-consuming. Automating the generation of follow-up tasks right after a demo ensures no lead is forgotten and actions are managed consistently.

This article demonstrates how to build an automation workflow using **n8n** to automatically generate follow-up tasks after sales demos. This solution benefits sales teams, sales operations, and customer success teams by creating a seamless, reliable pipeline from demo completion to actionable follow-ups.

The automation will integrate several key tools commonly used in sales processes:

– **Calendly** (or another demo scheduling tool) for detecting completed demos
– **Google Sheets** for capturing and storing demo metadata
– **Asana** (or your preferred task management tool) for creating follow-up tasks
– **Slack** for notifying the responsible sales representative

This step-by-step guide will cover workflow trigger setup, node configurations, error handling, and scaling strategies.

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## Use Case Overview

**Problem:** Sales reps frequently miss or delay follow-ups after demos due to manual task creation and scattered data points.

**Goal:** Automatically generate personalized, actionable follow-up tasks immediately when a demo is completed, alongside notifying relevant team members.

**Who benefits:** Sales representatives, sales managers, and sales operations teams.

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## Tools and Services Integrated

– **n8n:** Automation platform to orchestrate the workflow.
– **Calendly API:** Detect when a scheduled demo is concluded.
– **Google Sheets:** Store and enrich lead/demo info.
– **Asana API:** Automatically create and assign tasks.
– **Slack:** Alert assigned sales reps on new tasks.

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## Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

– An active n8n instance (cloud or self-hosted).
– Calendly account with API access (or use Webhook triggers).
– Google Sheets spreadsheet prepared to store demo data.
– Asana workspace and access token.
– Slack workspace and bot token.

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## Step-by-Step Technical Tutorial

### Step 1: Trigger when a Demo is Completed

**Objective:** Detect when a sales demo finishes in Calendly.

1. Use Calendly’s **Webhook** feature to notify n8n when an event is completed.
– In Calendly, create a webhook subscription pointing to n8n’s webhook URL.
– Configure the webhook to trigger on the event `invitee.completed`.

2. In n8n, add a **Webhook node**:
– Set HTTP Method to `POST`.
– Copy the Webhook URL and input in Calendly.

3. Test the webhook to ensure data is received when a demo ends.

**Data Received Includes:** Invitee name, email, event type, event start/end time, and custom invited metadata.

### Step 2: Store Demo Data in Google Sheets

**Objective:** Log demo details for record-keeping and reference.

1. Add a **Google Sheets node** configured to:
– Append a new row to your demos sheet.
– Map data from Calendly webhook such as name, email, event date/time, and notes.

2. Authenticate via Google OAuth in n8n.

3. Confirm data rows populate correctly after webhook triggers.

### Step 3: Prepare Follow-Up Task Content

**Objective:** Define the follow-up task text dynamically based on demo data.

1. Add a **Set node** to construct the task description.
– Use expressions to include variables like lead name, demo date, and personalized notes.
– Example task name: `Follow up with {{ $json[“invitee.name”] }} after demo on {{ $json[“event.start_time”] }}`

### Step 4: Create Follow-Up Task in Asana

**Objective:** Automatically create a task assigned to the correct sales rep.

1. Add an **Asana node** with action `Create Task`.

2. Authenticate using an API token.

3. Map the following:
– Workspace/Project ID
– Task name from the Set node’s output
– Task description containing demo info
– Assignee email derived from your logic (e.g., from Calendly metadata or static assignment)
– Due date (e.g., 1-2 days after the demo date)

4. Test that tasks appear correctly in Asana.

### Step 5: Notify the Sales Rep in Slack

**Objective:** Post a message alerting the assigned rep of the new task.

1. Add a **Slack node** configured to send a message to a user or channel.

2. Use Slack API token for authentication.

3. Compose a notification message containing:
– Lead name
– Task link (from Asana node output)
– Demo time

4. Confirm message delivery during tests.

### Step 6: Error Handling and Workflow Robustness

– Add an **Error Trigger** node to catch failures.

– Implement error notifications, e.g., send an alert to Slack or email if task creation fails.

– Use conditional checks (IF nodes) to verify all required data fields are present before proceeding.

– Introduce retry logic or delays if APIs temporarily fail.

### Step 7: Test the Entire Workflow

– Simulate demo completion via Calendly or post a test payload to the webhook.

– Verify data flows correctly through each node.

– Confirm follow-up tasks are created and notifications sent as expected.

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## Common Pitfalls & Tips

– **Calendly Webhook Latency:** There may be a delay before `invitee.completed` triggers. Account for time zones and event duration.

– **Authentication Issues:** Ensure API tokens have the proper scopes; periodically refresh OAuth credentials.

– **Data Mapping Errors:** Validate JSON responses from Calendly to avoid missing fields.

– **Asana Rate Limits:** Batch or queue task creations if processing bulk demos.

– **Slack Messaging Limits:** Avoid spamming channels; consider grouping notifications.

– **Time Zone Handling:** Normalize all date/times to UTC in n8n.

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## Scaling and Adapting the Workflow

– **Add CRM Integration:** Sync follow-up task status with HubSpot or Salesforce to maintain lead pipelines.

– **Dynamic Assignee Logic:** Use rules or a data source to assign tasks to sales reps based on territory or demo type.

– **Multi-channel Notifications:** Extend Slack alerts with email or SMS reminders.

– **Analytics:** Append outcome updates to Google Sheets or a BI tool for pipeline analysis.

– **Bulk Processing:** Schedule periodic batch jobs to resync missed demos or overdue tasks.

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## Summary and Bonus Tip

By automating follow-up task generation after demos with n8n, sales teams can focus on engagement rather than admin. The workflow captures demo completion events, logs data, creates actionable tasks, and promptly notifies reps.

**Bonus Tip:** Combine this workflow with a sentiment analysis node (using NLP APIs) to classify demo feedback and prioritize follow-ups dynamically based on lead interest levels.

This approach gives startups and sales ops teams an efficient, scalable, and customizable automation foundation — significantly reducing missed opportunities and increasing demo-to-deal conversion ratios.