MAIEW · Module 6 · Automation Build Lab

Building automations and agentic workflow.

Goal: provision a resilient Speed-to-Lead engine for your agency, a database of record, two connected pipes, and a safety net that catches the automation when something breaks.

Confidential

This material is proprietary to Flux+Form and built for participants in the current MAIEW cohort. Use it to provision your own instance. Please do not publish or forward it outside your agency.

01 Database

The Source of Truth

Before building, you must establish your database. Use the template below to track leads, timestamps, and escalation logs.

MAIEW Google Sheet Template Open the sheet
  1. Action: click File > Make a Copy. You must be the owner of the sheet for n8n to have write access via OAuth.
02 Readiness

The Pre-Flight Checklist

Do not move your automation to Active until these four boxes are checked.

  • Automation First Draft Built: the D.R.I.V.E. prompt has been provisioned into the n8n canvas.
  • All Sources Connected: authentication is green for both Google Sheets and Slack.
  • Data Trail Traceable: the Slack_ts is mapped to write back to Column I upon success.
  • Logic Paths Wired: the hanging wire on the Slack Error Port is connected to the Escalation Email node.
03 OAuth & APIs

Connecting Your Agency Pipes

Two connections carry the automation: leads flow in from Google Sheets, and notifications flow out to Slack. Wire both before you test anything downstream.

Google Sheets connection

  1. Select Node: click the “Google Sheets Trigger” node.
  2. Credential: click ‘Create New Credential’.
  3. Auth Type: select OAuth 2.0.
  4. Action: click ‘Sign in with Google’. Select your agency account and grant permissions to see, edit, create, and delete all your Google Sheets.
  5. Map: select your copied “MAIEW Leads” spreadsheet from the dropdown.

Slack connection

  1. Select Node: click the “Slack” node.
  2. Credential: click ‘Create New Credential’.
  3. Auth Type: select OAuth 2.0.
  4. Action: grant n8n access to your Slack workspace.
    • Create a private channel in Slack named #sales-leads.
    • In n8n, select #sales-leads from the channel list.
    If the channel does not appear, invite the n8n app to that channel by typing /invite @n8n in Slack.
04 Escalation

The Safety Net Wiring

Your automation currently has a hanging wire. It will fail silently unless you complete the final mile.

  1. Locate the Slack node.
  2. Identify the red circle (Error Port) on the right side of the node.
  3. Click and drag the wire from that red circle to the ‘Log Slack Error’ node.
  4. Verify the connection is solid.
Why it matters

This ensures that if the Slack API is down, your VP of Client Development is notified via the Escalation Email node immediately.

05 Reference

Technical Reference

The “Digital Receipt” timestamp

To record the exact moment a lead was notified, use this expression in the “Mark as Notified” node.

n8n expression 
{{ $now.toISO() }}