Ten ai automations businesses pay for and How to Build Them

Businesses don't buy "automation for the sake of automation." They pay for concrete workflows that save time, cut costs, and unlock revenue. Below you'll see ten ai automations businesses pay for, the typical price per execution, and the buyer persona that values each. I then walk you through building one of them - an AI-enriched lead-to-CRM pipeline - using n8n, OpenAI, and a webhook. The guide is detailed enough for a seasoned builder, precise enough for Google's crawlers, and clear enough for answer engines.

Only the automations that directly impact cash flow or customer experience get budget approvals.

What is an ai automation?

An ai automation is a workflow that combines a trigger (e.g., a new web form submission) with one or more AI-powered actions (e.g., text classification, summarisation, or vector search) and finishes with a concrete business outcome (e.g., a record in a CRM, an invoice emailed to a client).

Which ai automations businesses pay for

*Prices are based on OpenAI token pricing (see https://openai.com/pricing) and typical third-party costs. Rates can vary with model choice and payload size.

What you need

Estimated build time: 4-6 hours for a complete end-to-end workflow, including testing and documentation.

Build example: AI-enriched lead capture to HubSpot CRM

Below is a step-by-step guide that you can copy-paste into an n8n workflow. The same logic applies in Make or Zapier with equivalent nodes.

1. Set up the n8n instance

docker run -d \
 --name n8n \
 -p 5678:5678 \
 -e N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true \
 -e N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin \
 -e N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=supersecret \
 n8nio/n8n

This launches a self-hosted n8n on port 5678 with basic auth. Verify it's running by visiting http://localhost:5678.

2. Create a Webhook node (trigger)

1. Click + → Add Node → Webhook.
2. Set HTTP Method to POST.
3. Name the node New Lead Webhook.
4. Copy the generated URL; you'll embed it in your website's lead form.

What this does: Receives raw lead data (name, email, company) from a web form.

3. Add a Function node to normalise payload

{
 "name": "NormaliseLead",
 "type": "n8n-nodes-base.function",
 "position": [400, 200],
 "parameters": {
 "functionCode": "return [{\n name: $json.body.name,\n email: $json.body.email,\n company: $json.body.company,\n notes: $json.body.message || ''\n}];"
 }
}

The node strips out any extra fields and guarantees a consistent schema.

4. Call OpenAI to enrich the lead description

Add an HTTP Request node:

• Method: POST
• URL: https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions
• Authentication: Header Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY> (store the key in n8n's Credentials).
• Headers: Content-Type: application/json
• Body:

{
 "model": "gpt-3.5-turbo",
 "messages": [
 {
 "role": "system",
 "content": "You are a concise business analyst."
 },
 {
 "role": "user",
 "content": "Summarise the following lead information for a sales team:\nName: {{$json.name}}\nEmail: {{$json.email}}\nCompany: {{$json.company}}\nNotes: {{$json.notes}}"
 }
 ],
 "max_tokens": 150
}

This generates a short, sales-ready summary of the raw lead.

5. Parse the OpenAI response

Add another Function node (named ParseSummary):

{
 "name": "ParseSummary",
 "type": "n8n-nodes-base.function",
 "position": [800, 200],
 "parameters": {
 "functionCode": "const content = $json.choices[0].message.content;\nreturn [{ summary: content }];"
 }
}

6. Push to HubSpot CRM via HTTP Request

1. Create a HubSpot API Key (or OAuth token) in HubSpot settings.
2. Add an HTTP Request node:

• Method: POST
• URL: https://api.hubapi.com/crm/v3/objects/contacts
• Authentication: Header Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_HUBSPOT_TOKEN>
• Headers: Content-Type: application/json
• Body:

{
 "properties": {
 "firstname": "{{$json.name}}",
 "email": "{{$json.email}}",
 "company": "{{$json.company}}",
 "notes": "{{$node.ParseSummary.json.summary}}"
 }
}

This creates a new contact in HubSpot with the AI-generated notes.

7. Optional: Send a Slack notification

Add a Slack node (or use a webhook) to alert the sales channel:

• Channel: #sales-leads
• Message: New lead from {{ $json.name }} - {{ $node.ParseSummary.json.summary }}

8. Test end-to-end

1. Submit a test lead via the webhook URL (e.g., using curl).
2. Verify the contact appears in HubSpot with the summarised notes.
3. Check the Slack channel for the notification.

curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
 -d '{"name":"Jane Doe","email":"jane@example.com","company":"Acme Corp","message":"Looking for a SaaS solution"}' \
 https://your-n8n-domain/webhook/new-lead-webhook

If the workflow runs without errors, you've built a production-ready AI-enriched lead capture pipeline.

Where this breaks

Never assume free tiers will stay free. Always monitor usage dashboards and set hard limits in your workflow.

For a deeper technical reference, see n8n's documentation.

FAQ

What price should I quote for building a lead-enrichment automation?

Check the guide on what to charge for automation services. A common model is a setup fee ($500-$2 000) plus a monthly maintenance fee (5 % of the client's projected token cost). Adjust based on complexity and ongoing support.

How do I find clients who will pay for these automations?

Read the article on finding automation clients. Target SaaS founders, e-commerce owners, and professional services firms that already spend on CRMs or support tools.

Can I replace n8n with a no-code platform like Zapier?

Yes, but Zapier's free tier caps at 100 tasks/month and its pricing jumps quickly for higher volumes. For production-grade workloads, the self-hosted n8n or Make plans are more cost-effective. Compare the trade-offs in the What you need table.

Are there hidden costs when using OpenAI's API?

OpenAI charges per 1 k tokens for both input and output. If you add temperature or max_tokens settings that increase response length, your cost grows linearly. Track usage with the usage.total_tokens field and set alerts in n8n's IF node.

How do I secure the webhook endpoint against spam?

Add a Header Validation node that checks a shared secret header (e.g., X-Auth-Token). Store the secret in n8n's Credentials and reject any request lacking the correct token.

Is there a free way to store lead data long-term?

You can use AWS S3's free tier (5 GB) or any self-hosted MinIO bucket. No additional cost until you exceed the free allocation.

Ready to start building? Grab the free starter kit and a checklist of the ten highest-value ai automations businesses pay for at https://getaab.com/free.