How to Set Up Your First AI Automation in 60 Minutes

Most SMBs have leads coming in through a form, an email, or a phone call. Right now you read each one, decide if it's worth following up on, and either reply yourself or assign it. We're going to automate the read-and-decide step.

The build — 60 minutes

• Identify the trigger. Where do new leads land? (Google Form, Typeform, website contact form, email inbox, Calendly request.)

• Define what makes a lead "A-grade." Write 4–6 sentences in plain English. "An A-grade lead is a service business with 10–50 employees mentioning content, hiring, or automation as a need." Save it.

• Wire up Zapier. New form submission → send fields to ChatGPT → ChatGPT returns grade (A/B/C) + 2-line summary → post to Slack channel or email you.

• Test 5 fake submissions. Adjust the prompt until grades feel right.

• Turn it on. Walk away.

What this costs

$20/mo for ChatGPT Plus (or Claude). Free tier of Zapier (or $20/mo if you do over 100 leads). That's it.

What this saves

Typical SMB: 4–8 hours/week of owner time previously spent on lead triage. At even $75/hr blended cost, that's $1,200–$2,400/mo in recovered time. ROI is real and immediate.

Start small. One automation, one win, one week. Stack the next one only after this one runs unattended.