Let’s be honest: after a Crankwheel presentation, your brain’s already moved to the next thing, not “Did I remember to send that follow-up email?” If you’re in sales, customer success, or just trying to look like you have it together, automating those follow-ups is a no-brainer. This guide will walk you through practical steps to set up automatic emails after Crankwheel demos—without getting lost in a maze of Zapier zaps, CRM settings, and email templates.
Why bother automating follow-ups?
Here’s the thing: most sales or demo leads go cold because nobody follows up fast enough. You want fast, consistent follow-up, but your memory isn’t going to cut it. Automation saves you from dropped balls and helps you look sharp—no extra hustle required.
Who this is for: - People who run live Crankwheel demos and want to send a timely “thanks for attending” or next-steps email. - Small teams who don’t want to pay for a full-blown marketing automation suite. - Anyone who’s tired of copy-pasting the same email after every call.
Quick Reality Check: What Can and Can’t Be Automated
Before you start, know this:
- Automating “after a presentation” isn’t built into Crankwheel by default. You’ll need to connect Crankwheel to something else—your CRM, your email tool, or an automation platform.
- If you’re using Crankwheel with a CRM (like HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive), you can usually trigger follow-up emails from there.
- If you’re running Crankwheel standalone, you’ll need to get creative with Zapier or similar tools.
- Mass personalization? You can automate the basics, but truly personal follow-ups still require a human touch.
Step 1: Decide Where Your Demo Data Lives
Automation only works if your tools can “talk” to each other. So first, ask yourself:
- Are you booking demos in your CRM, or through Crankwheel’s own scheduling links?
- Do you capture attendee emails somewhere (calendar invite, form, etc.), or are you just winging it?
If you’re not capturing emails and meeting info anywhere, automation isn’t possible. Start there.
Pro tip: Use a booking tool (Calendly, Google Calendar, or even Crankwheel’s forms) that collects attendee email addresses. This is the one bit you can’t skip.
Step 2: Choose Your Automation Tool
Here’s where most people get overwhelmed. Keep it simple. You can use:
Option 1: CRM-Driven Automation
If your presentations are scheduled through your CRM, this is usually the easiest. Here’s what works:
- HubSpot: Use workflows to send a follow-up email when a meeting type (“Crankwheel Demo”) is completed.
- Salesforce: Set up a process builder or flow to trigger an email after a meeting is logged.
- Pipedrive: Use automations to send an email when an activity is marked as done.
What works: Reliable, keeps everything in one place. What to ignore: Over-complicated automations that require custom code—stick to what your CRM natively supports.
Option 2: Zapier (or Make/Integromat)
If you don’t have a CRM, or Crankwheel isn’t tightly integrated, Zapier is your friend.
- Trigger: “New Meeting Scheduled” or “Meeting Completed” from your booking tool or calendar.
- Action: “Send Email” via Gmail, Outlook, or your mail provider.
Works with: Google Calendar, Calendly, Microsoft Outlook, and many others. Crankwheel direct integration: As of early 2024, it’s not native. But you can use booking tools or calendar events as the trigger.
What works: Fast, flexible, no coding. What to ignore: Chaining 10 Zaps together for minor details. Start with the basics.
Option 3: Email Sequences/Drip Tools
If you use a tool like Mailchimp, Mailerlite, or ConvertKit, you can trigger a sequence when someone fills out a form or is added to a list.
- Trigger: New contact added after scheduling a demo.
- Action: Start automated sequence—thank you, next steps, reminders, etc.
What works: Good for multi-step nurture. What to ignore: Overkill for simple “Thanks for joining” emails.
Step 3: Map Out the Trigger Event
Here’s the crux: What actually kicks off your follow-up? For most, it’s the meeting ending. But unless you’re using a big CRM, you’ll need to work with:
- Calendar event ends: Use Google Calendar or Outlook as the trigger in Zapier.
- Form submission: If you use a form to book demos, trigger from there.
- Manual update: Mark the meeting as “done” in your CRM.
If you want true “presentation finished” automation, you’ll need to manually log the meeting as complete. Don’t trust “calendar event ended” to mean “presentation happened”—no-show rates are real.
Pro tip: If accuracy matters, make “mark as done” part of your wrap-up habit. Automation is only as good as the data you feed it.
Step 4: Build Your Follow-Up Email Template
Don’t overthink this. Here’s what works:
- Short, specific subject line (“Thanks for your time today” or “Next steps after our demo”)
- Personalization tokens if your tool supports it (Name, Company, etc.)
- Clear next steps (Book a follow-up, download a resource, reply with questions)
- Your contact info (make it easy to reply)
Example template:
Subject: Thanks for your time today
Hi {{FirstName}},
Thanks for joining the demo. Here’s what we covered:
- [Main point 1]
- [Main point 2]
Next steps: - [What should they do? Book, reply, etc.]
Let me know if you have questions.
Best,
[Your Name]
What works: Simple, direct, not too much fluff. What to ignore: Gimmicks, long-winded sales copy, or links to five different case studies.
Step 5: Test Your Automation
Test with a real (or test) email address. Look for:
- Did the right email go out, at the right time?
- Is the personalization working?
- Is the timing right, or does it feel awkward (e.g., email sends before the demo is over)?
Common pitfalls: - Emails going out before meetings actually happen (if you trigger on event creation, not completion) - Misspelled variables (nothing says “personal touch” like “Hi {{FirstNmae}}”) - Messages going to spam (avoid attachments, weird formatting)
Pro tip: Do a dry run with a coworker or your own inbox before rolling out to real prospects.
Step 6: Iterate, Don’t Automate Everything
Tempting as it is, don’t try to automate every single follow-up. A personalized note beats a robot-sounding message, especially if you’re dealing with larger deals or long sales cycles.
When to automate: - First “thanks for joining” email - Simple resource sharing (“Here’s the deck”) - Meeting recap
When not to automate: - Detailed responses to specific questions - High-stakes follow-ups (big deals, renewals, etc.)
What to Ignore (Seriously)
- Overly complicated “AI” email writers. They sound generic and can get you flagged as spam.
- Integrations that require coding unless you love debugging. Stick to what you can build and maintain.
- Automating before you have a process. If you’re not already sending follow-ups manually, figure out what works before automating.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Get It Working, Then Tweak
Automation is meant to save you time, not create more headaches. Start with one basic follow-up email after your Crankwheel demo. Once that’s humming, add layers if you need them. Don’t get sucked into the endless loop of tweaking—what matters is that your prospects hear from you, reliably, without you having to think about it.
Set it up, test it, and move on to things that actually move the needle. That’s the whole point.