If you’re in charge of getting a B2B product out the door and into customers’ hands, you know the drill: messy data, slow prospecting, and too many tools that promise “automation” but mostly add noise. If you’re considering Clay to help speed up your go-to-market process, or you’re already using it but want to get real value, this guide’s for you.
Let’s cut through the hype and get clear on which features of Clay actually help B2B teams move faster—and what you can ignore.
Why Clay Even Matters for B2B Go-To-Market
Clay’s pitch is simple: bring all your prospecting, enrichment, and outreach data into one place, automate the boring stuff, and make scaling a GTM (go-to-market) operation less painful. If you’re drowning in spreadsheets or juggling five different prospecting tools, the promise is appealing.
But Clay isn’t magic. Some features really are time-savers, and some are just nice-to-haves. Here’s what actually moves the needle for most B2B teams.
1. Automated Prospecting Without the Spreadsheet Headaches
What works:
Clay’s main draw is its ability to build lead lists from scratch—fast. You can pull in company and contact data from multiple sources (LinkedIn, Apollo, Clearbit, etc.) and combine them in one place. The interface feels like a spreadsheet, but it’s a lot more powerful.
How it helps: - No more manual scraping: You can set up workflows that pull in new leads based on your filters—think company size, industry, tech stack, recent funding, and more. - Live enrichment: Clay keeps your data fresh by automatically updating fields as sources change. No more stale lists. - De-duplication: It’s a small thing, but not having to clean up duplicates saves hours.
What’s overhyped:
Don’t expect “set it and forget it” automation. You’ll still need to review your lists and tweak filters. Garbage in, garbage out.
Pro tip:
Start with a simple workflow—one data source, a handful of filters. Don’t try to boil the ocean on day one.
2. Enrichment That’s Actually Useful (Not Just More Noise)
What works:
Clay shines when you want to add context to your leads—titles, verified emails, company news, tech used, and more. You can blend multiple enrichment providers and choose which data to trust.
How it helps: - Faster research: You can see everything you need to personalize outreach in one row—no more tab-hopping. - Custom enrichment: Pull in data unique to your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)—like recent job changes, hiring signals, or even scraping websites for keywords.
What’s overhyped:
Some enrichment sources are just as spotty as anywhere else. You’ll get bounced emails and out-of-date info; that’s the nature of the beast. Test a few sources, and don’t expect perfection.
Ignore this:
Clay offers a lot of fields you’ll never use. Don’t enrich for the sake of it—pick the 3-5 data points that actually help your team.
3. Workflow Automation That’s Actually Flexible
What works:
Clay has a drag-and-drop workflow builder. You can automate steps like:
- Finding new leads every week
- Enriching them with the latest data
- Filtering by custom logic (e.g., “only CTOs in fintech companies with recent funding”)
- Pushing leads directly to your CRM or sales engagement tool
How it helps: - No more swivel-chairing: You can set up hands-off flows from list-building to outreach triggers. - Conditional logic: Only send the best-fit leads to your sales team, instead of flooding them with junk.
What’s overhyped:
Clay says you don’t need to know code. That’s technically true, but you’ll still need to think in terms of logic and build/test your automations. If you’re not comfortable with basic if/then thinking, expect a learning curve.
Pro tip:
Clone or download workflow templates from the Clay community. Don’t reinvent the wheel.
4. Real Integrations (Not Just Zapier Hacks)
What works:
Clay connects directly to a bunch of B2B tools: Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, Salesloft, and more. You can push enriched contacts directly into sequences or pipelines.
How it helps: - Saves manual effort: No more exporting CSVs and praying your imports match up. - Data stays in sync: Updates in Clay can auto-update your CRM (if you want).
What’s overhyped:
Some integrations are shallow. For example, you might only be able to push contacts, not update custom fields or trigger advanced workflows. Always test with a dummy account first.
Ignore this:
If you’re already married to a sales engagement tool that Clay doesn’t integrate well with, don’t force it. Sometimes, old-school CSVs are still faster.
5. AI Features: Fun, Sometimes Useful, Not Magic
What works:
Clay lets you use AI to write first-draft copy, summarize company news, or flag leads based on intent signals. You can even build custom GPT-powered steps in a workflow.
How it helps: - Saves time on research: AI can pull out nuggets from LinkedIn pages or news articles. - Personalization at scale: Auto-generate snippets for outreach emails, so you’re not stuck copying and pasting all day.
What’s overhyped:
AI-generated copy still needs a human touch. Never send it out blind. Also, AI can hallucinate—don’t base your pitch on a summary unless you double-check it.
Pro tip:
Use AI for rough drafts or data extraction, not for hitting send. Always review before pushing to prospects.
6. Collaboration and Access Controls
What works:
You can invite your team, set permissions, and keep everyone working off the same (live) lists.
How it helps: - No more version control nightmares: Everyone’s looking at the same data, not a dozen different spreadsheets. - Team workflows: Assign leads, track progress, and keep the process transparent.
What’s overhyped:
If your team is small or you’re solo, you may not need most of these controls. Don’t make your process more complicated than it has to be.
7. Reporting and Visibility: Good Enough, Not Great
What works:
Clay has basic dashboards that show how many leads you’ve generated, what’s been enriched, and what’s flowing to your CRM.
How it helps: - Spot issues early: See if your lead criteria are too narrow or enrichment is failing. - Keeps leadership happy: Easy to pull simple reports for your boss.
What’s overhyped:
If you need deep analytics, you’ll still want to export data to your BI tool. Clay’s reporting is fine for day-to-day, not for board decks.
When Clay Makes Sense—And When It Doesn’t
Clay is great if: - You’re tired of juggling spreadsheets and point solutions. - You want to automate the repetitive parts of prospecting. - Your team is willing to invest a few days upfront to build good workflows.
Clay’s not worth it if: - You only need a static lead list, once. - Your team isn’t comfortable with new tools or basic automation logic. - You’re expecting instant results without any setup.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Clay
- Start small: Build one workflow that solves a real pain. Expand from there.
- Test with dummy data: Avoid surprises by running your first flows on throwaway leads.
- Don’t hoard features: Ignore the bells and whistles until the basics are working.
- Ask for help: Clay’s support and community are actually decent—use them.
Keep it simple. Clay can speed up your go-to-market process, but only if you avoid the temptation to over-automate or chase every new feature. Focus on the steps that save real time, make your data fresher, and keep your team moving. Iterate as you go, and don’t be afraid to toss workflows that aren’t working. That’s how you actually get to market—faster, with less pain.