A key use case for Clay is creating hyper-specific, proprietary data points for sales. For example, Waste Management uses Google Maps satellite images and AI to identify the color of trash cans at businesses, allowing them to determine which prospects are using a competitor and then tailor their outreach accordingly.
Clay demonstrated a radical commitment to brand from day one. The company purchased the premium domain clay.com and contracted a claymation artist—who charged a recurring "SaaS" fee for his art—all before the business had any meaningful revenue, embedding the brand deep into its DNA.
For roles where skills are difficult to assess in standard interviews, Clay implements a 2-3 week paid "work trial." This allows the company to evaluate a candidate's actual performance and fit on real tasks before extending a full-time offer, de-risking the hiring process for complex positions.
Clay intentionally hires marketers from non-traditional backgrounds to create authentic campaigns that stand out from typical B2B marketing. This approach focuses on capturing mindshare with fresh, creative content that resonates with modern buyers who are also regular social media users, not just readers of Gartner reports.
Clay created the "Go-to-Market Engineer" role because traditional AEs struggled to sell its complex product. This new role combines sales responsibilities with a deep, product-oriented, and operational mindset, effectively bridging the gap between a technical product and its target users who are similarly technical.
For its innovative "GTM Engineer" role, Clay's co-founder values creativity above all else. This is tested through a take-home assignment where candidates must design creative outbound campaigns, signaling a shift from traditional sales metrics to strategic, experimental thinking in go-to-market roles.
Despite running an AI company, Clay's co-founder warns against using LLMs for marketing. He argues that AI models are designed to synthesize information and find the average, which is the opposite of marketing's goal: to stand out and be original. His team is discouraged from using it for marketing copy.