Salesforge + Clay: Building Lean, High-Output Multi-Channel Outreach Systems

We combine Clay's data and enrichment power with Salesforge's multi-channel execution to build lean, high-output outreach systems. Below we walk through the practical workflows we use every day: how to assemble lists in Clay, enrich them, orchestrate email and LinkedIn sequences in Salesforge, keep deliverability healthy, and scale without breaking the bank.

Why combine Clay and Salesforge

Clay is exceptional at sourcing and enriching prospects: company lists, followers, local businesses, and real-time signals like new hires or website visitors. Salesforge is the execution layer: multi-mailbox cold email sequences, LinkedIn senders, deliverability infrastructure (Warmforge), reply management (Primebox), AI personalization, and AI SDRs like Agent Frank that can run outreach autonomously.

Together we get a full pipeline loop: find and enrich prospects in Clay, push the right targets into a Salesforge workspace, run targeted multi-channel sequences, and consolidate replies for fast follow up.

Core Workflows We’ve Built

1. Build a List from Scratch (blank table)

How we start when we need a new list:

1. Define filters in Clay: industry, company size, job titles, location.
2. Limit the initial query to 10–20 rows for testing.
3. Run enrichment actions like work email, LinkedIn profile, and phone number.
4. Validate results, adjust filters, then scale up if the sample looks good.
5. Push enriched contacts into the correct Salesforge workspace and launch a sequence.

Key rule: always test small first. Credit burn from large, incorrect enrichments is a common early mistake.

2. Top ICP Company-First Search

When we target ideal customer profile companies, we:

1. Gather company list in Clay (industry, size, revenue signals).
2. Use an AI prompt to find the senior sales leader or decision maker at each company. Keep prompts specific and short.
3. Enrich the person with a work email and LinkedIn URL.
4. Push the list into a Salesforge workspace, attach the right product card to feed AI personalization, then run your sequence.

Product cards give our AI context: pain, cost of inaction, and solution. That yields far more substantive personalization than generic templates.

3. Importing Followers and Competitor Audiences

Followers from a company page or competitor page are high-quality targets because they are already aware of the topic. Our flow:

1. Export the follower list as CSV (via Lead sourcing tools or Clay).
2. Import into Clay and enrich missing fields (email, LinkedIn).
3. Decide channel strategy: if volume is low, start LinkedIn; if volume is large, favor email first.
4. Run a multi-channel sequence: blank connection request, short LinkedIn follow-up, then short email sequence if no LinkedIn reply.

Example messaging approach (LinkedIn then email):

• LinkedIn connection: no message (blank) - this tends to have the highest acceptance.
• LinkedIn follow-up (one-liner): "Hey {first_name}, just a quick one on my mind - do you do a ton of LinkedIn outreach these days?"
• Email subject style: short, lowercase, 2–3 words. Email body: "Hey {first_name}, just a quick question. Are you doing any form of LinkedIn outreach at scale these days at all? - {first_name}"

4. Demo Recycling (re-engaging no-shows or non-convertors)

We export demo attendee lists from HubSpot or other CRMs, import into Clay, and enrich with context like website tech stack or role. Personalization options include referencing the tech stack or the demo topic, then re-engage via a concise, consultative sequence.

5. Geo-Targeted Local Campaigns

Clay can scrape Google Maps and produce lists for local business types like car dealers, art galleries, or consultants. We enrich phone numbers for calling and emails for multi-channel outreach. This works well for teams doing territory-based or local-business sales.

6. Expansion Signals and Intent-Driven Outreach

Signals are some of the best triggers for timely outreach. Typical signals we use:

• New hires, promotions, or job changes
• Job postings
• Fundraising announcements and press
• Website behavior: high-value pages like pricing, integrations, or competitor comparison
• Social listening: posts or comments showing pain or intent

Tools like Vector or de-anonymization pixels let us identify site visitors and feed them into Clay for enrichment. Speed to lead matters: within 30 minutes is ideal for high-intent events.

Execution, Deliverability, and Tooling Best Practices

We treat outreach as an orchestration problem across channels and infrastructure.

• Limit email sequence steps early on. We recommend no more than three emails per contact because deliverability and perceived automation degrade with long sequences.
• Use Warmforge for free, unlimited warm-up to maintain sender reputation. Warmforge builds sender reputation with a premium warm-up pool.
• Use Primebox to consolidate replies across mailboxes and LinkedIn so no conversation is lost.
• Map workspaces in Salesforge to teams or clients. Workspaces keep lists and sequences isolated and organized.
• Validate emails before sending using Salesforge validation credits to maximize send efficiency.
• Scale mailboxes and LinkedIn senders horizontally. Salesforge supports unlimited mailboxes and LinkedIn senders so you can add the whole team without seat-based limits.

AI and Automation

We use AI in two places:

• Personalization: Salesforge can generate email copy using product cards that summarize product, pain, and offers. This produces personalized, substantive outreach at scale.
• AI SDRs: Agent Frank can autonomously run prospecting, handle replies, and book meetings for you.

We treat model choice pragmatically. Different LLMs can be better for different tasks; Clay and Salesforge provide flexible LLM selection so we can pick what works best for each workflow.

Practical Tips, Templates, and Testing

Testing and quick validation keep campaigns efficient:

• Always run a 10–20 row sample before large enrichment jobs to avoid credit burn.
• A/B test subject lines, short vs. slightly longer opens, and channel order (LinkedIn-first vs email-first).
• Personalize with available signals: tech stack, funding, role change, or content engagement.
• If you call, enrich with mobile numbers - Clay often returns good mobile coverage and calling can materially lift conversion.

Sample short LinkedIn sequence (low-friction):

• Connection: blank
• Message 1: "Hey {first_name}, just a quick one on my mind - do you do a ton of LinkedIn outreach these days?"
• Message 2 (3 days later): "Assume not. Quick question - are you using any sequence tools to scale outreach?"

Sample email approach:

• Subject: "quick question"
• Body: "Hey {first_name}, just a quick question - are you doing any form of LinkedIn outreach at scale these days at all? - {sender_name}"

Integrations and CRM Flow

Typical CRM approaches we use:

• Push enriched contacts from Clay into HubSpot, then use HubSpot lists to sync back behavioral events and execution results.
• Alternatively, push directly into Salesforge workspaces for sequence execution and then sync engagement back to your CRM for holistic activity logging.
• Which path to choose depends on where you want real-time activity logging and how you use CRM automation. HubSpot-first tends to work well when downstream CRM triggers are important.

Salesforge integrates with common CRMs and offers an API for custom flows and direct vendor enrichments where teams prefer to manage vendor subscriptions themselves.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Running huge enrichments before validating the query and columns. Start small.
• Using long email sequences without measuring deliverability impact.
• Not warming mailboxes or ignoring mailbox health - deliverability collapses quickly if ignored.
• Over-personalizing without relevant data - personalization must be accurate or it backfires.

FAQ

How many rows should we test before scaling an enrichment?

We recommend testing 10 to 20 rows first. It helps you validate filters and avoid unnecessary credit burn before scaling to thousands of contacts.

Should we push contacts from Clay to Salesforge or to our CRM first?

It depends on your process. If you rely on CRM activity logging and automation, push to your CRM (for example HubSpot) first, then execute from Salesforge. If your priority is immediate sequence execution and advanced personalization, push directly to a Salesforge workspace and sync results back to the CRM.

How many email steps should we run in a sequence?

We recommend no more than three email steps early on. Deliverability and perceived automation degrade beyond that. Use short, high-value touches and combine with LinkedIn messages for multi-channel coverage.

What is a Salesforge workspace and how do we use it?

Workspaces isolate lists, sequences, and sender profiles. Agencies should create one workspace per client; internal teams can create workspaces per rep or team to keep data organized. Salesforge supports unlimited workspaces.

How do we avoid credit burn when enriching with Clay?

Limit initial queries, validate sample rows, and use targeted filters. If you have heavy data consumption, consider direct vendor subscriptions and push the results into Clay via API to optimize cost. Otherwise let Clay's waterfall aggregation handle vendor selection to maximize coverage and control cost.

What signals should we prioritize for high-intent outreach?

Prioritize website behavior (pricing/integrations pages), new hires in target teams, job postings, and social posts expressing pain. De-anonymization tools like Vector let you identify visitors so you can act quickly. Speed to lead should be under 30 minutes for the best conversion.

Related Blog Posts

• How We Do LinkedIn Outreach in 2025