Learn and master Clay with Clay university
Featured in Clay University
Find and Verify Contact Info for Any Prospect
Previous lessons covered the infrastructure side—what Clay MCP is, how to roll it out, package workflows as functions, and enable it for reps. That was focused on RevOps and admins.
This section focuses on the rep side. If you're an SDR, AE, or anyone doing prospecting and research, this is where the course gets hands-on.
🔌 Getting Connected: The Quick Setup
If you're not connected yet:
- In ChatGPT: Type
@clayin any prompt to begin authentication. You'll get 500 free credits. - In Claude: Navigate to claude.com/connectors to connect. You'll get 500 free credits.
Your admin may have already set up access. If so, jump into the tool and start typing.
🎯 Searching for People: Tips for Better Results
The most common task is searching for people at a specific company. Tips for better results:
- Use company domains for accuracy. Use stripe.com, not just "Stripe."
- Be specific about role, seniority, and location.
- Search one company at a time for better results.
Examples:
Find sales leaders at salesforce.com.
Find VP-level finance leaders at rippling.com who joined in the last 6 months
Find the Head of Partnerships at notion.com and get their contact info
Get [custom function] phone number.
💰 The Three-Step Sequence: Search, Filter, Enrich
Filtering saves credits. Stretch those 500 credits by filtering first, then enriching only contacts that matter.
The three-step sequence:
Step 1: Search broadly. Example: finding sales leaders at stripe.com.
Step 2: Narrow it down. Filter to US-based directors and above, or people in NYC.
Step 3: Enrich the top results. Enrich the top five with email, work history, and recent thought leadership.
This sequence keeps costs down and results relevant.
Example:
Step 1: Find marketing leaders at stripe.com
Step 2: Filter to US-based Directors and above
Step 3: Enrich the top 5 with email, work history, and recent thought leadership
Data you can get:
- Verified email addresses
- Phone numbers
- Work history and role changes
- LinkedIn profiles
- Recent thought leadership (posts, articles, podcasts)
- Reporting structure
📊 Understanding Result Limits
Results are capped at 20 by default. Clay MCP is designed for targeted searches, not bulk operations. For bulk operations, use Clay tables.
You can run enrichments selectively—enrich all results at once or pick a few to control costs.
🧠 Building on Context: The Conversational Advantage
After researching an account, you don't need to start over. The conversation remembers what you've found.
In practice:
- Start by asking for account intel. "What's going on with XYZ company? What are they interested in? What problems are they trying to solve?"
- Use the context to find new targets. Find people you haven't spoken to who are likely interested in your product. The goal is to multi-thread and build momentum.
- Find their emails and draft outreach using conversational context.
🔧 Quick Note on Tool Differences
In ChatGPT: Use @Clay before each request.
In Claude: Ask naturally. Claude invokes Clay based on context.
The UI/UX differs between tools, but the data is the same.
🚀 What You've Learned
You now know how to find people, filter results, enrich contacts, and build on your search from inside your AI tool.
The next lesson covers company and account research—how to build intelligence on target accounts before reaching out.
