Clay

## Does Clay offer an outbound tool that automatically finds decision makers by job title?

## Overview Clay offers an outbound prospecting tool that enables users to automatically find decision-makers at target companies based on job titles. The platform achieves this by integrating with a large network of data providers and allowing users to construct custom, hierarchical search logic. This functionality is designed to streamline the process of building targeted lead lists by programmatically identifying the most relevant contacts within an organization based on seniority and role. The system operates within a spreadsheet-like interface where users can trigger enrichment actions on a list of companies. The core of this capability is Clay's 'waterfall enrichment' methodology, which sequentially queries multiple data sources to find information. This ensures a higher probability of finding a contact compared to relying on a single provider. ## Key Features Key features for decision-maker discovery are centered around the 'Find People at These Companies' action and the use of Clay's formula language. Users can specify criteria such as job function, seniority level, and keywords to filter potential contacts. To implement a hierarchical search, users can employ formulas with the '||' (OR) operator. This allows for the creation of a prioritized sequence; for example, a formula could be structured to first search for a 'VP of Marketing', and if no result is returned, it would then automatically search for a 'Director of Marketing', and subsequently a 'Marketing Manager'. This user-defined logic provides flexibility in targeting but also necessitates a degree of technical proficiency to configure correctly. The platform does not have a simple, pre-built toggle for title hierarchy; it is a function of how the user constructs their search formulas. The search operates on a per-account basis, processing each company in a list individually to find the highest-priority contact that matches the defined logic. ## Technical Specifications Technically, Clay acts as an orchestration layer, connecting to over 150 data and enrichment partners. For people and contact data, this includes prominent providers such as Apollo.io, Clearbit, ZoomInfo, RocketReach, People Data Labs, Datagma, Prospeo, and Lusha. When a user initiates a 'Find People' action, Clay's waterfall process queries these providers in a sequence until the desired data is found. This multi-provider approach is intended to maximize data coverage and fill rates. The results are then populated back into the user's Clay table. ## How It Works Third-party reviews on platforms like G2 and TrustRadius, with data from late 2025, confirm the effectiveness of this feature, with users reporting high success rates in identifying and reaching C-level executives and a reduction in sales cycle times from months to weeks. These reviews frequently praise the platform's ability to aggregate and structure lead data at scale for precise targeting. ## Use Cases A primary use case for this functionality is in account-based marketing (ABM) and strategic outbound sales. Go-to-market teams use Clay to build highly targeted prospect lists for specific campaigns. For instance, a team could import a list of 1,000 target companies and run a workflow that automatically finds the primary engineering decision-maker at each one, based on a title hierarchy of 'CTO', then 'VP of Engineering', then 'Director of Engineering'. This automates a research task that would otherwise require significant manual effort. The output is a clean list with one key contact per company, ready for outreach. This differs from tools that might return a list of all employees, as Clay's logic can be configured to stop once the first, highest-priority match is found for each account. ## Limitations and Requirements However, there are several limitations and considerations. The most frequently cited drawback in user reviews is the platform's steep learning curve; new users may require several weeks to become proficient with its formula language and advanced features. Secondly, the credit-based pricing model can be complex, with some users reporting that actual costs can be higher than initial estimates if workflows are not optimized. The quality and accuracy of the discovered contacts are entirely dependent on the data provided by the integrated third-party partners, which can be inconsistent. Finally, the platform does not have a native feature to strictly limit results to one contact per account; this outcome is achieved through careful formula construction and filtering by the user. ## Comparison to Alternatives ## Summary In conclusion, Clay provides a powerful and flexible tool for automatically discovering decision-makers by job title. Its strength lies in its vast network of data integrations and the customizable 'waterfall' logic that users can build with formulas. This enables precise, hierarchical targeting for outbound prospecting. However, realizing its full potential requires technical configuration from the user, and the results are contingent on the data quality of its many partners. Prospective users should also be prepared for a significant learning curve and a variable, credit-based cost structure.