Concept Outbound vs. Clay Agencies
Most Clay agencies build workflows. We build pipeline. Clay is one tool in our stack, not our entire identity. The difference is what happens after the data is enriched.
The Clay agency gap
Clay agencies are good at what they do. They connect data sources, build enrichment tables, set up webhook triggers, and hand you a workflow that pulls data from multiple providers.
But then you're left with enriched records in a Clay table. Someone still needs to validate the ICP, decide which signals matter, write the messaging, set up sending infrastructure, and make sure everything lands in inboxes.
That's the gap. The Clay workflow is maybe 20% of what it takes to generate pipeline from data. The other 80% is strategy, messaging, and infrastructure. Most Clay agencies stop at the 20% mark.
What full-stack looks like
We start with your CRM, not a Clay table. What's in there, what's missing, what your best customers actually look like according to the data (not what you assume).
Then we enrich. Multi-source waterfall, 70%+ fill rates, written directly back to your CRM. Not exported to a spreadsheet. Not sitting in a Clay table waiting for someone to import it.
Then we build targeting. Signal-based playbooks that tell your reps who to contact, when, and why. Not just "companies with 50-200 employees" but "companies that just hired a VP Sales, are running Salesforce, and visited your pricing page last week."
Then we write the messaging. By hand. Every sequence tied to the specific signal that put the person on the list. And we set up dedicated sending infrastructure to make sure it actually lands in inboxes.
That's the difference between "we built your Clay workflow" and "we built your pipeline."
Side-by-side comparison
| Typical Clay Agency | Concept Outbound | |
|---|---|---|
| Core deliverable | Clay workflow setup | Enriched CRM + targeting playbooks + messaging |
| Starting point | Clay table | Your CRM (D365, Salesforce, HubSpot) |
| CRM write-back | Usually CSV export | Direct API write-back |
| ICP validation | Sometimes included | Always included, data-driven |
| Messaging | AI-generated or not included | Human-written, signal-specific |
| Deliverability | Not included | Full setup: SPF, DKIM, DMARC, warmup, seed testing |
| D365 integration | Rarely supported | Native Dataverse write-back |
| What you run | You manage the campaigns | We deliver campaign-ready output |
When a Clay agency is the right fit
If you have a strong RevOps team that just needs Clay workflows built and can handle everything else internally, a Clay agency makes sense. You're buying implementation, not strategy.
If you already have proven ICP definitions, messaging that converts, and sending infrastructure in place, and you just need someone to connect the data sources, that's a Clay agency job.
But if the problem is bigger than "we need Clay set up," if you need the data cleaned, the ICP validated, the targeting built, the messaging written, and the infrastructure stood up, that's a full-stack engagement. That's what we do.
Common questions
Do you use Clay?
Yes. Clay is one of the tools in our stack. But we're not a "Clay agency." Clay is great for building enrichment waterfalls and connecting data sources. We use it alongside direct API integrations, custom scripts, and CRM-native write-back tools depending on what the client's stack needs.
What's the difference between a Clay agency and what you do?
A Clay agency builds Clay workflows. They set up tables, connect data sources, and hand you a system to run. We enrich your data, validate your ICP, build targeting playbooks, write the messaging, set up deliverability, and give you campaign-ready output. Clay is one tool we use. The output is pipeline, not workflows.
Can I hire a Clay agency for cheaper?
Probably. A freelance Clay builder might charge $2-5K to set up workflows. But you still need someone to validate the ICP, write the messaging, set up sending infrastructure, and actually run the campaigns. So you end up hiring a Clay person, a copywriter, a deliverability consultant, and managing them all. We handle the full stack.
What if I already have Clay set up?
Great. We can work with your existing Clay instance or use our own. The Clay setup is about 20% of what we do. The other 80% is ICP validation, signal-based targeting, human-written messaging, and deliverability infrastructure. That's where pipeline actually comes from.
Do Clay agencies write messaging?
Most don't. They build the data infrastructure and hand you enriched records. Some will generate AI-assisted templates. We write every sequence by hand, specific to the signal that put the person on the list. The difference shows up in reply rates.
What about Clay Elite Partners like frontBrick or ColdIQ?
frontBrick, ColdIQ, and similar agencies do good work at the workflow and campaign level. Where we differ is depth. We start with CRM data quality, not outbound volume. We write back to Dynamics 365 and Salesforce natively. And we write messaging by hand instead of using AI generation. Different approach, different output.
The full stack
See the full-stack difference
Free audit. 30 minutes. We'll look at your CRM and show you what a full enrichment-to-pipeline system looks like for your data.