Lead Sourcing Using Clay
Goal:
Find verified email addresses for local service businesses — either general inboxes (like
info@, contact@, or Gmail addresses), or decision-maker work emails (Owner, CEO, GM) — so we can send relevant cold emails at scale without bounces or wasted effort.We use a single Clay workbook with four core tables to manage the entire sourcing, enrichment, and validation workflow.
The 4-Table Structure
Step 1: Maps Table - Find Local Businesses
We begin by identifying local businesses based on their category and location.
3 Tools You Can Use:
- Clay’s Google Maps Enrichment
- Built-in step inside Clay
- Input: Business type + city/state
- Output: Name, address, phone, website, category
- Leads-Sniper (Manual Scraper)
- Best for large batch scraping
- Export CSV, then upload into Clay
- SERPR.dev / DataForOutbound / Outscraper (Custom Scraper)
- Direct API webhook into Clay
Use broad terms like “commercial cleaning,” “medspa,” “dental office,” “HVAC contractor,” “property manager,” etc.
All outputs go into the Webhook Table (Google Maps Scraped Output), which feeds the Company Table.
Step 2: Company Table - Enrich & Filter
Every record from Maps is routed into the Company Table, where we enrich and clean each company record:
- Clean names (remove LLC, Inc., punctuation)
- Filter by location, category, and website presence
- Fill missing domains using:
- Clearbit
- Claygent (scrapes for domain via address or name)
- Add social links (LinkedIn, Facebook)
Additional Company Sourcing via LinkedIn
We also run a second enrichment using Clay’s Find Companies from LinkedIn step. This pulls companies that might not be on Google Maps.
Filters to use:
- Size: 2–200 employees
- Industry keyword (e.g. cleaning, medspa, chiro, HVAC)
- Location-based targeting (city or state)
All company records (from Maps and LinkedIn) are cleaned and standardized before branching into either the General or People Tables.
Step 3a: General Table - For Generic or Gmail Inboxes
Many local businesses (especially small teams) rely on inboxes like:
- info@company.com
- contact@company.com
- johnsmithcleaning@gmail.com
These are extremely responsive when the offer is relevant.
Steps to Capture These:
- Scrape emails from:
- Website
- LinkedIn company page
- Facebook page
Use Claygent with structured scraping to find up to 6 inboxes per company.
- Target email types:
- info@, contact@, admin@
- Gmail, Yahoo, AOL inboxes
- Validate emails:
- Run all through Reoon
- Run catch-alls through Enrichley
- Name extraction for Gmail addresses:
- Use Clay’s AI column to extract first names
- If confidence ≥ 98% → use name
- If < 98% → fallback to “{{Company Name}} Team”
These general inboxes often outperform named contacts in service verticals like cleaning, insurance, and medspas.
Step 3b: People Table - For Decision-Maker Emails
If you're targeting the business owner or another decision-maker directly, use the People Table.
e.g. Roles We Target:
- CEO
- Owner
- Founder
- President
- General Manager
These are sourced using Clay’s Find People from LinkedIn enrichment step.
If Email is Found in LinkedIn Step:
- Validate with Reoon and Enrichley
- Only send if marked valid or safe
If No Email is Found:
Run this 2-step waterfall (no further validation needed):
- Findymail
- Input: Full name + domain
- Charges only for valid work emails
- Already verified — no revalidation required
- Push directly into campaigns
- Prospeo (if Findymail fails)
- Input: Full name + domain
- Also returns only verified work emails
- No additional validation needed
We only push records forward if a verified work email is found.
Final Filters Before Sending
Each record — whether general or decision-maker — must pass:
- Validated email
- Matching city/state
- Industry match
- First name or fallback name present
Only then does it enter a Smartlead, Instantly, or EmailBison campaign.
Quick Recap:
- Use Google Maps + LinkedIn to source companies
- Clean and enrich data in the Company Table
- General Table = info@ and Gmail
- People Table = decision-makers via LinkedIn, Findymail, or Prospeo
- Validate general inboxes; Findymail and Prospeo are pre-verified
- Only push complete, clean leads to campaigns
Writing Emails That Get Replies
This section outlines exactly how we write cold emails that consistently generate replies from local service businesses. It’s based on real tests across thousands of leads per month using the same 15 frameworks we apply for clients and internal campaigns.
Core Principle: Relevance > Volume
The goal of your cold email is not to explain everything. It’s not to sound impressive. It’s not to sell your service.
It’s to trigger a reply from someone who’s open to the outcome you're offering.
That means:
- Short copy
- One offer per email
- A crystal-clear CTA tied to a real business outcome
This is especially important when emailing owners of local businesses - cleaning companies, med spas, dental clinics, insurance agencies, PMs - where the owner is the one checking the inbox. You have 2 seconds. Either it clicks or it gets deleted.
Email Length Guidelines (A/B Tested)
- 25–35 words → ideal for most verticals (cleaning, dental, medspa, PM, etc.)
- 45–75 words → occasionally better for commercial insurance and financial offers
We recommend always testing both lengths side-by-side.
Each Email Must Do 3 Things:
- Address a real problem (time, money, lead flow, client churn, etc.)
- Offer a specific outcome (measurable, desirable, believable)
- Make the CTA obvious (no vague “let me know” - tie it to the outcome)
Offer Consistency Across the Sequence
Never change the angle in your follow-ups.
One offer = one campaign.
You can:
- Restate the same promise
- Ask a soft check-in
- Add a one-line case study or alternate phrasing of the same result
But you don’t change what you’re offering between touches. It confuses the reader and kills conversions.
Approved Frameworks (Live Campaign Examples)
Below are field-tested frameworks we use across our verticals. Every one of these has booked real meetings and generated revenue.
1. Commercial Insurance Emails
Email 1 – Lead with proof
Hi {First Name},
We helped a cannabis operator in Oregon cut $50k from their premium by switching carriers and restructuring coverage.
We specialize in reducing premiums by up to 30% for businesses like yours.
Worth seeing how you can potentially pay less and improve coverage?
Email 2 – Audit angle
Hi {First Name},
We cut 20% off {Client}'s premium after reviewing their audit and switching them to a better fit.
Happy to do the same - want to see how?
Why it works:
- Outcome-focused
- Speaks to risk (core concern for this market)
- No jargon
2. Dental / Medical
Email 1 – Website observation + value
Hi {First Name},
Noticed you offer Invisalign but not implants.
We help dental clinics add 8–15 high-margin cases/month using a 3-step patient funnel.
Want to see how it fits into your workflow?
Email 2 – Revenue outcome
Hi {First Name},
We helped a practice in {City} add $22k/month in implant revenue.
Can I send over the breakdown on how this can increase your revenue?
Why it works:
- Leverages a visible gap on their website
- Clear revenue upside
3. Property Management
Email 1 – Door growth outcome
Hi {First Name},
We helped a PM in {City} go from 20 to 40+ doors/month with outbound.
Open to adding 10–20 new doors/month without ads?
Email 2 – Suggestion offer
Hi {First Name},
Have a quick idea that could add 10–15 doors/month.
Want me to send it over?
Why it works:
- Outcome is simple math: doors = revenue
- No marketing jargon or overexplaining
4. Consumer Lead Tool (for B2C service professionals)
Email 1 – Problem + tool
Hi {First Name},
Still pulling leads manually or relying on Yelp?
[Tool Name] delivers 1,000+ local leads/week with verified emails.
Want a free walkthrough on how to get these local leads with valid emails?
Email 2 – Free asset / suggestionlead magnet
Hi {First Name},
I've got a suggestion on how you can get 500 verified leads/day in your area - no charge.
Other {contractor type}s are booking 8–15 new jobs/month using this.
Want me to send over the suggestion?
Why it works:
- Replaces manual prospecting
- Immediate value
- CTA = specific benefit
Personalization That Scales
We don’t write deeply custom intros unless the vertical demands it (e.g. insurance). Instead, we use:
1:1 Website-Based Observation
“Noticed you don’t list implants on your website. Curious if you offer this as a service.”
Josh Braun Poke-the-Bear Questions
“Still paying for Yelp or Angi leads that don’t actually convert?”
Role or Local Callouts
“Saw you’ve been helping property owners since 2016 in {City}..”
When a first name isn’t confidently extracted (from personal/general inbox addresses), we fallback to:
“Hi {Company Name} Team,” or “Hi there,”
Use Your Own OpenAI API Key
- Never use Clay’s default OpenAI integration - it costs 0.5-2 credits per run.
- Set up your own API key to cut costs to ~$1-$2 per 1,000 runs.
Why Use This?
- Helps you generate personalized email content or extract company-specific details at a fraction of the cost. (Uses OpenAI's API key, does not use Clay credits).
You can create as many AI personalization variables at pennies on the dollar →
