Understanding Clay and the FETE Framework

Welcome to Clay 101! 

One of the most common questions new users ask us: What does Clay do? 

It’s not an easy question to answer since Clay can do so much. For example, it can help you:

• Enrich more data, more accurately, and fully automated
• Automate hyper-targeted outbound campaigns
• Enrich, qualify, and segment inbound leads in minutes
• Keep your CRM hygiene clean and up to date for top-priority accounts

And much more.

While this flexibility is one of Clay’s greatest strengths, it can also be intimidating to new users. We call this the Blank Canvas Problem—when endless possibilities make it difficult to know where to start.

The “Blank Canvas” is one of the most common frustrations we hear from new Claymakers. In the same way that writing can be incredibly powerful, it can also be incredibly daunting when you’re staring at nothing but a blank piece of paper in front of you. The same applies to your Clay tables. 

To help you overcome this, we’ve created a simple framework that breaks down every workflow in Clay into four easy steps: Find, Enrich, Transform, and Export (FETE). (Pronounced “Fett” not “Feat”.) 

And in our first lesson, we’re going to show you how to use FETE to engineer any go-to-market workflow you can imagine. 

Let’s go!

The FETE Framework

The FETE framework is a repeatable process that applies to every workflow you’ll build in Clay. Here’s how it works:

Step 1: (F)ind Data

You can’t build a workflow without any data, so every good workflow starts with finding data, whether you’re pulling data from a prospecting database, scraping the web, or connecting directly to your CRM.

For example, in Clay, you can find data by:

• Importing a list from your CRM for further enrichment
• Using Clay’s Find Companies and Find People features to prospect new contacts and accounts
• Leveraging Clay’s native database to discover leads who match your ICP

Step 2: (E)nrich Data

Once you have raw data in your table, it’s time to enrich it. At a minimum, you’ll need contact details like emails and phone numbers. But for deeper personalization, go further—gather recent news, thought leadership, and other insights to make your outreach more relevant.

In Clay, you can use waterfalls to enrich people with details like emails and phone numbers, or enrich using AI, web scraping integrations, and 100+ native data providers. 

Step 3: (T)ransform Data

Once you’ve gathered and enriched data, it’s time to refine it. Use Clay’s native tools, GenAI, and AI formulas to clean, summarize, and structure your data. For example: 

• Use AI formulas to clean, format, or summarize data
• Generate AI-powered snippets of copy for outreach
• Structure data so it aligns with CRM hygiene standards
• Concatenate company names or other columns
• String together job titles to create structured outputs
• Add up the total number of educational experiences

And much more. 

Step 4: (E)xport Data

The final step: You've built your list, curated the right data, and crafted compelling messaging. Now, simply send it where it’s needed—whether that’s a CRM, data warehouse, or a sequencing tool—to put it into action. 

Bonus: Using Clay’s HTTP/API feature, you can export data to any tool or platform with an API, like Webflow, ImageFlip, or Suno AI-generated songs.  

FETE Framework in Action

Now let’s apply the FETE framework to an outbound sales workflow:

1. Find: Build a list of engineering managers at software companies in NY with 5,000+ employees using Find Companies and Find People.
2. Enrich: Append contact details (emails, phone numbers) using Clay’s waterfalls for maximum coverage and validation.
3. Transform: Generate personalized AI snippets for email outreach using Clay’s AI-powered prompt tools.
4. Export: Send your data and messaging to your CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, etc.) and email sequencing tool (Outreach, Smartlead, Instantly, etc.).

Simple, right? 

Congrats!

Congrats on finishing your first lesson! But we’re just getting started. 

In the next lesson, we’ll explore the Jigsaw Framework, the only other fundamental framework you’ll need, and the one that will help you ramp up your Clay skills at 10x the speed.

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