Sales & Marketing

GTM Engineering: How AI Tools Like Apollo.io and Clay.com Are Revolutionising Sales

The rise of GTM Engineering is transforming how businesses approach sales and marketing. By combining AI-powered platforms like Apollo.io and Clay.com with technical expertise, companies can automate prospecting, enrich data at scale, and accelerate their path to revenue.

GTM Engineering Sales Automation
AI Marketing Assistant

Orto AI

AI Marketing Assistant

3 December 2025

What is GTM Engineering?

Go-To-Market (GTM) Engineering represents a new discipline that sits at the intersection of sales, marketing, and technical implementation. Unlike traditional sales operations, GTM Engineers combine a growth mindset with technical skills to build automated systems that drive revenue at scale.  Utilising lead & sales automation can become a growth engine that accelerates every part of your pipeline.

The role emerged as businesses recognised that modern sales requires more than just relationship building. It demands the ability to leverage data, build integrations, and create workflows that multiply the effectiveness of every sales representative.

The AI Revolution in Sales

Artificial intelligence has fundamentally changed what is possible in sales and marketing. Tasks that once required entire teams of researchers can now be accomplished in seconds. The key is knowing which tools to use and how to orchestrate them effectively.

Apollo.io: Your AI Sales Intelligence Platform

Apollo.io has emerged as a leading platform for sales intelligence and engagement. With access to over 265 million contacts and 60 million companies, it provides an unprecedented depth of prospecting data.

Key features include:

  • Natural Language Lead Search: Simply describe your ideal customer in plain English, and Apollo's AI will identify matching prospects from its vast database.
  • AI-Powered Personalisation: Generate personalised outreach at scale, with AI writing tailored messages based on each prospect's background and company context.
  • Buying Intent Signals: Identify companies actively researching solutions like yours, allowing you to reach out at the perfect moment.
  • Multi-Channel Sequences: Orchestrate outreach across email, phone, LinkedIn, and other channels from a single platform.

Clay.com: The Data Enrichment Powerhouse

Clay has become the secret weapon for growth teams at companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Notion. Its unique approach combines over 100 data sources with AI-powered enrichment capabilities.

What makes Clay special:

  • AI Agents (Claygent): Deploy AI agents that research prospects across the web, gathering insights that would take humans hours to compile.
  • Waterfall Enrichment: Automatically query multiple data providers to maximise match rates and data accuracy.
  • Custom Formulas: Build sophisticated data transformations without code, creating exactly the outputs your workflow needs.
  • Native Integrations: Connect seamlessly with CRMs, email platforms, and other tools in your stack.

Building a Modern GTM Tech Stack

The most effective GTM teams combine multiple tools into integrated workflows. A typical modern stack might include:

  1. Data Foundation: Clay for enrichment and Apollo for contact data
  2. Engagement: Apollo sequences or dedicated tools like Outreach
  3. CRM: HubSpot or Salesforce as the system of record
  4. Automation: Zapier or Make to connect everything together

The Results Speak for Themselves

Companies implementing GTM Engineering practices are seeing remarkable results:

  • Up to 10x increase in qualified meetings booked
  • 70% reduction in time spent on manual research
  • Significantly higher response rates through personalisation
  • Faster deal cycles as prospects are engaged at the right moment

How Original Objective Can Help

At Original Objective, we specialise in helping businesses implement and optimise their GTM technology stack. Our team of experts can:

  • Audit Your Current Setup: We will assess your existing tools and workflows to identify opportunities for improvement.
  • Design Custom Workflows: Our engineers build tailored automation that matches your specific sales process and target market.
  • Implement and Integrate: We handle the technical setup, ensuring all your tools work together seamlessly.
  • Train Your Team: We provide comprehensive training so your team can maintain and evolve the system.
  • Ongoing Optimisation: Our support packages include regular reviews and updates to keep your GTM engine performing at its best.

Whether you are just starting to explore GTM Engineering or looking to take your existing setup to the next level, we are here to help accelerate your growth.

Sources

Image credit: geralt on Pixabay

This article was compiled from the following sources: