Why Clay Is Eating RevOps Alive | Michael Saruggia, Clay (EP 21)

In this episode of GTM Vault, host Rick Koleta sits down with Michael Saruggia - the architect of the GTM Engineering movement and the #1 Clay GTM advisor in the world. Michael has trained over 600 Clay operators and built GTM systems for SaaS companies scaling past $50M ARR. He breaks down what a GTM Engineer actually is, why it’s replacing traditional RevOps, and how Clay is powering a new era of AI-driven outbound and revenue workflows. If you’re building or optimizing your go-to-market motion, this is the blueprint. Read this episode as a written playbook, with the stack and the full transcript, in the GTM Vault Library (free, no sign-in): https://pro.gtmvault.co/episodes/gtm-21 Timestamps 00:00 Intro - What is GTM Engineering? 01:12 Why the GTM Engineer role is exploding right now 02:50 The impact: more revenue per employee 03:36 Michael’s journey into Clay and GTM Engineering 05:20 How companies & individuals should approach Clay 07:58 GTM Engineering vs. Traditional RevOps 10:30 Core skills every GTM Engineer needs in 2025 12:54 Headcount strategy & revenue per employee 14:45 Top Clay playbooks driving ROI for scaleups 15:40 Common mistakes in GTM automation 17:34 Channels, signals & the future of GTM engineers 19:53 Underrated Clay use cases 20:30 The long-term future of GTM Engineering Follow Michael Saruggia LinkedIn:   / michaelsaruggia   Playbooks: https://clayoperator.com Follow Rick Koleta / GTM Vault LinkedIn:   / rickkoleta   GTM Vault: https://www.gtmvault.co/ Library (every episode, written up): https://pro.gtmvault.co/library #GTMVault #GTMEngineer #Clay #B2BSaaS #GoToMarket #RevOps #AIWorkflows #RevenueGrowth #SalesAutomation