Remember when you thought learning Clay was hard? Well, buckle up buttercup, because MCP servers just made your current tech stack look like a Nokia flip phone at a OpenAI demo.
Last Friday, we watched Kellen Casebeer take 1,800 generic booth leads from the International Builder Show and transform them into personalized PVP campaigns in under an hour.
Here's what really happened during that livestream: we witnessed the future of scalable pain-based segmentation in action.
While most growth marketers are still manually researching prospects one by one, MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers can query complex databases using natural language, generate insights your prospects have never seen, and execute campaigns that feel like you have a team of researchers working around the clock. Except there's no team. Just you, some clever prompting, and servers that make your current "enrichment" tools look embarrassingly primitive.
The problem? As Doug put it perfectly: "We're all over our skis right now with MCP."
Most growth marketers don't even know this technology exists.
That's why we're breaking down the exact workflow we used in the Shovels implementation; from raw CSV upload to executed Smart Lead campaigns. Consider this your complete guide to building automated PVP pipelines that actually work.
The Complete MCP Workflow: From Data to Deployment
Step 1: Data Foundation (Clay Tables Setup)
Let's start with the reality check that came up during our conversation with Kellen:
"I don't trust the data. That's the thing I hear all the time. I don't trust the data," Doug explains to Kellen, who responds: "Yeah, there are a lot of companies where that's true."
Here's what most growth marketers will soon face: MCP servers amplify everything, including your data problems. Feed garbage data into an MCP server, and you'll get beautifully formatted garbage insights delivered at lightning speed.
The Shovels Starting Point: Raw exhibitor data from the International Builder Show with just company names, booth numbers, and basic location info.
Watch Kellen transform basic International Builder Show booth data into research-ready format, starting with just company names and booth numbers.
Your Clay Table Foundation Checklist:
Can you identify your existential data point? (For construction companies, it's equipment utilization rates)
Do you have clean, standardized company and contact records?
Are your data sources integrated or siloed across multiple platforms?
When was the last time someone manually verified a sample of your records?
The Clay Setup Process:
CSV Upload: Start with whatever data you have (even if it's just company names)
Company Research: Use Clay's enrichment agents to gather business intelligence
Domain Discovery: Find company websites and validate business information
Industry Classification: Categorize companies for targeted messaging
Remember Kellen's advice: "It's not that crazy to hook up Clay to a HubSpot and clean that." The technology exists to fix your data problems. You just have to decide to do it.
Step 2: MCP Server Integration (The Magic Happens Here)
Here's where most people want to jump straight to building custom solutions.
Don't.
Understanding MCP vs. Traditional APIs:
Kellen breaks down why MCP servers eliminate the need to "think like a database administrator" and remove the burden of understanding complex API structures.
The Key Difference: With traditional APIs, you need to know exactly what you want and how to ask for it technically. With MCP servers, you describe what you're trying to accomplish in plain English, and the system figures out the technical implementation.
Your MCP Learning Path:
Start Here: HubSpot + ChatGPT
Connect your HubSpot to ChatGPT and practice natural language queries
Example queries: "What deals did we close last quarter?" or "Show me companies that haven't been contacted in 60 days"
Graduate To: Clay + Public MCP Servers
Apple Notes MCP for research organization
Basic database query experiments
Data combination practice
Advanced: Custom MCP Development (Like Shovels)
Only after mastering the basics
Requires technical partnership or internal development resources
Watch the actual moment when the Shovels MCP server queries millions of construction permits and returns relevant data for three composites companies in Davidson, North Carolina.
The Shovels MCP Process:
Company research gets fed into the MCP server
Server analyzes business model and location data
Queries millions of construction permits for relevant opportunities
Returns formatted insights ready for PVP creation
Step 3: Automated PVP Generation (Scaling the Unscalable)
This is where the workflow gets genuinely revolutionary. Instead of manually researching each prospect, the system generates personalized insights at scale.
The Shovels PVP Factory:
Input: Company research + MCP server permit data
Processing: AI-powered message generation using Jordan's frameworks
Output: Personalized emails referencing specific construction opportunities
The final step: watching Kellen push completed campaigns into Smart Lead, ready for execution.
Your PVP Automation Decision Tree:
If your ACV is under $10k: Manual research with MCP assistance
Use HubSpot MCP for basic database queries
Clay workflows for data enrichment
Manual PVP creation with AI assistance
If your ACV is $10k-50k: Hybrid automation
Existing MCPs for data gathering
Custom Clay workflows for processing
Manual review before execution
If your ACV is $50k+: Full automation development
Custom MCP server development
Automated PVP generation
Systematic campaign execution
Step 4: Campaign Execution (Smart Lead Integration)
The final piece: getting your automated PVPs into executable campaigns.
The Complete Workflow:
Lead Discovery: Clay agents find decision-makers at target companies
Email Enrichment: Waterfall approach to find contact information
Message Personalization: Insert company-specific PVP insights
Smart Lead Upload: Push complete campaigns for execution
What This Enables:
Personalized outreach at massive scale
Insights your prospects have never seen before
Messages so valuable they don't feel like marketing
Why This Workflow Means an End to BI Platforms
During our livestream, I made a prediction about what we were witnessing: MCP servers will fundamentally change how growth marketing operates.
The moment we realized we might be watching an entire industry get disrupted in real-time.
What the Shovels Demo Proved:
No data scientist required to query complex databases
No BI platform needed to generate insights
No manual research team to create personalized messaging
No attribution platform required to track campaign effectiveness
Instead: Natural language queries, automated insight generation, and campaign execution that scales infinitely without adding headcount.
Getting Started: Your Implementation Roadmap
Week 1: Foundation Building
Audit your current data quality
Set up basic Clay workflows
Connect HubSpot to ChatGPT for MCP practice
Week 2-3: Workflow Development
Build Clay enrichment waterfalls
Practice natural language database queries
Experiment with automated research workflows
Week 4+: Scale and Optimize
Test small-batch PVP campaigns
Measure response rates vs. traditional outreach
Plan custom MCP development (if justified by results)
Resources for Implementation
Foundation Resources (All Subscribers):
The Cannonball GTM Glossary - Essential terms including MCP, PVP, and pain-based segmentation
Beyond the ICP: A Guide to Pain-Based Segmentation - Why demographic targeting is working against you
Advanced Implementation Guides (Paid Subscribers):
The Guide to Creating Permissionless Value Propositions - Step-by-step PVP creation process
A Quick and Dirty Guide to the Cannonball GTM Methodology - Complete FIND framework with Texada case study
Deploy or Die: Turning PVP Theory into Real Campaigns - From theory to practice implementation
[Upgrade to Paid Subscription - Get Advanced Implementation Guides]
The Bottom Line
The Shovels MCP implementation showed us what's possible when you combine clean data, intelligent automation, and systematic PVP creation. This isn't theoretical anymore, it's a working system that transforms how growth marketing operates.
The workflow we've outlined here gives you everything you need to start building similar systems for your own campaigns. Start with the basics, master the fundamentals, then scale with confidence.
Hack the World,
Doug & Jordan
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