Lead scoring answers a practical question: which account should I start with this morning? It combines two different kinds of information: the account’s fit with the ideal customer profile, which rarely changes, and its recent activity, made of buying signals that appear and then age.
Building a simple score
A grid of three lines is enough.
- Is the account in target? Yes or no. A no stops the scoring.
- Which recent signals concern it? Each signal type gets a weight according to its closeness to the problem you solve.
- Since when? The weight decreases over time, down to zero after a few weeks or months depending on the signal.
The score orders the list, but you still check the account before writing.
Common mistakes
- Adding up fit criteria until you get a number that no longer means anything.
- Counting the number of signals rather than their relevance: ten press mentions are worth less than one job ad that describes your problem.
- Forgetting to lower the score over time.
Example
Take two in-target accounts: the first raised funds four months ago, the second published a sales job ad yesterday whose tasks overlap with what you sell. Despite the impressive amount at the first, the second moves to the top because its signal is closer to the problem and more recent.
See also: Ideal customer profile (ICP), Buying signal, Signal decay, and Target account.