Lead scoring ranks your leads so salespeople call the most promising ones first. For a small team, a simple points model works better than a predictive one: score fit (does this company look like our best customers?) and intent (what have they done that signals they are ready?), set a threshold for "sales-ready," and review it with sales every quarter.
Step 1: Define fit
- Company size within your sweet spot.
- Industry you serve well.
- Location you can serve.
- Job title with buying authority or real influence.
- Budget signals, such as current spend or company revenue.
Give points for matches and subtract points for clear mismatches, such as students, job seekers or competitors.
Step 2: Define intent
- Requested a quote, consultation or demo: high points.
- Visited pricing or a service page several times.
- Opened and clicked recent emails.
- Downloaded a bottom-of-funnel asset such as a pricing guide.
- Inactive for 60 days: subtract points (score decay).
| Signal | Type | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Job title is owner, VP or director | Fit | +15 |
| Company size in your sweet spot | Fit | +15 |
| Industry you serve well | Fit | +10 |
| Personal email domain (B2B) | Fit | -10 |
| Visited pricing page | Intent | +20 |
| Requested a demo or call | Intent | +40 |
| Opened three emails | Intent | +5 |
| No activity for 60 days | Intent | -15 |
Step 3: Set the threshold with sales
Look at your last 20 won deals and score them with the model. The threshold should be just below where most of them landed. Then agree in writing what a marketing-qualified lead is, what sales does with it and how fast. That agreement is more important than the exact points.
Step 4: Review and adjust
Every quarter, compare scores to outcomes. If high scorers are not closing, fit is wrong. If low scorers are closing, you are missing an intent signal.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need HubSpot Professional for lead scoring?
HubSpot’s scoring tools vary by tier, and Salesforce has its own options. A simple model can also run on CRM workflows or a calculated property.
How many points should a demo request get?
Enough to cross the threshold on its own if the fit is right. A strong-fit prospect asking for a meeting is sales-ready.
We build scoring, routing and the marketing-sales agreement in HubSpot and Salesforce as part of our CRM consulting.
