{"id":1778,"date":"2022-01-26T09:00:06","date_gmt":"2022-01-26T14:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/360leads.com\/?p=1778"},"modified":"2023-02-23T13:44:29","modified_gmt":"2023-02-23T18:44:29","slug":"how-to-implement-b2b-business-leads-scoring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/360leads.com\/blog\/how-to-implement-b2b-business-leads-scoring\/","title":{"rendered":"How to score your business leads"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Once you\u2019ve got a reliable B2B business leads pipeline, your focus shifts from getting those business leads to identifying, nurturing, and closing them in order to make sales. But not all business leads are created equal. You shouldn\u2019t spend the same amount of time on every one that comes across your doorstep. Many companies have great website traffic, visitor engagement and repeat visitors that could all be considered warm leads. Developing specific scoring criteria on what is and isn\u2019t a lead can be the difference between salespeople wasting their time and investing it against real prospects.<\/p>\n<p>So how do you determine which business leads are ready to commit to a purchase, which ones are lukewarm and need nurturing, and which are just kicking tires and not worth spending any time on?<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/360leads.com\/blog\/how-to-implement-b2b-business-leads-scoring\/#Many_advantages_of_a_B2B_business_leads_scoring_system\" title=\"Many advantages of a B2B business leads scoring system\">Many advantages of a B2B business leads scoring system<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/360leads.com\/blog\/how-to-implement-b2b-business-leads-scoring\/#How_to_keep_score_of_B2B_business_leads\" title=\"How to keep score of B2B business leads\">How to keep score of B2B business leads<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/360leads.com\/blog\/how-to-implement-b2b-business-leads-scoring\/#Make_a_list_of_behaviours\" title=\"Make a list of behaviours\">Make a list of behaviours<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/360leads.com\/blog\/how-to-implement-b2b-business-leads-scoring\/#Assigning_points\" title=\"Assigning points\">Assigning points<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/360leads.com\/blog\/how-to-implement-b2b-business-leads-scoring\/#Reassess_lead_scoring_criteria_regularly\" title=\"Reassess lead scoring criteria regularly\">Reassess lead scoring criteria regularly<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Many_advantages_of_a_B2B_business_leads_scoring_system\"><\/span>Many advantages of a B2B business leads scoring system<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The way to answer those questions is to create a B2B business lead scoring system. Lead scoring gives each one of those sales leads a ranking <a href=\"https:\/\/thriveglobal.com\/stories\/12-micro-conversions-to-include-in-your-lead-scoring-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">based on their activities<\/a> &#8211; whether that\u2019s on your website or through any of your content marketing devices, e.g. newsletters, blogs, podcasts, video, social media posts or ads. The lead scorecard for each company will differ but not having one means there is no benchmark for determining what you classify as a sales-ready lead.<\/p>\n<p>The power of scoring business leads goes beyond simply boosting sales. You will find that it gives both sales and marketing a common language that helps to align them. Marketing will have a numerical value for each lead and can alter inbound marketing to target specific factors to generate more leads that meet specific criteria. It also allows marketing to better refine its messaging for top leads, testing approaches that might not work for less interested leads. For instance, you might be able to contact these leads more often or be more aggressive with your calls to action (CTAs). It also allows you to identify those highly satisfied customers who can act as champions for your company, especially when given encouragement through a targeted campaign.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_keep_score_of_B2B_business_leads\"><\/span>How to keep score of B2B business leads<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Setting up a scorecard can be relatively simple, by identifying the most important factors and giving them more weight than the \u201cnice-to-haves.\u201d First you need to establish the minimum criteria by which a customer is defined. These are <a href=\"https:\/\/360leads.com\/blog\/effective-lead-generation-principles\/\">qualifying persona characteristics<\/a>, like: Must be in a specific service area, or Must be 21 years of age or older.\u00a0 Then, identify the qualities that your targets usually possess. These are common but not necessarily essential, like the table stakes criteria we just discussed. The marketing department should be able to provide data here as they\u2019ve likely done extensive research into who your typical customer is.<\/p>\n<p>Third step is to identify your ideal customer, those who the sales team would regard as having the most potential. What makes one prospect better than another? Someone in control of a certain size budget? A short timeframe in which to make a purchase?<\/p>\n<p>Now that the characteristics have been listed it\u2019s time to assess the behaviour of leads, the kinds of activities that suggest their level of interest and readiness to purchase. These activities are what moves them up or down the rankings, depending on the kind of activities they\u2019ve engaged in and how frequently they\u2019ve interacted.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Make_a_list_of_behaviours\"><\/span>Make a list of behaviours<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Begin by listing all possible behaviour business leads can engage in. While some behaviours are more important than others, it can be helpful to assign a point value to all behaviour (even if it is a very small value). So, don\u2019t leave anything out just because it seems unimportant. Your scorecard should include site visits, fill forms, download requests, webinar participation and more. Here are some of the lead\u2019s activities that earn points in the lead scoring model:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Visited a webpage\/landing page<\/li>\n<li>Number of website sessions<\/li>\n<li>Participated in a webinar<\/li>\n<li>Looked at pricing<\/li>\n<li>Started a free trial<\/li>\n<li>Filled out a contact form<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/360leads.com\/generate-leads-by-opening-the-gate-to-your-content\/\">Downloaded a lead magnet<\/a>, like a white paper<\/li>\n<li>Opened an email and clicked on hyperlinks within<\/li>\n<li>Clicked on a link in a newsletter<\/li>\n<li>Replied or forwarded an email<\/li>\n<li>Shared content on social media<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Some of these behaviours will be \u201ccritical conversion behaviours\u201d (activities that most of your business leads do prior to becoming customers). These might be things like signing up for a free trial or requesting a sales demo. A thorough analysis of your Google Analytics data should make these defining behaviours obvious. \u00a0Mark your critical conversion behaviours with a star so you can give them appropriate emphasis when it\u2019s time to assign points to rules.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Assigning_points\"><\/span>Assigning points<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For most companies a straightforward 1-to-100-point model will be enough. For B2B lead generation, a company might want to use a thousand-digit ranking, giving small, medium and large businesses a 1, 2 and 3 first digit. So, a business lead with a score of 3062 would be a large company with a 62-point score. Another technique is to define the three (or more) minimum criteria \u2013 \u201ctable stakes\u201d \u2013 to be considered eligible as a lead. If you assign 100 points to each of these, and decide they need to have at least three of these essential characteristics to qualify, then a lead with a score of 435 would go into the pool, but one with a score of 282 would not. This ensures that a bad sales lead never makes its way to the sales team, no matter how many of the behaviour rules they trigger.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Reassess_lead_scoring_criteria_regularly\"><\/span>Reassess lead scoring criteria regularly<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Setting up a business leads scoring system can be as simple, or as complicated, as you can get, given your marketing data. You\u2019ll have to tweak it as you use it and check it against conversions regularly to ensure you have set up a system that works. Remember: no matter how qualified a lead is, some will never convert. So be prepared to see some inconsistencies when reviewing results.<\/p>\n<p>We know all about lead scoring because we\u2019ve implemented it for dozens of our B2B clients in all kinds of industries. In fact, the right lead generation company can <a href=\"https:\/\/360leads.com\/blog\/lead-generation-companies-can-help-you-secure-more-b2b-leads\/\">help you secure more business leads.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Once you\u2019ve got a reliable B2B business leads pipeline, your focus shifts from getting those business leads to identifying, nurturing, and closing them in order to make sales. But not all business leads are created equal. You shouldn\u2019t spend the same amount of time on every one that comes across your doorstep. Many companies have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3664,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,17],"tags":[32,18,41,49,31,73,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/360leads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1778"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/360leads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/360leads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/360leads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/360leads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/360leads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1778\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/360leads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/360leads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/360leads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/360leads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}