If your leads are scattered across Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, and a dozen other apps, lead scoring can turn into a giant mess fast. Manual exports, spreadsheets, missed updates—it's a recipe for lost deals and wasted effort. This guide is for anyone who wants to actually use their lead data, not just collect it. We'll walk through how to automate lead scoring across multiple platforms using Tray, without getting bogged down in hype or unnecessary steps.
Why Automate Lead Scoring (and Why It's Hard)
Most sales and marketing teams think they’re scoring leads, but let’s be honest: if you aren’t automating this across all your tools, you’re probably missing out. Here’s what usually goes wrong:
- Data lives in silos: One rep updates Salesforce, another uses HubSpot, and nobody’s looking at the full picture.
- Manual scoring is error-prone: Spreadsheets and brainpower can’t keep up with real-time activity.
- It’s a pain to maintain: Every new tool or scoring tweak means redoing everything.
Automation fixes this—if you set it up right. Tray can help, but only if you actually connect the dots. Let’s get into it.
Step 1: Map Out Where Your Lead Data Lives
Before you dive into Tray and start clicking, you need to know where your data is and what matters. Don’t skip this.
Make a List:
- CRMs: Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, etc.
- Marketing platforms: Marketo, Mailchimp, Pardot, etc.
- Website forms: Typeform, Unbounce, custom forms.
- Enrichment tools: Clearbit, ZoomInfo.
- Other sources: Product analytics, chatbots, webinar signups.
For each one, jot down:
- How do leads get there?
- What data do you use for scoring? (e.g., company size, activity, downloads)
- Is this your “source of truth” or just one input?
Pro tip: Don’t try to score every lead from every source right away. Start with your main CRM and one or two big sources.
Step 2: Define Your Lead Scoring Logic
There’s a lot of nonsense out there about “AI-powered” scoring. In reality, you just need a formula that makes sense for your team. Decide:
- Which fields matter? (Job title, industry, email activity, demo requests, etc.)
- How are they weighted? (E.g., “CTO” = +10, visited pricing page = +5)
- What’s a “qualified” score? (Set a number that triggers action)
Write this out. Share it with your team. Make sure everyone’s on board before you automate.
What to skip: Don’t overcomplicate this with too many variables or fancy data you don’t actually use. You can always tweak later.
Step 3: Set Up Your Tray Account and Connections
If you haven’t used Tray before, it’s a workflow automation tool that connects pretty much any SaaS app with an API. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
1. Create a Tray account (if you haven’t already).
2. Connect your data sources:
- Go to the “Authentication” or “Connections” section.
- Add integrations for each tool (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.).
- Follow Tray’s prompts—usually this means logging in and authorizing access.
Honest take: Some integrations are dead simple (Salesforce, HubSpot). Others need API keys or admin approvals—this can slow you down, so plan accordingly.
3. Test your connections.
- Pull in a test record from each source.
- Make sure you see all the fields you need for scoring.
Pro tip: If you can’t see a field, check API permissions or talk to your admin. Tray can’t score what it can’t access.
Step 4: Build Your Lead Scoring Workflow
This is where most people get stuck. Don’t try to build a monster workflow all at once. Start small and make sure it works before you add complexity.
Basic Workflow Structure:
- Trigger: What event kicks off scoring? (New lead, lead updated, etc.)
- Data collection: Pull in the latest data from all relevant platforms.
- Scoring logic: Apply your formula.
- Update records: Push the score back to your main CRM or wherever you need it.
- (Optional) Notifications: Alert reps or trigger follow-up if the score passes your threshold.
In Tray, this looks like:
- Trigger: “New Lead in Salesforce” or “Lead Updated in HubSpot.”
- Connectors: Actions that fetch or update data in your other tools.
- Logic helpers: Tray’s built-in math and branching tools to calculate scores.
- Output: Update the “Lead Score” field and/or send a notification.
Pro tip: Use Tray’s “Logs” or “History” to watch a few leads go through your workflow. If something looks weird, fix it before rolling out wider.
What to Avoid
- Don’t sync every field: Only pull what you need for scoring, or you’ll hit API limits fast.
- Skip unnecessary steps: You don’t need to update the score in every platform. Pick one source of truth.
- Be careful with triggers: Make sure you’re not running the workflow 100x a minute—it’ll just clog things up.
Step 5: Test with Real Data
Run the workflow with a handful of real leads. Check:
- Do scores look right based on your logic?
- Are updates showing up where you expect?
- Are reps getting notified (if you set that up)?
If something’s off: Back up and check your field mapping. Nine times out of ten, it’s a mismatch between field names or missing data.
Step 6: Roll Out and Monitor
Once you’re happy, turn on the workflow for all leads. But don’t set it and forget it.
- Review scores weekly: Are you seeing “qualified” leads that make sense? If not, adjust your formula.
- Check API usage: Tray can get expensive if you’re pulling too much or triggering too often.
- Get feedback from sales/marketing: Are they actually using the scores?
What not to worry about: Don’t obsess over perfect accuracy. Lead scoring is just a tool to help prioritize, not a crystal ball.
Step 7: Iterate and Improve
As you get more confident, you can:
- Add more sources (website, chat, product usage).
- Refine your scoring logic based on what works (or doesn’t).
- Automate next steps—like assigning leads, sending nurture emails, or kicking off tasks.
But keep it simple. The best workflows are the ones people actually use.
Honest Takes: What Works, What Doesn’t
What Works
- Start with your main CRM and one or two big sources.
- Keep the logic simple and make it transparent to your team.
- Test with real data before rolling out.
What Doesn’t
- Trying to score leads from every possible source on day one.
- Over-complicating your scoring formula.
- Treating the score as gospel—use it as a guide, not a rule.
Wrap-Up
Automating lead scoring across multiple platforms isn’t magic, but it does take some planning. Keep your workflow simple, focus on real business needs, and don’t get distracted by buzzwords or unnecessary features. Start small, test as you go, and tweak based on what actually helps your team close more deals. The simpler your setup, the more likely people are to use it—and that’s what actually moves the needle.