If you’re drowning in leads but aren’t sure which ones are actually worth your time, you’re not alone. Manual lead scoring sounds nice on paper, but nobody actually keeps it updated. This guide is for people who want to get real about prioritizing sales leads in Ralph—without adding busywork or buying into magic-bullet promises.
Let’s cut through the noise and set up automated lead scoring that actually moves the needle.
Why bother with automated lead scoring?
Manual lead scoring is one of those things that everyone claims to do, but few actually keep up with. Salespeople ignore it. Marketing gets frustrated. You lose deals chasing the wrong folks, and the good ones slip through.
Automated lead scoring fixes that, but only if you keep it simple and grounded in how your sales process actually works. Skip the hype: this isn’t about AI predicting the future—it’s about making sure the hottest prospects get your attention first.
Step 1: Figure out what actually makes a good lead—for you
Don’t start with someone else’s template. No, really.
What matters most in your sales process? Usually, it’s a mix of:
- Demographics: Company size, industry, region
- Behavior: Opened emails, booked a demo, visited pricing page, etc.
- Other signals: Job title, tech stack, referrals, etc.
Pro tip: Don’t overthink this. Start with 3–5 criteria. If you have to argue about whether something matters, it probably doesn’t.
What NOT to do
- Don’t use 20 data points “just because you can.”
- Don’t trust vague “engagement” scores from marketing tools unless you know exactly what they mean.
- Don’t copy a scoring model from a blog post without sanity-checking it against your real pipeline.
Step 2: Get your data into Ralph
Before you automate anything, make sure Ralph actually has the info you need.
- Sync your CRM: If you’re using another CRM, set up an integration so Ralph pulls in company/lead details.
- Connect your marketing tools: Email, web analytics, form fills—whatever you’re already using, plug it in.
- Custom fields: If Ralph doesn’t have a field you need (like “Uses Salesforce”), create it now.
Reality check: If you don’t have the data, don’t try to score it. “Intent” data from third parties often sounds fancy but rarely works for most teams.
Step 3: Set up your scoring rules in Ralph
Here’s where the rubber meets the road.
Go to the lead scoring settings
- In Ralph, look for “Lead Scoring” under settings or automation. (If you can’t find it, check the knowledge base—menu names change sometimes.)
Build your scoring model
Assign points to each criterion you decided on in Step 1. For example:
- Job Title = VP or C-level: +10
- Company size 100–500: +8
- Visited pricing page in last week: +5
- Opened last 3 emails: +3
- Filled out “Contact Us” form: +15
You get the idea. Keep the math simple—no need for weird weights or decimal points.
Set thresholds
Decide what counts as “hot,” “warm,” or “cold.” Example:
- Hot lead: 20+ points
- Warm lead: 10–19 points
- Cold lead: under 10 points
Don’t agonize over the perfect number. You’ll tweak it later.
Step 4: Automate the scoring
The point of automation is to keep scores updated—without you lifting a finger.
- Turn on auto-scoring: In Ralph, make sure the scoring rules run automatically whenever new data comes in.
- Set up alerts: Get notified (Slack, email, whatever) when a lead crosses into “hot” territory.
- Assign leads: Use automations to route “hot” leads to the right rep, or drop them in a priority queue.
Check that scores actually update when a lead takes action—don’t just assume it works out of the box.
Step 5: Test with real leads (not just test data)
Don’t trust a scoring model until you’ve run it on actual leads.
- Pick 20–30 recent leads and run them through the new system.
- See if the “hot” ones actually turned into deals—or at least real conversations.
- If your top scores are people who ghosted you, something’s off. Adjust your criteria.
Pro tip: Ask your sales team to sanity-check the “hot” list. If they roll their eyes, find out why.
Step 6: Fine-tune and ignore shiny distractions
Nobody gets their scoring model right on the first try. That’s normal.
What to adjust
- Point values: If too many leads are “hot,” lower the points. If none are, raise them.
- Criteria: Drop things that don’t correlate with deals. Add new ones if you spot a clear pattern.
- Thresholds: Adjust the “hot/warm/cold” cutoffs based on your pipeline’s reality.
What to ignore
- “AI-powered” features that claim to find hidden patterns—unless you have tons of clean data (most don’t).
- Vendor claims that their scoring is “proven”—your business is different.
- Lead scores that no one in sales actually uses.
Step 7: Make it useful for the team
None of this matters if your team ignores the scores.
- Show scores front and center on lead records and lists.
- Use colored labels or icons—“hot” leads should be impossible to miss.
- Train the team: One quick meeting. Show them how to use the scores to work their queue.
- Get feedback: If reps keep ignoring “hot” leads, your model needs work.
Reality: If you need a 5-slide deck to explain your scoring, it’s too complicated.
Step 8: Review and update—every quarter, not every week
Set a recurring reminder—maybe once a quarter—to review:
- Which criteria are still working?
- Did your sales process or ICP change?
- Are “hot” leads converting, or are they just noise now?
Make small tweaks. Skip the urge to overhaul unless something’s clearly broken.
Honest pitfalls and what to skip
- Don’t obsess over perfect data: Most companies have messy CRM records. Score what you have, not what you wish you had.
- Don’t automate everything: Some leads need a human touch, no matter their score.
- Don’t rely on lead scoring as your only filter: It’s a tool, not a crystal ball.
Keep it simple, tweak as you go
Automating lead scoring in Ralph is about helping your team work smarter, not adding complexity for its own sake. Start with what’s obvious, get it working, and tune it over time. The best scoring models are the ones your team actually uses—so keep it simple, stay skeptical of shiny features, and focus on what actually drives sales for you.