Want to stop wasting time on bad leads and make your chatbot actually useful? This guide’s for marketers and sales folks who want to qualify leads automatically—without making your website feel like a robot interrogation chamber. I'll walk you through setting up a smart workflow in HubSpot Chatflows, show you what trips people up, and call out what’s worth doing (and what’s not).
Why bother automating lead qualification?
Let's be honest: manually sorting through every chat or form fill is tedious and not scalable. Automated lead qualification can:
- Help you spot the real prospects faster
- Cut down on time-wasters and spam
- Make hand-offs to sales smoother
But if you over-complicate things or turn your chat into a quiz, people will bail. The goal is better, not just more automation.
Prerequisites: What you need to get started
Before you dive in, make sure you have:
- A HubSpot account with access to Chatflows (included with most plans, but double-check)
- Permission to edit chatflows and workflows
- A clear idea of what makes a good lead for you (don’t skip this step)
Pro tip: If your sales team can’t define a qualified lead in one sentence, talk to them before building anything.
Step 1: Map out your lead qualification criteria
Don’t just copy generic “What’s your company size?” questions. Figure out:
- What actually matters to your team? (Budget, location, industry, specific needs)
- What will disqualify someone immediately? (Outside your service area, wrong company size, etc.)
Write down 2–4 must-have questions. More than that, and you’ll drive people away.
What works
- Simple, direct questions (“Are you looking for support or a demo?”)
- Multiple-choice options to speed things up
What doesn’t
- Open text questions—people type weird stuff, and bots don’t handle nuance well
- Asking for a phone number or budget right away (unless you really need it)
Step 2: Build your Chatflow
Go to your HubSpot dashboard and head to Chatflows. Decide where you want your lead qualification bot to live (website, landing page, etc.).
- Create a new Chatflow
- Choose “Website” and then “Live Chat” or “Bot.”
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If you want more automation, pick “Bot.”
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Pick a template or start from scratch
- The “Qualify leads bot” template is a decent start, but don’t be afraid to delete steps you don’t need.
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Starting from scratch? You’ll have more control, but it takes longer.
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Add your qualifying questions
- Use the “Ask a question” action.
- Stick to buttons or multiple-choice when possible.
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Example:
- “Which best describes you?” [I’m a business owner] [I’m an employee] [Just browsing]
- “What are you interested in?” [Product demo] [Pricing info] [Support]
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Add branching logic
- Use “If/then” branches to send people down the right path.
- Example: If they pick “Support,” skip lead questions and show a support form instead.
Honest advice
- Don’t overthink the chatbot script. You can tweak it later.
- Keep the tone casual and human.
- If you’re not sure about a question, leave it out.
Step 3: Score and segment leads automatically
Now that your Chatflow asks the right questions, make HubSpot do the sorting:
- Use contact properties to store answers
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Each bot answer can map directly to a property (like “Interested Product” or “Company Size”).
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Set up lead scoring
- In HubSpot, go to “Contacts > Lead Scoring.”
- Add positive/negative points for answers that matter.
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Example:
- +10 if “Interested Product” = “Demo”
- -10 if “Company Size” = “1-5 employees” (if that’s too small for you)
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Create active lists
- Use lists to segment “Hot Leads,” “Cold Leads,” or “Needs Follow Up.”
- This is how sales gets notified automatically.
What to ignore
- Don’t try to build a perfect score right away—just get something working.
- Ignore “vanity” fields (like “How did you hear about us?”) unless your team actually uses them.
Step 4: Automate follow-up and handoff
This is where the magic happens. You want qualified leads to reach the right person, fast.
- Set up workflow triggers
- In HubSpot Workflows, use your lead score or list membership as the trigger.
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Example: When someone’s lead score hits 20, enroll them in a workflow.
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Automate notifications
- Send an email or Slack alert to the right salesperson.
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Create tasks for follow-up in HubSpot automatically.
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Send personalized follow-up to the lead
- You can auto-send a “Thanks, we’ll be in touch” email, or even offer to book a meeting through a calendar link.
What works
- Immediate handoff to sales when someone is hot (not two days later)
- Letting the bot offer a calendar link, but not forcing it
What doesn’t
- Auto-booking meetings for everyone—this annoys people who aren’t ready
- Spamming “nurture” emails to everyone who chats; segment first
Step 5: Test, tweak, and don’t be precious
Your first version will not be perfect. Here’s how to make sure it doesn’t suck:
- Test the chatflow yourself
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Try all possible answers. See if anything feels clunky or awkward.
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Watch your drop-off rates
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If people are bailing halfway, your questions are too much—or too soon.
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Ask sales for feedback
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Are they getting better leads, or just more noise?
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Adjust the flow
- Remove questions that don’t help.
- Re-order or reword to keep things smooth.
Pro tip: Check chat transcripts weekly for the first month. Real conversations beat “best practices” every time.
Common pitfalls to avoid
- Making the bot too pushy: Don’t ask for phone numbers or meeting times right away unless your audience expects it.
- Ignoring mobile users: Make sure your chatflow works on phones. Shorter is better.
- Not updating over time: Lead criteria change. Update your questions and scoring every few months.
- Letting the bot replace humans entirely: Chatbots qualify, but people close deals.
Keeping it simple (and useful)
Don’t fall into the trap of “set it and forget it.” The best automated lead qualification is straightforward, human, and always evolving. Start with the basics, see what works, and tweak as you go. If you’re not sure about a question, leave it out. Your future self (and your sales team) will thank you.