If you’re running a B2B sales team, you know the drill: leads come in, reps cherry-pick, and a lot of time gets wasted chasing the wrong companies. Automated lead scoring can fix that—if you set it up right. This guide is for teams using Getsignals, and who want to spend more time talking to buyers and less time sorting through noise.
No fluff. No overhyped promises. Just a real breakdown of what works, what doesn’t, and how to get your lead scoring out of spreadsheet hell.
Why bother with automated lead scoring?
You probably already know the pitch, but here’s the honest version: manual lead qualification is slow, inconsistent, and boring. Automated lead scoring helps you:
- Focus on companies that actually fit your ideal customer profile (ICP).
- Get leads to the right rep, faster.
- Spot “hidden gems”—the companies flying under the radar.
- Ditch the endless debate over which leads are “good.”
But—and this is important—no tool will magically fix a weak sales process or bad data. Getsignals can help prioritize, but you still need to know what a good lead actually looks like for your company.
Step 1: Define “good lead” for your team
Before you even open Getsignals, get clear on what you’re looking for. Most teams skip this and regret it later.
What to do: - Sit down with sales and marketing. Ask: What companies do we actually want? - Write out your ICP: industry, company size, geography, tech stack, revenue, whatever matters. - Get specific. “SMBs” or “tech companies” isn’t enough. - List some companies you’ve actually closed—what do they have in common?
What not to do: - Don’t overcomplicate it. You can always tweak later. - Don’t just copy someone else’s ICP. Your product, your buyers.
Pro tip: If your sales reps are arguing about “lead quality,” your ICP isn’t clear enough yet.
Step 2: Get your data in order
Automated lead scoring is only as good as the data you feed it. Garbage in, garbage out.
Checklist: - Make sure your lead forms or enrichment tools are capturing useful info: company name, website, industry, employee count, etc. - Connect Getsignals to your CRM or wherever your leads live. If you’re stuck with spreadsheets, clean them up first—consistency matters. - Remove duplicates and obvious junk. No, “asdf@asdf.com” is not a hot prospect.
What to ignore: Fancy enrichment tools that promise to “reveal everything” for a fee. Start with what you have, and fill in gaps as you go.
Step 3: Connect your sources to Getsignals
Now, hop into Getsignals. The platform lets you pull in leads from different sources—your website, CRM, marketing automation, or even uploaded lists.
How to do it: 1. Log in to Getsignals. 2. Go to the “Integrations” or “Sources” section. 3. Connect your CRM (like HubSpot, Salesforce) using their integration flow. If you’re using forms or custom sources, follow their setup guide. 4. Test it. Pull in a few leads and make sure the data looks right.
Pro tip: If the integration feels too complex, start with a simple CSV import. You can automate later.
Step 4: Set up your scoring rules
This is where most teams screw it up—either by making it too basic (“+10 for any company with >50 employees”) or way too complicated.
Here’s how to keep it real:
A. Pick scoring criteria
Based on your ICP, decide what matters. Some common criteria: - Industry: Is it a match or not? - Company size: Employees or revenue bands. - Geography: Are they in your target region? - Tech stack: Do they use tools you integrate with? - Website activity: Are they visiting key pages? - Job titles: If you have contact-level data.
B. Assign point values
- Start simple. Example: +20 for industry match, +10 for company size, -10 if out of region.
- Avoid wild swings—don’t give +100 for one thing and nothing for the rest.
- If you’re not sure, ask your top reps what makes them excited about a lead.
C. Set “disqualifiers”
- Negative points for junk leads, student projects, or companies way out of your market.
- Don’t be afraid to set some hard “no” rules. Saves everyone time.
D. Build your rules in Getsignals
- Go to the “Lead Scoring” or “Rules” section.
- Use their rule builder to add your criteria.
- Test with a handful of real leads to see if the scores match your gut feeling.
What to ignore: Overly complex “AI-powered” scoring out of the box. Start with rules you understand. You can experiment later.
Step 5: Test and tune your scoring
Don’t trust the first version. Most teams need a few rounds to get it right.
How to test: - Pull a report of the top-scored leads. Do they actually look good? - Check some low-scoring leads—is the system missing diamonds in the rough? - Ask your sales team: Does the list make sense? If not, what’s off?
Iterate: - Adjust point values where things feel off. - Add or remove criteria as you learn. - Don’t be precious—this isn’t set-it-and-forget-it.
Pro tip: Schedule a 30-minute review every month. Small tweaks beat a giant overhaul every six months.
Step 6: Plug lead scores into your workflow
A score is useless if no one sees it.
Ways to make scoring actionable: - Push high-scoring leads to your sales team’s inbox, Slack, or CRM queue. - Set up alerts or dashboards for “hot” leads. - Use scores to trigger nurture campaigns for “not ready yet” leads.
Don’t: Hide scores in a dashboard nobody visits. Sales reps should see scores where they work.
Step 7: Keep it honest—measure and adjust
Automated lead scoring is a tool, not magic. Here’s how to keep it useful:
- Track conversion rates by score tier. Are high scores actually closing?
- Watch for score inflation—if everyone’s a “hot lead,” the system’s broken.
- Get regular feedback from sales. Are good leads getting missed? Are junk leads sneaking through?
What to ignore: Vanity metrics. If your pipeline isn’t improving, tweak the rules or revisit your ICP.
What works, what’s hype, and what to skip
What works: - Simple, clear scoring rules that everyone understands. - Regular reviews and tweaks. - Making scores visible and actionable for sales.
What doesn’t: - Overly complex scoring models nobody trusts. - Blind faith in “AI” or black-box recommendations. - Ignoring feedback from frontline reps.
What to skip: - Chasing every new data enrichment tool. - Over-optimizing before you’ve even seen the first results.
Keep it simple and iterate
Automated lead scoring in Getsignals can save your team hours and help you focus on real buyers—but only if you keep things straightforward. Start with your best guess, watch what happens, and don’t be afraid to change your mind.
You don’t need a PhD in data science or a 50-rule scoring model. Just a clear ICP, decent data, and a willingness to adjust. Keep it simple, make the scores visible, and trust your gut (and your sales team) as you go.