If you're tired of slogging through endless spreadsheets or chasing leads that go nowhere, this guide's for you. Automated lead scoring takes some legwork up front, but it saves hours and helps B2B sales teams focus on deals that actually close. This walkthrough is for busy folks who want Ocean to do the heavy lifting—without overcomplicating things or falling for the usual AI/automation hype.
Let’s get your scoring system up and running, so you can spend less time guessing and more time selling.
What is Automated Lead Scoring, Really?
Quick refresher: automated lead scoring just means using rules or algorithms to rank your leads—so your team focuses on the ones most likely to buy. You set the criteria, the software does the math. It's not magic, and it's not perfect, but it's a lot better than "gut feel" or "who emailed last."
Inside Ocean, lead scoring is built-in and pretty flexible. You can set rules based on things like company size, job title, engagement (emails opened, calls booked), or whatever else matters to your team. The trick is not to overthink it—start basic, see what works, and tune as you go.
Step 1: Get Your Data Straight
Before you touch scoring rules, make sure Ocean actually has the data you'll want to score on.
Check these basics:
- Are your leads getting imported into Ocean reliably? (CSV, CRM sync, APIs, etc.)
- Do you have fields for company, title, industry, size, revenue—whatever matters for your model?
- Is engagement data tracking? (Opens, clicks, meetings, etc.)
- Are there weird duplicates or gaps? Fix those first.
Pro tip: Garbage in, garbage out. No scoring system can make up for bad or missing data. If you’re missing a key data point (like industry), decide now whether you’ll collect it, infer it (e.g., using domain lookup), or just skip it for now.
Step 2: Decide What Actually Makes a Good Lead
Don't just copy a scoring template from a blog post. Every business is different.
Grab your team and ask: - Who are our best customers right now? - What do they have in common? (Company size, industry, tech stack, etc.) - What behaviors actually signal intent? (Replying quickly, booking demos, visiting your pricing page)
Make a short list: Keep it simple—3 to 5 criteria max for your first version.
Examples: - Company size (e.g., 50–500 employees) - Job title (e.g., Director or above) - Engaged with 3+ emails - Booked a demo or replied to an outbound email
What to ignore (for now): - Social media likes - Website visits if you can’t tie them to a real person - Vague signals like “follows us on LinkedIn” (unless you know it matters)
Step 3: Set Up Scoring Rules in Ocean
Now, get into Ocean and start building your scoring model. The UI is visual, but here's the gist:
- Go to the Lead Scoring section: Usually under “Settings” or “Automation.” If you don’t see it, check permissions or contact support.
- Click ‘Add Scoring Rule’ or similar.
- For each rule:
- Choose the field (e.g., Job Title)
- Set the condition (e.g., contains “Director,” “VP,” “Chief”)
- Assign a point value (keep it simple: +10 for high value, +5 for medium, –10 for obvious disqualifiers)
- Stack rules for multiple criteria: Ocean will sum the total.
- Set thresholds: Decide what score is “hot,” “warm,” or “cold.” (E.g., 20+ is hot, 10–19 is warm, below 10 is cold.)
Example Rule Setup:
| Field | Condition | Points | |------------------|-------------------|--------| | Company Size | 50–500 employees | +10 | | Job Title | Director+ | +8 | | Email Engagement | 3+ opens | +5 | | Demo Booked | Yes | +15 | | Industry | Disqualified list | –20 |
Pro tip: Don’t try to score on every possible field. Too many rules = noise.
Step 4: Test (and Break) Your Model
Don’t trust your new scoring system blindly. Before you go live:
- Run it on existing leads. Does it flag your real best customers as “hot”? Or is it picking up junk?
- Spot-check edge cases. Find a few closed deals and a few duds. Where do they land on your scorecard?
- Ask your team for feedback. Sales reps will spot weird outliers fast.
What usually goes wrong: - The model overweights easy-to-get data (like email opens) and underweights intent (like demo booked). - Old leads get high scores because they opened emails a year ago. - You accidentally penalize good leads with a negative rule that’s too broad.
Fix as you go: It’s normal to tweak point values or delete a rule that doesn’t work in the real world.
Step 5: Automate Actions Based on Scores
Scoring is only useful if it changes what you do next.
In Ocean, you can: - Trigger workflows (like alerting a rep or moving leads to a new list) when a lead crosses a score threshold. - Change lead status automatically (e.g., mark as “Ready for Outreach”). - Assign leads to specific reps based on fit or territory.
Set up: - Go to the Automations or Workflows section. - Create a rule: “If Lead Score ≥ X, then [do this].” - Don’t overcomplicate—start with one or two clear actions.
Pro tip: Avoid bombarding reps with notifications for every tiny score change. Set the trigger high enough to mean something.
Step 6: Review and Refine (Monthly, Not Yearly)
Scoring isn’t “set it and forget it.” Markets change, so do your best-fit customers.
- Block 30 minutes each month to review closed deals—did your system pick the winners?
- Tweak rules based on real outcomes. If you keep seeing “hot” scores for leads that ghost you, something’s off.
- Add or drop criteria as your sales process matures.
Don’t chase perfection: If your scores get you 80% of the way there, that’s a win. The rest is on your team’s judgement.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What works: - Focusing on 3–5 high-impact criteria - Using negative points to weed out obviously bad fits - Reviewing scores with your team, not just in a vacuum
What doesn’t: - Overcomplicating with dozens of micro-rules - Relying on “AI” to figure out your ICP without real sales data - Ignoring feedback from actual sales calls
What to ignore: - Fancy dashboards that don’t lead to action - “Engagement” metrics you can’t tie to real buying signals - Any rule you can’t explain in one sentence
Keep It Simple, Keep Improving
Automated lead scoring in Ocean isn’t one-and-done. Start small, focus on what you know works, and let the data tell you what to tweak. Don’t get distracted by shiny features or “AI-powered” nonsense—real results come from clear criteria and regular reviews.
Set your system up, watch how it works, and don’t be afraid to change what isn’t helping. Your best sales process is the one that gets out of your way.