If your sales team is drowning in leads but can’t seem to spot the real deals, you’re not alone. Automated lead scoring promises to help, but most guides just repeat the same buzzwords. This walkthrough is for people who actually want to get Prosp’s lead scoring working—so you waste less time and close more deals.
Let’s cut through the noise and build a scoring system that actually helps your team focus on the right leads.
What is Automated Lead Scoring—And Why Bother?
Automated lead scoring means using software (like Prosp) to assign points to each lead based on things like behavior, demographics, or engagement. Done right, it keeps your team from chasing every tire-kicker and lets you focus on leads worth your time.
But here’s the thing: most setups are too complicated or too generic. If you want lead scoring that works, you need to keep it simple and base it on what actually matters to your business.
Step 1: Decide What Makes a Good Lead for You
Before you touch a single setting in Prosp, figure out what separates your best customers from the rest. Don’t overthink it. Ask the sales team: “What did our last 10 good customers have in common?”
Some places to start: - Company size (if you’re B2B) - Budget - Job title or role - Industry - Engagement with your emails or site (opened, clicked, replied, booked a call) - Source/channel (referral, paid, organic) - Specific actions (requested a demo, downloaded a whitepaper, etc.)
Pro tip: Don’t try to score everything at once. Start with 2-3 signals you know matter.
Step 2: Map Out Your Lead Scoring Criteria
Open a doc or spreadsheet and make two lists:
- Fit data: Anything about who the lead is (title, industry, company size)
- Behavioral data: Anything about what the lead does (downloads, clicks, replies)
For each item, decide: - Is this a must-have (disqualifier if missing)? - Is this a nice-to-have (add points)? - Is this a red flag (subtract points)?
Example:
| Criteria | Type | Points | Notes | |-------------------------|-----------|---------|---------------------------| | Requested a demo | Behavior | +25 | Strong buying signal | | Opened 2+ emails | Behavior | +10 | Some engagement | | CEO/VP title | Fit | +15 | Decision-maker | | Company < 10 employees | Fit | -10 | Less likely to buy | | Free email (gmail.com) | Fit | -5 | Lower quality lead | | Unsubscribed | Behavior | -50 | Disqualifier |
Keep it simple. You can always add more later.
Step 3: Set Up Lead Scoring Rules in Prosp
Now you’re ready to build your scoring model in Prosp.
- Log in to your Prosp dashboard.
- Find the “Lead Scoring” section.
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Usually under “Automation” or “Settings.” If you can't find it, use the search bar—Prosp’s navigation can be a bit of a maze.
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Create a new Scoring Model.
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Name it something obvious, like “2024 Initial Scoring.”
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Add your criteria.
- For each item from your spreadsheet, add a rule. Assign the points you decided on.
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Use AND/OR logic carefully. If you’re not sure, stick to simple rules first.
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Set thresholds.
- Decide what score qualifies as “hot,” “warm,” or “cold.”
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Example: 40+ = Hot, 20–39 = Warm, <20 = Cold. Don’t get hung up on the numbers; just make a first pass.
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Save and activate.
What to ignore: Don’t go wild with every possible field Prosp offers. Their UI loves to show off, but most fields are noise unless you have a reason to use them.
Step 4: Test Your Scoring with Real Leads
Don’t trust the default scores—run your model against a chunk of existing leads.
- Pull 20–30 leads you know well. Check their new scores.
- Gut check: Do the “hot” leads actually look promising? Are any obvious duds slipping through?
- Tweak as needed. Adjust point values or add/remove criteria if something feels off.
Pro tip: Grab feedback from the sales team—these folks have opinions, and they’re usually right about what a good lead looks like.
Step 5: Automate Next Steps Based on Scores
Lead scoring is pointless unless you do something with the results. In Prosp, you can set up workflows that trigger based on a lead’s score.
Some practical ideas: - Send hot leads straight to a sales rep. - Add warm leads to a nurturing sequence. - Mark cold leads for later review or low-touch follow-up. - Trigger notifications or Slack alerts for new hot leads.
How to set this up in Prosp: 1. Go to the “Workflows” or “Automations” section. 2. Create rules like: “If Lead Score ≥ 40, assign to [Rep Name] and notify via email.” 3. Keep the automation tight—don’t overdo it with too many triggers, or your team will start ignoring them.
Step 6: Monitor, Refine, and Don’t Get Fancy
You won’t nail it on day one. That’s normal.
- Check in weekly: Are the right leads getting flagged as “hot”? Is anyone complaining about junk leads?
- Refine as you go: Trim or tweak your criteria if you notice patterns.
- Ignore the hype: AI-powered or “predictive” scoring sounds cool, but unless you have thousands of leads and a data science team, it’s usually overkill. Manual rules beat magic algorithms for most teams.
What doesn’t work: Copying someone else’s scoring model. Every business is different. Use their ideas, but trust your own data.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Scoring too many things: More rules doesn’t mean better results. Start small.
- Not involving sales: If your model doesn’t match what sales sees as “good,” nobody will use it.
- Set-and-forget: Lead scoring needs tuning. If you ignore it for a year, it’ll get stale.
- Chasing the “perfect” model: Good enough beats perfect. Iterate.
Wrapping Up
Setting up automated lead scoring in Prosp isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to overcomplicate. Start simple, base your rules on what actually matters, and keep checking in to make sure it’s working for your team. Don’t get distracted by shiny features or “AI” promises—focus on what helps you close more real deals.
Remember: Simple, actionable, and regularly updated beats complicated and ignored every time. Run with your first version and improve it as you go.