If your sales team is wasting time chasing dead-end leads, you’re not alone. Automated lead scoring can help. This guide is for anyone who wants to use TamTam to stop guessing which leads matter and start closing more deals, faster.
Why bother with automated lead scoring?
Manually sorting leads is a slog, and gut feelings aren’t a strategy. With automated lead scoring, you can:
- Spot your hottest prospects right away.
- Cut down on wasted follow-up.
- Give your team a clear, shared playbook.
Of course, automation isn’t magic. You’ll still need to set it up thoughtfully and tune it over time. If you’re hoping for a “set it and forget it” miracle, you’ll be disappointed.
Let’s roll up our sleeves and get TamTam (see here) working for you.
Step 1: Get your lead data in order
Before you build a scoring system, your data has to be accurate and consistent. Garbage in, garbage out.
What you need: - All your leads in TamTam, with fields like email, company, job title, activity history, etc. - Standardized values (e.g., don’t have “CEO” and “Chief Executive Officer” as separate entries). - Recent activity — if your data is months out of date, scores won’t mean much.
Pro tip:
Set up regular imports or integrations with your website forms, marketing tools, or any place leads come from. Consistent data flow means your scoring stays relevant.
What to skip:
Don’t bother scoring leads until your data is in decent shape. You’ll just end up with fancy-looking nonsense.
Step 2: Decide what “qualified” really means for you
No software can tell you what makes a good lead for your business. List out what actually matters for your sales team. This is worth a quick whiteboard session.
Common criteria: - Demographics: Industry, company size, location, job seniority. - Behavior: Website visits, email opens/clicks, event attendance, demo requests. - Fit: Do they match your target customer profile?
Ask yourself: - Who are our best current customers? What did they look and act like when they first reached out? - Are there any dealbreakers? (e.g., “We never sell to companies under 10 employees.”)
What to ignore:
Don’t score based on “vanity” metrics (like social media followers) unless you’ve seen a real connection to sales.
Step 3: Translate your criteria into TamTam fields
TamTam’s scoring engine works by assigning points to lead fields and activities. You’ll want to map your “qualified lead” criteria to fields you actually capture.
Example mapping: - Job Title: “Founder,” “VP,” or “Director” = +10 points - Company Size: 50–500 employees = +8 points - Website Visit (Product Page): +5 points per visit - Demo Requested: +20 points
How to do it: - Review your TamTam lead fields (both default and custom). - Make sure you’re tracking key actions (like downloads, demo requests). - If you’re missing something, set up a custom field or connect a tool that captures it.
Pro tip:
Don’t overcomplicate it. Start with 3–5 strong signals, not 20 weak ones.
Step 4: Set up your scoring rules in TamTam
Now, get down to the actual setup.
-
Go to Lead Scoring Settings:
In TamTam, this is usually under Settings > Lead Management > Lead Scoring. The exact spot might change, but it’s always in the admin/settings area. -
Create a new Scoring Model:
Give it a clear name (e.g., “2024 B2B Scoring”). -
Add your scoring rules:
For each rule, pick a field or activity, set the criteria, and assign points. -
Example: If “Company Size” is “50–500” → +8 points.
-
You can also assign negative points (e.g., “Student” job title → -10 points).
-
Set score thresholds:
Decide what score range means “Hot Lead,” “Warm Lead,” or “Cold Lead.” Keep it simple to start. -
Save and activate the model.
What’s worth your time: - Test your rules on real leads to see if they match your gut. - Make sure the scoring updates in real time (or as close as possible), so reps aren’t looking at stale info.
What to skip:
Don’t try to make the perfect model right away. You’ll just get bogged down. You can always tweak later.
Step 5: Automate workflows based on lead scores
Scoring is only useful if you do something with it. TamTam lets you trigger actions based on lead scores.
Common automations: - Assign “Hot Leads” to your top sales reps automatically. - Trigger follow-up emails for “Warm Leads.” - Mark “Cold Leads” for nurturing or lower-priority outreach.
How to set up: - Go to Workflow Automation (often under Settings > Automation). - Set a trigger based on “Lead Score changes to X.” - Add actions: assign, notify, email, etc.
Pro tip:
Start with simple automations. One or two that solve a real pain point, not a dozen half-baked ones.
Step 6: Monitor, test, and improve
No lead scoring model is perfect out of the box. Set a calendar reminder to review results every month.
What to check: - Are your “Hot Leads” actually converting? - Are good leads slipping through the cracks because of missing data or poorly weighted rules? - Are reps ignoring the scores? (If so, ask why — the model might need work.)
How to improve: - Adjust point values if you see patterns (e.g., maybe “Demo Request” is worth more than you thought). - Add or remove rules based on feedback and real-world results. - Keep talking to your sales team. They’ll spot issues faster than any dashboard.
What to ignore:
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. If your scoring gets you 80% of the way there, that’s a win.
A few honest tips from the trenches
- Don’t overthink it. The best scoring models are simple, clear, and actually used by your team.
- Keep sales in the loop. If reps think the scores are bogus, they’ll ignore them. Get their feedback early and often.
- Review regularly. Your business changes, your leads change, and your model should too.
- Don’t pay extra for “AI” scoring unless you really need it. Most teams do just fine with rule-based scoring.
Wrapping up
Automated lead scoring in TamTam is a solid way to help your sales team focus on what matters. Don’t sweat getting it perfect right away. Start simple, get feedback, and tweak as you go. The goal is to spend less time sorting leads and more time closing deals.
Now, go set it up — and remember: simpler is usually better.