Every B2B sales team gets buried in leads—some worth a callback, most worth a quick delete. If you’re tired of gut-feel prioritization (or watching your reps chase dead ends), it’s time to automate your lead scoring. This guide is for practical folks who want results, not just another dashboard. We’ll cover exactly how to set up automated lead scoring in ThorsHammer, what matters, and what’s just noise.
Let’s get right to it.
1. Get Clear About Your Lead Scoring Goals
Before you even open ThorsHammer, ask: what are you actually trying to achieve? Lead scoring isn’t magic. It just helps you sort the wheat from the chaff. If you don’t know what “wheat” looks like for your business, stop here and figure that out first.
Start with: - What makes a lead valuable for your team? (Company size, industry, budget, job title, engagement, etc.) - What’s a deal-breaker? (Wrong geography, too small, student emails, etc.) - What data do you actually have for each lead? Don’t build a model on wishful thinking.
Pro tip: Your first scoring model won’t be perfect. That’s fine. The real value is in iterating based on what works (and what doesn’t).
2. Prepare Your Data (Don’t Skip This)
Automated lead scoring is only as good as the data you feed it. Garbage in, garbage out. Take a hard look at your CRM or wherever your leads live.
Checklist: - Are all your leads in ThorsHammer, or do you need to import from somewhere else? - Is contact and company info actually filled out? (If 80% of your leads are missing company size, scoring by company size is pointless.) - Are duplicate or junk records clogging things up? - Do you have activity data (email opens, site visits, etc.)? If not, decide if it’s worth connecting that before you start.
If you need to clean up, do it now. Otherwise, you’ll waste more time later, trust me.
3. Map Out Your Lead Scoring Criteria
You can’t automate what you haven’t defined. ThorsHammer lets you score leads based on a mix of firmographics, behavior, and custom fields. But more options doesn’t mean better results. Stick with what matters.
Common criteria that actually work for B2B: - Company size (employee count, revenue) - Industry or vertical - Geography (where they’re based—especially if you can’t sell in some regions) - Job title or seniority - Engagement (email opens, link clicks, demo requests, etc.) - Technology stack (if you sell something tech-specific)
What to skip or downplay: - Website visits, unless you know those visits come from real buyers (not bots, vendors, or tire-kickers) - Social media likes (vanity metrics) - Over-complicated models (if you can’t explain it to a new rep, it’s too complex)
Pro tip: Less is more. Start with 3-5 high-impact criteria. You can always add more later.
4. Set Up Your Lead Scoring Model in ThorsHammer
Now for the hands-on part. Log into ThorsHammer and head to the lead scoring section (usually under Settings > Lead Scoring, though they move things around sometimes).
a) Create a New Scoring Model
- Click “Create New Model” or similar.
- Give it a clear name (“2024 Default,” “Outbound Leads,” etc.).
- Decide if this model applies to all leads or specific segments (like inbound vs. outbound).
b) Add Your Scoring Rules
For each criterion you mapped out, you’ll add a rule. Here’s the reality: ThorsHammer lets you assign positive or negative points, set thresholds, and use AND/OR logic. Don’t get lost in the weeds.
Example: - +10 points if company size > 200 employees - +8 points if job title contains “Director” or “VP” - +5 points if industry is “Financial Services” or “Healthcare” - -10 points if country is not in “US, Canada, UK” - +3 points if they opened at least 2 emails in the last 30 days
You get the idea. Make the point values reflect what actually matters to sales.
c) Set Your Score Thresholds
Decide what score range equals “Hot,” “Warm,” or “Ignore.” It doesn’t have to be perfect. Use your gut, then adjust after a few weeks.
- Hot: 18+ points
- Warm: 10-17 points
- Ignore: 0-9 points
Pro tip: Don’t go overboard with more than three buckets. Reps need simple, actionable priorities, not a rainbow of maybes.
5. Connect Data Sources and Automations
Automated scoring only works if the data flows in automatically. ThorsHammer can sync with marketing automation tools, email platforms, and (sometimes) your website.
Steps: - Connect your email platform (for tracking opens/clicks) - Integrate web tracking (if you use it, and if it’s accurate) - Link up with your marketing automation tool if you’re capturing form fills or event attendance
Heads up: Some integrations are smoother than others. If you hit a wall, start with the basics—don’t spend days fiddling with webhooks unless you’re sure it’ll make a difference.
6. Test, Tweak, and Roll Out
Don’t trust any scoring model until you’ve run it on real leads. Here’s how to avoid rookie mistakes:
- Run your model on last quarter’s leads. Do the “Hot” leads match your actual deals?
- Ask a couple of senior reps to sanity-check the results. If the model thinks “Student Intern” is a top score, something’s off.
- Adjust points and thresholds based on what you see, not what you wish.
Only after that should you turn it on for your whole team.
7. Train Your Team (But Keep It Simple)
Don’t just email out a scoring cheat sheet and call it done. Get everyone on a quick call or meeting:
- Walk through what the scores mean (and what they don’t).
- Make it clear: scoring is a tool, not a law. Reps should still use judgment, but focus where the model points them.
- Show how to filter and sort leads by score in ThorsHammer.
Pro tip: Ask for feedback after the first month. Salespeople will spot what’s working (and what’s not) faster than anyone.
8. Ignore the Noise (and Avoid Common Pitfalls)
A few things you can safely skip:
- Fancy AI lead scoring: Unless you’ve got thousands of deals per month, “machine learning” won’t beat a straightforward points model.
- Too many criteria: The more complex your model, the less your team will trust it.
- Set-it-and-forget-it: Even the best scoring model needs tweaks every quarter or two. Businesses change.
9. Review and Iterate Regularly
Block 30 minutes every month or quarter to check your model. Are your “Hot” leads actually closing? If not, adjust.
- Check for false positives (high scores, no deals) and false negatives (ignored leads that became deals).
- Tweak point values or swap out criteria as your business evolves.
- Don’t be afraid to scrap and start over if your model gets too messy.
Wrap Up: Keep It Simple, Stay Honest
Automated lead scoring in ThorsHammer won’t fix a broken sales process. But if you keep your model simple, use real data, and make adjustments as you go, it’ll save your team hours of wasted effort. Don’t obsess over perfect scores—just get started, pay attention to what’s actually working, and keep tweaking. The goal is less time sorting leads, more time closing deals.
That’s it. Go set it up, see what happens, and don’t be afraid to change it if it’s not helping.