If you run a B2B sales team, you know the pain: tons of leads, not enough time, and a pipeline that’s always a little messier than you’d like. Lead scoring keeps your reps focused on the right people, but doing it by hand? Forget it. This guide is for anyone who wants to take the guesswork out of qualifying leads and actually use automation—not just talk about it.
We’ll walk through how to set up automated lead scoring in Zeliq, the real stuff that works, what to watch out for, and a few things you can safely ignore. Whether you’re a sales manager, a lone SDR, or just the one stuck with the admin login, this is for you.
What is Automated Lead Scoring (And Why Should You Care)?
Let’s keep it simple: lead scoring is just a way to rank your prospects so you can focus on the ones most likely to buy. Doing it manually is slow and usually ends up based on gut feelings or whoever yells the loudest.
Automated lead scoring uses rules and data—like job titles, company size, email opens, or website visits—to score leads for you. The idea is to spend more time with people who actually have a shot at becoming customers.
Why bother?
- Your reps waste less time chasing dead ends.
- You can spot the best-fit accounts earlier.
- It’s easier to spot gaps in your pipeline or your targeting.
But here’s the thing: automated scoring isn’t magic. If your rules are off or your data’s bad, you’ll just automate the wrong stuff faster. So, keep your expectations in check.
Step 1: Get Clear on What a “Good Lead” Looks Like
Don’t just jump into Zeliq and start clicking buttons. First, you need to know what you’re scoring for. Ask your team:
- Who actually becomes a customer? (Look at closed/won deals, not just who replies.)
- What firmographics matter? (Industry, company size, location, revenue, etc.)
- What signals show interest? (Email opens, demo requests, web visits, LinkedIn engagement.)
Pro tip: Pull up your last 10 closed/won deals and see what they have in common. That’s more useful than any “ideal customer profile” template.
Write down the 3–5 things that really matter. You’ll use these for your scoring rules.
Step 2: Clean Up Your Data
If your CRM is a swamp, no automation will save you. Bad data = bad scores. Before you set up anything in Zeliq, do a quick audit:
- Are company names and job titles accurate?
- Are emails and phone numbers valid?
- Are leads properly tagged or segmented?
If you’re importing leads into Zeliq, take the extra 10 minutes to clean your list. Otherwise, you’ll just automate chaos.
Step 3: Map Out Your Scoring Criteria
Now you know what a good lead looks like and your data’s in decent shape. Next: decide what gets points, and how many.
Here’s a simple framework:
Fit-based: Who they are
- Job Title: Decision-maker = +20, Influencer = +10, Other = +0
- Company Size: 50–200 employees = +15, 201–1000 = +10, Other = +0
- Industry: Your top 3 industries = +10
Behavior-based: What they do
- Opened 2+ emails: +10
- Clicked a link in email: +15
- Requested a demo: +25
Ignore vanity signals:
- LinkedIn likes, random web page views, or “downloaded resource X” don’t always mean much for B2B. Unless you’ve seen a clear link to revenue, skip these.
Set a threshold:
Decide what score means “hot” (e.g., 50+ points). Leads over this threshold go to sales; others get nurtured.
Honest take:
Most teams overcomplicate this. Start simple. You can always tweak later.
Step 4: Set Up Your Lead Scoring Rules in Zeliq
Now, into Zeliq. The platform makes it pretty straightforward, but don’t expect it to think for you. Here’s how to do it:
- Log in and head to the Lead Scoring section.
-
Usually under “Automation” or “Lead Management.” If you don’t see it, check your permissions.
-
Create a new scoring model.
-
Give it a clear name—“B2B SaaS Scoring v1” beats “Test” or “Default.”
-
Add your fit-based rules.
- Use dropdowns to assign points for job titles, company sizes, industries, etc.
-
If Zeliq can’t pull a data field, double-check your integrations or data mapping.
-
Add your behavior-based rules.
- Set up triggers for email opens, demo requests, or whatever you decided matters.
-
Connect Zeliq to your email and web tracking tools if you want real behavioral data.
-
Set your score threshold.
-
Decide what happens when a lead crosses the line. Assign them to a sales rep? Move to a new pipeline stage? Automate an email? Zeliq can do these, but keep it simple at first.
-
Test it with a few leads.
- Don’t roll this out to your whole team right away. Run a few sample leads through and see if the scores make sense.
- If your best leads are scoring low (or junk leads are scoring high), tweak your rules.
Things to ignore: - “AI-powered” scoring that doesn’t let you see or control the rules. Black boxes aren’t helpful unless you trust the data (and you probably shouldn’t, at first). - Overly granular rules (e.g., giving +2 points for tiny behaviors). You’ll just confuse things.
Step 5: Automate Actions Based on Scores
Scoring is only useful if you do something with it. In Zeliq, you can automate:
- Assigning leads to reps when they cross your score threshold
- Sending an alert or notification to sales
- Moving leads to a different list or stage
- Triggering a follow-up sequence
Set up just one or two automations to start.
For example: “If score ≥ 50, assign to SDR queue and send Slack alert.” That’s enough to test if your scoring works in real life.
Honest take:
Don’t set up a dozen automations on Day 1. They’re hard to unwind if your scoring is off.
Step 6: Review, Tweak, and Don’t Be Precious
Here’s the reality: your first version won’t be perfect. After a week or two, check:
- Are high-scoring leads actually converting?
- Are good-fit leads falling through the cracks?
- Is your team ignoring the scores because they don’t trust them?
Tweak your rules. Drop what doesn’t work. Rinse and repeat.
If something’s not working, don’t force it.
Sometimes, your best prospects don’t fit the “profile” you built. That’s fine. Scoring is a tool, not gospel.
Pro Tips and Common Pitfalls
- Keep sales in the loop. If your reps don’t trust the scores, they’ll ignore them. Get their input and feedback early.
- Don’t obsess over perfect data. You’ll never have it, and that’s OK. Just clean up the basics.
- Don’t automate every little thing. Manual review still matters, especially for big deals.
- Ignore the hype. “Predictive” scoring can be useful if you have a ton of clean data, but for most B2B teams, simple rules work better.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Automated lead scoring in Zeliq can absolutely save your sales team time and sanity—but only if you stay practical. Start with what you know, automate a few things that matter, and don’t be afraid to change your rules as you learn.
Most teams get tripped up by overthinking or trying to build a perfect system out of the gate. Don’t. Keep it simple, get feedback, and adjust as you go. That’s how you actually get value—without driving yourself (or your team) nuts.