If you’re running a B2B sales team, you’ve probably heard that lead scoring will “revolutionize your pipeline.” That’s half true. Lead scoring can help you and your reps focus on leads that might actually convert, instead of chasing every contact with a pulse. But it’s easy to overcomplicate things or get lost in the weeds—especially when you add automation to the mix.
This guide is for sales ops folks, sales managers, and anyone tasked with making Freckle (your CRM) do more than just hold contact info. I’ll walk you through setting up a practical, automated lead scoring workflow in Freckle that won’t waste your time—or your team’s.
Let’s get started.
What is Automated Lead Scoring (And Why Bother)?
Automated lead scoring means assigning points to leads based on things they do (or don’t do) and who they are, without someone in your team having to keep track manually. The goal: quickly see which leads are worth calling, emailing, or just ignoring. It’s not magic, but when done right, it’s a big time-saver.
Does it always work? No. If your scoring system is too simple or based on bad data, you’ll end up prioritizing the wrong people. But if you build a realistic, clear process—and keep tweaking it—you’ll spend less time guessing and more time closing.
Step 1: Get Your Data in Order
Before you start building workflows, make sure Freckle has the data you need. Garbage in, garbage out.
What you’ll want: - Demographic info: Company size, industry, job title, location - Behavioral data: Email opens/clicks, website visits, demo requests, webinar attendance, etc. - Current pipeline stage: Are they new, in discovery, negotiating, etc.?
How to check: - Look at a sample of leads in Freckle. Is the info complete? Are key fields blank? - If you’re missing stuff, talk to marketing, your web team, or whoever owns integrations. Sometimes, it’s as simple as fixing a form or syncing another tool.
Pro tip: Don’t try to use every data point you can find. Start with what’s reliable and actually tells you something about purchase intent.
Step 2: Define What Makes a “Good” Lead (For You)
Every business is different, and so is every “good” lead. Don’t just copy a generic lead scoring template you found online. Sit down with your sales team and sketch out:
- Which behaviors usually come before a deal closes? (e.g., requesting a demo, visiting pricing page)
- Which company types are your best customers?
- Who’s a time-waster? (e.g., students, companies way too small)
Create a simple scoring model: - Assign positive points for actions or attributes that increase deal likelihood. - Assign negative points for red flags or disqualifiers.
Example: - +20: Requests a demo - +10: Opens 3+ emails - +15: Company has 100+ employees - -10: Generic email (e.g., @gmail.com) - -20: Industry is not a fit
Don’t overthink this. You can always adjust later—just get a first draft.
Step 3: Set Up Custom Fields and Tags in Freckle
You’ll need somewhere in Freckle to store and track your lead scores. Most CRMs let you add custom fields or tags; Freckle is no different.
Create a custom field called “Lead Score”—make it a number field.
If you want more detail, create extra fields or tags: - “Lead Grade” (A, B, C, D) - “Disqualified Reason” - Behavior tags (e.g., “Visited Pricing”, “Attended Webinar”)
Why bother with custom fields? Because you can use them to trigger automations, build reports, and segment leads later. Don’t try to do all the math in your head.
Step 4: Build the Automated Scoring Workflow
Now for the fun part. Most of Freckle’s automation happens through its built-in workflow builder or integrations with tools like Zapier or native marketing automation add-ons. Here’s how you can wire it up:
4.1. Map Out Your Triggers
Decide what should kick off lead scoring updates. Examples: - New lead created - Lead updates a key field (e.g., company size) - Lead takes a tracked action (e.g., registers for a webinar)
4.2. Set Up Scoring Rules
In the workflow builder: - If Condition: Lead does X (e.g., fills out demo form) - Then Action: Add Y points to “Lead Score” field
Stack rules: You can have multiple triggers and conditions. For example: - If “Industry = SaaS”, add 10 points. - If “Email contains gmail.com”, subtract 10 points. - If “Lead Score” crosses 50, apply tag “Hot Lead”.
4.3. Use Integrations for Advanced Data
Freckle’s built-in tracking will only take you so far. If you want to track website behavior or email engagement, you may need to: - Connect with your marketing automation tool (e.g., Mailchimp, HubSpot) - Use Zapier to pass events (like “Visited Pricing Page”) into Freckle - Sync data nightly from your analytics tool
Don’t go overboard. Start with what you can reliably track and automate. If something breaks, you’ll want to know where.
4.4. Test with Sample Leads
Before rolling this out to your whole team: - Run a few test leads through your workflow. - Check that scores update as expected. - Make sure “Hot Lead” tags, alerts, and reports work.
Pro tip: Have your sales reps review a batch of scored leads and gut-check if the results make sense. If not, adjust your rules.
Step 5: Set Up Alerts and Views for Your Team
Automated lead scores are pointless if nobody looks at them. Make sure your team: - Gets notified when a lead crosses a threshold (e.g., “Lead Score > 50”) - Has a saved view or dashboard showing the hottest leads - Knows how to filter out low-score, low-fit prospects
How to do this in Freckle: - Set up automated email or in-app alerts for new “Hot Leads” - Build a “Leads by Score” view—sort descending - Share the view with your team
Pro tip: Don’t flood your reps with too many alerts. Focus on clear, actionable signals.
Step 6: Regularly Review and Tweak Your Scoring
Here’s the part most teams ignore: reviewing if your scoring rules are actually working.
Every month or quarter: - Look at closed deals—what did their scores look like? - Are there patterns in deals you lost? - Is your team ignoring “Hot Leads” because they’re not actually hot?
If your scoring isn’t helping reps close more deals, fix it: - Adjust the weights - Add/remove triggers - Kill off rules that don’t matter
Don’t set it and forget it. Your business evolves, so should your scoring.
A Few Things That Don’t Work (and What to Ignore)
Not every “best practice” is worth your time. Here’s what I’d skip:
- Overly complex models: If your scoring system needs a manual, you’ve gone too far. Simplicity beats perfection.
- Scoring based on vanity metrics: Someone opening one email or clicking a random blog post does not mean they’re ready to buy.
- Ignoring your reps’ feedback: If your sales team says the scores are off, believe them. Fix the system.
- Automating every tiny thing: Some things still need human judgment—especially if you have a small pipeline.
Keep It Simple, Tweak as You Go
Automated lead scoring in Freckle can save your team time and help you focus. But don’t expect perfection out of the gate. Start small, use the data you trust, and adjust as you learn. The goal isn’t a fancy system—it’s helping your reps spend time on leads that might actually buy.
Don’t get distracted by hype. Build something you’ll actually use, and keep making it better. That’s how you win.