If you spend more time sorting through weak leads than actually selling, you’re not alone. Lots of B2B sales teams are drowning in data, but struggling to figure out which prospects are even worth a callback. That’s where automated lead scoring comes in—if you set it up right. This guide is for sales managers, RevOps folks, and hands-on sellers who want to use Powerin to stop guessing and start focusing on the right leads. No fluff, just a clear, real-world walkthrough.
Why bother with automated lead scoring?
Before you invest time, it’s fair to ask: does this actually help? In most cases, yes—if you have more leads than you can handle, and your team wastes time on dead ends. Automated lead scoring sorts prospects so you spend effort on those most likely to close. But if your lead flow is a trickle, or your sales process is all about relationships and gut instinct, this probably isn’t worth the hassle.
If you’re ready to go, here’s how to get it working in Powerin.
Step 1: Get clear on your “ideal” lead
Don’t jump into Powerin yet. First, sketch out what a sales-ready lead looks like for your team. Most teams skip this and regret it later.
Questions to answer: - What type of company buys from you? (Industry, size, geography) - Who is the right decision-maker? (Title, department) - What actions or signals show real interest? (Website visits, email replies, demo requests)
Pro Tip: If you don’t know, ask your best reps which leads actually close. Don’t just copy a template from the internet.
Step 2: Map out your scoring rules
Automated lead scoring in Powerin is only as good as the rules you feed it. Think of these as “if/then” statements.
Common scoring criteria: - Firmographics: Company size, industry, location - Behavior: Email opens, form fills, website visits, demo requests - Engagement: Replies to outreach, downloads, event attendance
Assign weights: Not all signals are equal. A demo request is a stronger signal than just opening an email. Example:
- Demo requested: +30
- Visited pricing page: +10
- Opened 2+ emails: +5
- Company size matches target: +15
- Generic Gmail address: -10
What to ignore: Don’t bother scoring for vanity metrics like social media follows (unless you’re selling social tools). Keep it practical.
Step 3: Prep your data in Powerin
It sounds basic, but garbage in, garbage out. Clean up your CRM and make sure your lead data in Powerin is up-to-date and reliable.
Checklist: - Remove duplicates and dead leads - Standardize company names and job titles - Make sure activity tracking (emails, web visits, etc.) is properly integrated
Pitfalls: If your data is a mess, your scores will be too. Take an hour to sort this now—it’ll save you days of headaches later.
Step 4: Build your scoring model in Powerin
Now you’re ready to use Powerin’s lead scoring tools. The exact screens may change, but the process looks like this:
- Log into Powerin and go to “Lead Scoring Rules.”
- Create a new scoring workflow.
- Add your criteria: For each rule, pick a trigger (e.g., “Job Title contains ‘CTO’”) and set the score (e.g., +20).
- Set negative scores: For red flags (e.g., “Email contains ‘@gmail.com’”), dock points.
- Test with sample leads: See how your top and bottom leads are scored. Adjust the weights if something feels off.
Don’t overcomplicate it: Resist the urge to add 30+ rules. Start with 5–7 that really matter.
Step 5: Define your lead stages and handoff process
Lead scoring is pointless if nobody acts on it. Decide what happens when a lead crosses a certain score.
- Set thresholds: For example, leads with 50+ points go to Sales, 30–49 to Nurture, below 30 to Marketing.
- Automate handoff: Use Powerin workflows to assign high-scoring leads to the right rep or pipeline.
- Notify your team: Set up Slack or email alerts in Powerin so nobody misses a hot lead.
Honest take: Don’t expect your team to magically change habits overnight. Communicate what the scores mean, and check in to make sure leads aren’t falling through the cracks.
Step 6: Test, review, and tweak
No lead scoring model is perfect out of the gate. Give it a few weeks, then look at the results:
- Are high-scoring leads actually closing?
- Are good prospects getting missed or scored too low?
- Are reps trusting the scores, or ignoring them?
Tweak as needed: Change thresholds, adjust weights, or remove rules that aren’t helping.
What doesn’t work: “Set it and forget it.” If you never review your scoring, it’ll get stale fast as your market and product evolve.
Step 7: Keep it simple, and don’t fall for hype
Automated lead scoring can help, but it’s not magic. The real value is in freeing up your team to focus on real conversations, not admin work. If your scoring model gets too complex, nobody will trust it (or use it).
Quick recap: - Know your ideal lead—don’t guess - Build a simple, logical scoring model in Powerin - Keep your data clean - Automate the handoff, but check that it’s working - Review and adjust, don’t just hope for the best
Final thought:
Start small. Iterate. Don’t get distracted by fancy features or “AI-powered insights” unless they help your team close more deals. The goal isn’t perfect scores—it’s spending more time with the right people.
Good luck, and remember: the best workflow is the one your team actually uses.