So you want to set up automated lead scoring that actually helps your sales process—not just another “set it and forget it” dashboard gathering dust. This guide is for folks who use Derrickapp and want a practical, no-nonsense way to prioritize leads without getting lost in feature soup. You don’t need to be a data scientist, but you should be curious and ready to tweak things as you go.
Automated lead scoring sounds fancy, but at its core, it’s just a way to help you (and your team) stop guessing: Who’s worth your time? Who’s likely to buy? Let’s cut through the noise and get your system up and running.
What is Lead Scoring, Really?
Before we jump in, a quick reality check: Lead scoring is just assigning a number to a lead based on stuff you know about them. It’s not magic. A perfect score doesn’t guarantee a sale; it just helps you pick your battles.
Automated lead scoring in Derrick-app helps you scale this process, so you’re not eyeballing every lead. The catch? It’s only as good as the rules and data you feed it. Garbage in, garbage out.
Step 1: Get Your Data House in Order
You can’t score leads if you don’t know anything about them. Before you even touch Derrickapp’s scoring features, make sure you’re collecting the basics:
- Contact info: Name, email, company, phone.
- Engagement data: Did they open your emails? Click links? Fill out a form?
- Firmographics: Company size, industry, job title (if you sell B2B).
- Source: Where did this lead come from? Website? Event? Referral?
Pro tip: If your data is messy or missing, fix that first. No amount of fancy scoring will help if your records are full of blanks or duplicates.
Step 2: Decide What Makes a “Good” Lead
Every business is different. Don’t just use someone else’s scoring template. Think about:
- What do your best customers have in common?
- Industry, company size, job role, or location?
- What actions do serious buyers usually take?
- Download a case study? Book a demo? Reply to a sales email?
Write down 5–7 signals that actually matter for you. Ignore the rest. You’ll be tempted to include everything—don’t. More signals just add noise.
What to ignore: Vanity metrics like “number of website visits.” Unless you know that people who visit 10 times are more likely to buy, don’t use it.
Step 3: Log Into Derrickapp and Find Lead Scoring
Once you’ve got your signals, log in to Derrickapp. The lead scoring tool is usually tucked under the “Automation” or “Settings” section, depending on your plan.
- Go to the main menu.
- Click on “Automation” (or “Lead Management” in some layouts).
- Look for “Lead Scoring” or “Score Rules.”
The UI changes from time to time, but if you’re lost, Derrickapp’s support docs are usually up-to-date.
Step 4: Build Your First Scoring Model
Now for the meat and potatoes. You’ll see options to add rules or criteria. Here’s how to keep it simple and useful:
1. Add Criteria Based on Your List
For each of your “good lead” signals, set up a rule. For example:
- Job Title: +10 points if “Director” or “VP”
- Company Size: +8 points for 100-500 employees
- Clicked Demo Link: +15 points
- Replied to Outreach Email: +20 points
Don’t overcomplicate the math. The scores should be rough indicators, not precise measures.
2. Set Negative Scores for Red Flags
Not all signals are good. Subtract points for:
- Generic emails (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo): –10 points
- No activity for 30+ days: –15 points
- Competitors: –50 points
3. Save and Name Your Model
Give it a clear name like “2024 B2B Inbound” so you can tell it apart later.
Pro tip: Start simple. You can always add complexity once you see what works.
Step 5: Test Your Model on Real Leads
Before you roll this out to your whole team, test it on a handful of actual leads:
- Pull up recent leads and see how they score.
- Compare scores to what your gut says about each lead.
- Are your best-fit leads getting the highest scores? If not, tweak your rules.
What usually goes wrong: Many people overweight activity (like email opens) and underweight fit (like job title or company size). Activity is easy to track, but not always meaningful.
Step 6: Set Up Automated Actions (Optional, but Powerful)
Lead scoring isn’t much use if nobody acts on it. Derrickapp lets you trigger automations based on score thresholds. For example:
- High-score leads: Auto-assign to your top salesperson, or send a Slack alert.
- Low-score leads: Route to a nurture email sequence, or park in a “cold” list.
- Score increases: Notify the sales team if a lead jumps 20+ points in a week.
To set this up:
- Go to the “Automations” or “Workflows” section.
- Choose “When lead score changes/is above X...”
- Pick the follow-up action (assignment, notification, email, etc.).
Don’t go wild here—start with one or two automations. Too many and you’ll drown in noise.
Step 7: Monitor and Adjust—Don’t “Set and Forget”
This is where most people drop the ball. Your model won’t be perfect out of the gate. Every month or so:
- Review closed deals: Did high-scoring leads actually close? Are you missing good fits with low scores?
- Ask the sales team: Are they happy with the quality of “hot” leads?
- Tweak your rules: Add or adjust weights based on real outcomes.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over tiny changes. If the model is mostly working, small fluctuations aren’t worth chasing.
Step 8: (Optional) Layer in Advanced Scoring
Once you’ve nailed the basics and your team trusts the scores, you can get fancy:
- Behavioral scoring: Track deeper actions like webinar attendance, product trials, or pricing page visits.
- Time decay: Lower scores for old actions (e.g., clicked a link 6 months ago = 0 points).
- Integrations: Pull in data from other tools—CRM, support tickets, etc.
Honest take: Most small teams never need this. If you’re not closing 100+ deals a month, the basics are plenty.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Skip
Works Well
- Focusing on 5–7 clear, relevant signals.
- Keeping your scoring model simple and easy to explain.
- Reviewing and tweaking monthly based on real results.
- Automating hand-offs for high-scoring leads.
Not Worth Your Time
- Overfitting your model with dozens of micro-rules.
- Relying on “vanity” signals that don’t actually predict buying.
- Setting up so many automations that your team starts ignoring alerts.
Ignore the Hype
- “AI-powered” scoring can be cool, but it’s only as good as your data. Don’t expect miracles.
- More data isn’t always better. Focus on what actually moves the needle for your sales.
Wrapping Up: Keep it Simple, Tweak as You Go
Automated lead scoring in Derrickapp isn’t rocket science—it’s just a structured way to help you focus on leads that matter. Start with a simple, honest model based on what you know works. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Set it up, watch what happens, and adjust as you learn. That’s how you get value—not by chasing the latest shiny feature, but by keeping it real and practical.