If you’re a B2B marketer staring down a list of “hot” leads that turn out to be lukewarm at best, you already know: good lead scoring isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s the difference between sales teams taking your leads seriously and them quietly ignoring your emails. This guide is for marketers who want a real system that actually helps, not just another dashboard full of wishful thinking.
We’ll walk through exactly how to set up lead scoring in Ring, a popular marketing automation tool. I’ll flag what actually matters, what’s just noise, and how to avoid common screw-ups. No fluff, no buzzwords—just a practical process you can copy, tweak, and put to work.
What is Lead Scoring (And Why Bother)?
At its core, lead scoring is just a way to rank prospects so you know who’s worth your time. You assign points based on things like:
- Company size and industry
- Job title or seniority
- Website activity (opened emails, clicked links, visited pricing page, etc.)
- Demo requests or content downloads
A good lead scoring model saves you time and helps sales focus on deals that are actually winnable. A bad one? It just adds noise and confusion. Most companies start too complicated, then get overwhelmed and quietly stop using it. Let’s avoid that.
Step 1: Get Crystal Clear on What a “Good Lead” Looks Like
Before you even open Ring, sit down with sales and agree on:
- What makes a lead actually qualified?
- What’s a waste of time?
- What behaviors or attributes have led to closed deals in the past?
Pro Tip: If sales and marketing aren’t aligned here, your scoring won’t fix anything. It’ll just make things worse, because now you’re mislabeling leads as “hot” or “cold” based on guesses.
How to Get the Answers
- Pull a list of your last 20 closed deals. What do they have in common?
- Ask sales which recent leads wasted their time (and why).
- Look for patterns in job titles, industries, or company size.
Write this down. This is your cheat sheet for the next steps.
Step 2: Map Out the Data You Actually Have
Ring can only score leads based on the info you give it. Before building anything, check:
- What fields do you collect on forms? (Job title, company size, industry, etc.)
- What website behavior does Ring track out of the box?
- Are you syncing data from other tools (like your CRM or webinar platform)?
Don’t overthink this. If you don’t have reliable data for a field (say, annual revenue), don’t include it in your scoring yet. Garbage in, garbage out.
Step 3: Decide on Your Lead Scoring Criteria
Now it’s time to choose the specific signals you’ll score. In Ring, you’ll likely use two buckets:
- Demographic/Firmographic: Who they are (job title, company, industry)
- Behavioral: What they do (email opens, page visits, demo requests)
Keep it simple to start. Here’s a basic example:
Demographic/Firmographic
- Senior job title (Director/VP/C-level): +10
- Company size 100–500 employees: +5
- Target industry (e.g., SaaS): +5
Behavioral
- Visited pricing page: +10
- Downloaded a whitepaper: +5
- Opened 3+ marketing emails: +3
- Requested a demo: +20
What to Ignore (for Now): - Social media follows or likes—usually too weak a signal. - Webinar attendance if you’re not running them regularly. - Any data you have to guess at.
Pro Tip: Fewer, stronger signals work better than a laundry list of weak ones.
Step 4: Set Up Lead Scoring Rules in Ring
Now you’re ready to get your hands dirty. Log into Ring and find the lead scoring module (names change, but it’s usually under “Automation” or “Scoring”).
Ring Setup Steps (Generalized):
- Create a New Lead Scoring Model
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Give it a clear name (e.g., “2024 B2B Scoring Model”)
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Add Demographic/Firmographic Rules
- Map your form fields or CRM data to the scoring system.
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Example: “If Job Title contains Director/VP/CXO, add 10 points.”
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Add Behavioral Rules
- Use Ring’s event tracking (email opens, page visits, downloads).
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Example: “If Contact visits /pricing, add 10 points.”
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Set Score Decay (Optional)
- If someone goes cold for 30+ days, subtract points automatically.
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Keeps your list fresh. Don’t overdo this—make sure it’s not punishing good leads who just needed time.
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Define Score Thresholds
- Decide what score triggers action (e.g., 30+ points = send to sales).
- This number isn’t magic—start somewhere, then adjust as you learn.
Don’t get stuck trying to score every possible action. Start with the most obvious signals. You can always add more later.
Step 5: Test Your Scoring Model Before Going Live
This is where most people skip ahead—and pay for it later.
- Run Old Leads Through the Model
- Does your new scoring actually rank your best customers at the top?
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Are any “bad” leads sneaking through as high scorers?
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Ask Sales for Feedback
- Show them the top 10 leads by score. Would they actually want to talk to them?
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If they roll their eyes, something’s off.
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Tweak as Needed
- Don’t be afraid to adjust your points or criteria if you see weird results.
- This is normal—no model is perfect out of the gate.
Step 6: Automate Handoffs and Alerts
Now that your model is working, make sure it actually triggers something when a lead gets hot.
- Sync with Your CRM: Push leads above your threshold into Salesforce, HubSpot, or wherever sales lives.
- Set Up Alerts: Email or Slack alerts when new leads cross the threshold.
- Assign Ownership: Make it clear who’s supposed to follow up. Otherwise, all this effort goes to waste.
Watch out: If you send sales too many “hot” leads that turn out to be duds, they’ll start ignoring your alerts. Quality over quantity.
Step 7: Monitor, Review, and (Occasionally) Tune
Lead scoring isn’t set-and-forget. Every few months:
- Review which scored leads actually became customers.
- Ask sales if the handoffs are working.
- Adjust point values if you see patterns (for example, if everyone who visits the pricing page is still unqualified, maybe that action is overrated).
Don’t tweak every week—you’ll just end up chasing your tail. Wait for real data.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What Works
- Keeping the scoring model simple and focused on obvious buying signals.
- Regular check-ins with sales (they’ll spot patterns you miss).
- Using real data instead of “gut feelings” about what matters.
What Rarely Works
- Overcomplicating the model with 20+ signals.
- Relying on weak signals (email opens, social likes) as major point drivers.
- Scoring based on data you don’t reliably collect.
What to Ignore
- Fancy dashboards if no one’s using the scores for real decisions.
- Any pressure to “set and forget”—lead scoring is a living thing.
Keep it Simple and Iterate
Setting up lead scoring in Ring can feel intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be perfect on day one. The main thing: start simple, use real data, and check in with sales often. You’ll learn more from watching what happens than from any whitepaper or vendor pitch.
If you keep your model tight and your feedback loops open, you’ll end up with a system that actually helps—not just another checkbox on your marketing automation list. And if you mess it up the first time? That’s normal. Just fix it and move on. The leads (and your sanity) will thank you.