B2B sales is messy. Not every lead deserves your time, and chasing the wrong ones just burns out your team. That’s where lead scoring comes in: It helps you sort the tire-kickers from the real buyers. But if you’re reading this, you already know the theory—you want the nuts and bolts. This guide is for B2B sales teams using Whatcms who want a practical, no-nonsense setup for lead scoring that actually helps you close deals.
Why Lead Scoring Actually Matters (And Where Most Teams Get It Wrong)
Lead scoring is supposed to help you focus on the leads that are most likely to buy. In reality, a lot of teams just slap together a half-baked system, set it, and forget it. Or worse, they use the default settings and wonder why sales is always fighting with marketing.
If you want lead scoring to work for your sales team—not just become another dashboard no one looks at—here’s what you need: - A scoring system that fits your sales process. Not someone else’s idea of “best practice.” - Buy-in from sales and marketing. Otherwise, it’s just numbers in a spreadsheet. - A willingness to adjust as you learn. Your first attempt won’t be perfect, and that’s fine.
Let’s get into it.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
Before you touch any settings in Whatcms, nail down who you actually want to sell to. This means more than just “anyone with a pulse.”
What to nail down: - Industry: Are there verticals that are a better fit? - Company size: Are you after startups, mid-market, or enterprise? - Job titles: Who usually signs the contract or champions your product? - Geography: Any regions you don’t serve (or especially want to target)? - Tech stack: Is there software your best customers always use?
Don’t skip this. If your ICP is fuzzy, your lead scoring will be too.
Pro tip: If you’re not sure, pull up your last 10 deals and look for patterns.
Step 2: Map Out the Data You Actually Have
Whatcms can only score what you feed it. If you don’t track a data point (like industry or annual revenue), you can’t score on it. Before you start building your model, make a list:
- What fields are available in Whatcms? (Company size, website visits, email opens, etc.)
- Where does each field come from? (Lead forms, integrations, manual entry)
- Are there any gaps? (For example, if you want to score based on tech stack, do you actually collect that?)
Don’t get fancy trying to score on stuff you don’t track. Start with what’s already in your CRM.
Step 3: Decide Which Actions and Attributes Deserve Points
This is where most people overcomplicate things. Start simple—really. A good lead scoring model usually has two parts:
- Demographic/Firmographic: Who are they? (e.g., industry, company size, job title)
- Behavioral: What have they done? (e.g., downloaded a whitepaper, booked a demo, opened an email)
Here’s a basic example:
| Attribute/Action | Points | |---------------------------|--------| | Correct industry | +20 | | Right company size | +15 | | Visited pricing page | +10 | | Requested demo | +30 | | Opened 3+ emails | +5 | | Used competitor software | +10 | | Gmail or generic email | -15 | | Outside your target region| -10 |
What to ignore: - Vanity metrics (like social follows) rarely matter. - Don’t guess at “intent” based on weak signals (e.g., just visiting your homepage).
Pro tip: Use negative points for red flags—like personal email addresses or wrong geography.
Step 4: Set Up Your Score Model in Whatcms
Now you’re ready to get your hands dirty in Whatcms. Here’s how to actually set up lead scoring:
4.1. Find the Lead Scoring Section
- Log into Whatcms.
- Go to “Settings” (usually a gear icon).
- Look for “Lead Scoring” or “Scoring Models.” (If you don’t see it, check your user permissions or contact your admin.)
4.2. Create a New Scoring Model
- Click “Create New Scoring Model.”
- Name it something obvious, like “B2B Sales Lead Score.”
4.3. Add Your Criteria
- For each attribute/action you mapped in Step 3, add a rule.
- Choose the field (e.g., Company Size).
- Set the condition (e.g., “is greater than 200”).
- Assign your point value (e.g., +15).
- Repeat for all your criteria, including negative points.
4.4. Set Score Decay (Optional)
If you want scores to drop over time if a lead goes cold (say, no activity for 30 days), set up decay rules. This keeps old leads from clogging your pipeline.
4.5. Save and Test
- Save your model.
- Run it on a batch of recent leads to see if the scores “feel” right.
- Check a few actual leads—does the score make sense given what you know about them?
Honest take: If the tool’s UI feels clunky, don’t force it. Sometimes it’s easier to mock up your model in a spreadsheet first, then build it in Whatcms.
Step 5: Define What Happens When a Lead Hits a Score Threshold
Lead scoring is pointless unless you act on it. Decide what happens when a lead crosses a certain score—don’t just let the score sit there.
Examples: - Sales gets an instant alert when a lead crosses 50 points. - Lead moves to a “Hot” pipeline stage automatically. - Outbound rep gets assigned for immediate follow-up.
How to set this up in Whatcms: - Go to “Automation” or “Workflows.” - Create a rule: “When Lead Score >= X, then [do Y].” - Test this on sample leads—no one wants to get spammed by accident.
Pro tip: Start with one or two clear actions. If you create too many triggers, your team will start ignoring them.
Step 6: Roll It Out—And Get Feedback Fast
Don’t just flip the switch and walk away. Tell your sales team what you’re doing and why. Ask them to sanity-check the leads flagged as “hot” in the first week.
Questions to ask: - Are we flagging the right leads? - Is anyone slipping through the cracks? - Are there false positives (high scores for leads that are clearly duds)?
If the scores aren’t helping, change them. This isn’t a “set it and forget it” system. You’ll need to tweak the model as you learn.
Step 7: Review and Tweak Your Model Every Month
The truth? Your first attempt will be off. That’s normal. Every month (or quarter, if you’re slammed), look at: - Which scored leads actually turned into deals? - Are there patterns in the misses? - Are sales reps ignoring high-scoring leads? Why?
Make small changes. Don’t overhaul everything at once.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over getting the “perfect” model. Good enough and improving is better than perfect and unused.
Pro Tips and Gotchas
- Don’t use too many scoring criteria. More isn’t better—just more confusing.
- Be skeptical of vendor “best practices.” What works for a SaaS selling to banks won’t work for an agency selling to startups.
- Don’t let the score replace common sense. It’s a tool, not a crystal ball.
- Make sure marketing and sales agree. If marketing’s “hot” lead is sales’ “waste of time,” you’ll just get finger-pointing.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Lead scoring should make your sales team’s life easier, not harder. Start basic, focus on the signals that actually matter, and expect to tweak your model as you go. Don’t chase theoretical perfection—just keep making it a little better each month. The more you use real feedback from your sales floor, the more valuable your lead scoring will actually be.