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Not all leads are worth the same. Lead scoring helps you surface the contacts that both fit your target audience and show interest, so sales reps spend their time where the chance of a deal is highest. Here is how lead scoring works in HubSpot and how to build a model that actually gets used.
In short: Lead scoring in HubSpot gives every contact or company points based on two things: how well they match your ideal customer (fit) and how engaged they are (engagement). The score can drive lifecycle stage, assignment to sales and prioritization. The tool is included in Marketing Hub and Sales Hub Professional and Enterprise.
What is lead scoring?
Lead scoring is a way to calculate how likely a lead is to become a customer. Every property and action gives positive or negative points. When the score passes a threshold, the lead is ready for the next step, for example becoming an MQL and being handed over to sales.
Fit and engagement
HubSpot's lead scoring tool separates two types of scores, and the distinction matters:
- Fit is about who the contact is. Right industry, size, role and country. A perfect fit who has never visited your site is a good prospect, but not a hot lead.
- Engagement is about what the contact does. Pricing page visits, opened emails, downloads and meetings. High engagement from a student is not a hot lead either.
The best leads score high on both. You can combine them into a total score or use them in a matrix.
Example model for a B2B company
| Criterion | Type | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Industry within ICP | Fit | +20 |
| 50 to 500 employees | Fit | +15 |
| Decision making role | Fit | +20 |
| Personal email address | Fit | minus 15 |
| Visited the pricing page | Engagement | +15 |
| Booked a demo or meeting | Engagement | +30 |
| Downloaded a guide | Engagement | +10 |
| No activity in 90 days | Engagement | minus 20 |
The numbers are examples. What matters is that they reflect what actually separates your customers from other contacts.
How to build a model that works
- Start from your customers. Look at the last 20 to 50 won deals. What do they have in common, and what did they do before they became customers?
- Involve sales. Ask the reps what characterizes a good lead. If they do not trust the score, they will not use it.
- Start simple. Five to ten criteria is enough. A model with fifty rules is impossible to understand.
- Let the score decay. Engagement a year ago is not worth as much as engagement today.
- Connect it to action. Use the score in workflows to set lifecycle stage, assign reps or create tasks.
- Evaluate quarterly. Do high scoring leads turn into deals more often? If not, adjust.
Lead scoring and AI
HubSpot also offers predictive scoring on higher tiers, where a model calculates the probability that a contact becomes a customer based on historical data. It works best when you have enough won deals and clean data. A manual model is often a better first step because everyone understands it.
Frequently asked questions about lead scoring in HubSpot
What is lead scoring in HubSpot?
Lead scoring in HubSpot is a tool that gives contacts and companies points based on how well they fit your audience and how engaged they are. The score is used to prioritize and decide when a lead is ready for sales.
Which license do you need for lead scoring in HubSpot?
The lead scoring tool is included in Marketing Hub and Sales Hub Professional and Enterprise. Enterprise gives you more scoring models.
What is the difference between fit and engagement?
Fit shows how well the contact matches your ideal customer, such as industry, size and role. Engagement shows how active the contact is, such as visits, emails and meetings.
What score should a lead have to become an MQL?
There is no universal threshold. Set it based on your history, for example the score most of your won deals had when sales first contacted them, and adjust over time.
How often should the lead scoring model be updated?
Evaluate it at least once a quarter. Compare scores with actual deals and adjust criteria and thresholds when you see the model missing the mark.
Summary
Lead scoring works when it is based on real customers, is easy to understand and is connected to action. Start with a clear model, get sales on board and evaluate regularly.
Want help building a lead scoring model in HubSpot? Get in touch with LeadLabs.
