Hotter Leads, Higher Conversions: Introducing The Firebrand Lead Scoring Model

Tick… tick… tick. That’s the sound of time rapidly counting down to the end of the year. The only thing louder? The constant drumbeat of sales reps asking for higher-quality leads. You don’t need more hours in the day, you need to spend your marketing effort in the right places. Enter The Firebrand Lead Scoring Model — the tool that cuts through the noise so you can focus on the leads that matter most.

First things first, the top lead scoring FAQ

Most startup marketers have lots of questions about lead scoring. We’ve got the answers you need:

How does lead scoring work?

Imagine having the power to know which leads are most likely to close the fastest. That’s what a lead scoring model does. It assigns points to your leads based on key factors so you can rank them by quality. “Quality” can be measured in a few different ways — for example, if you’re a cybersecurity startup that targets CISOs, any CISO lead that comes in gets big points. The same goes for a lead who works for one of the organizations on your target account list.

But B2B lead scoring doesn’t just measure who they are; it measures what they do. Your lead scoring model can determine which of your leads are most engaged at any particular moment because points are also given based on specific actions they take. 

How do you build a lead scoring model? 

Start by creating an agreed-upon definition of your ideal customer profile so you’re able to zero in on leads that fit it and show the highest intent. When it comes to intent, your Sales and Marketing teams need to agree on which actions are most important, then assign point values to them. Typically, the lower-funnel the action is, the more points it gets. For example, viewing multiple pages of your website is great, but registering for your big virtual event is even better. The lowest-funnel actions — like filling out your Contact Us or Request a Demo forms — are the holy grail, and as such, receive the most points.

You must also agree on negative points because as much as we all hate it, leads will also do things that prove they’re not so engaged with your brand. In order to paint the most accurate picture, your lead scoring model must account for those actions too. For example, if a lead unsubscribes from your email list, they lose big points.

What are some lead scoring examples? 

Did someone just download an ebook? That’s a strong signal and certainly worth some points. Do they open lots of your emails? Add a few more points. Did they visit your pricing page? They get extra points because that’s a much lower-funnel action than simply visiting your homepage or blog.

What happens to all of those points? Every lead scoring model has point thresholds for marketing qualified leads (MQLs) and sales qualified leads (SQLs). For example, you might decide that once a lead racks up 20 points, they have engaged with you enough to be evaluated by your marketing team as an MQL. Once they hit 30 points, they’re interested enough and meet the right criteria to be sent to Sales as an SQL.

Note that for this Model we are using HubSpot’s definitions of MQL and SQL. In this model and SQL is qualified for Sales not by Sales. In this method, once Sales has qualified them they would become a Sales Accepted Lead. This is a little different to many startups where an SQL has been through Sales vetting. Our Model though takes you up the the Sales handover – and you can customize the naming to fit your convention..

If you think this means sitting at your desk constantly calculating points, think again. (We wouldn’t dream of adding to your jam-packed to-do list!) HubSpot lead scoring works with your system, automating real-time updates and giving you peace of mind. We’re focused primarily on HubSpot because so many startup marketers use it, but a solid lead scoring model can work with any CRM.

Why startup marketers need a lead scoring model now more than ever

As a startup marketer, you’re always asked to do more with less. According to our Startup Marketer Outlook, more than one-third (34.65%) of startup marketers said their biggest goal in 2024 was to improve marketing efficiency. Lead scoring is your secret weapon.

The day-to-day benefits of B2B lead scoring

With the right lead scoring model, you don’t have to worry about wasting time on lukewarm prospects or hearing sales complain about poor lead quality. With an agreed-upon lead scoring model, both Sales and Marketing stay aligned, making it crystal clear which leads deserve attention.

Proper lead scoring doesn’t just help Sales — it helps you too. Use it to quantitatively measure the impact of your efforts, then scale up. Attribution tells you which campaigns, channels, and content assets a lead interacts with across their journey, but lead scoring gives you the power to determine which of your campaigns acquired the highest-quality leads and which of your channels and content assets resonated best. As a result, you can spend your time doing more of the stuff that works.

The coolest part? We’ve got your back

If you’re like most of the startup marketers we talk to, you’re excited by the possibilities of lead scoring. But if you’ve tried to implement a lead scoring model in the past, you’ve likely struggled. (It can certainly come with challenges, which is why we dedicated an entire podcast episode to overcoming them.)

Fear not, we have a solution: The Firebrand Lead Scoring Model. It’s a template that you can use right out of the box, or use as a springboard to customize and implement your own points system. There’s a built-in calculator that shows you how all of the demographic, firmographic, and behavioral data come together to paint a complete picture of each lead. Everything you see in the template has been designed to align with best practices and specifically for automated HubSpot lead scoring. If you’re still in the early days without a CRM, don’t worry — you can use this template manually until you scale up.

Here at Firebrand, we’re all about giving startup marketers the support and expertise they need to crush their marketing goals. The Firebrand Lead Scoring Model will help you quickly spot red-hot leads, fire up your sales pipeline, and spark new efficiencies in your daily work. Download it now and start taking advantage of everything lead scoring has to offer.