Ideally, your marketing automation solution has an open lead scoring system where you can set the values assigned to various online behaviors. A versatile system will also allow you to set (and modify) a score that represents a “sales-ready” lead.

The lead scoring system should be granular enough to cover a range of online behaviors. A numerical system based on a scale of 100 works well. Online behaviors can include return visits to the website, form submissions, file downloads and/or response to email.

Initially, you need to set the scores of individual behaviors relative to each other.  Start by setting the value of the online behavior that you believe indicates the highest level of interest. For many B2B marketers, a return visit to their website is the most clear-cut indicator of interest. Let’s set it at 10 to start. You may decide that a return visit counts twice as much as a file download so the file download is set at 5. Carry on this way until you have set values for all online behaviors. Defining score values is an iterative process so if you are not satisfied that the weightings are proportionate to each other, keep repeating the process until you are.

Then you need to establish a score that defines “sales-ready.” For example, you may decide that after a visitor has downloaded a white paper, returned to your website after a few days to view more pages including the pricing page that the lead is qualified and ready for a call from your sales team. The cumulative score of these online behaviors is the “sales-ready” threshold. As time goes on this threshold should be adjusted up or down depending on feedback from sales.