# Lead scoring that sales believes: fit, intent and decay, with a scoring sheet

A lead score sales trusts has two parts kept apart: fit, for who the lead is, and intent, for what they did lately, with intent points halving over time. This sheet lists the attributes and behaviors to score, a points column to fill in, the rules for setting the threshold, and a calculator that shows how a lead's score decays toward the line.

## How to use it

Set the points by looking backward: pull the leads that became opportunities in the last two quarters and the ones that did not, and give points to the attributes and actions that separate them. A model built from opinions in a meeting tends to reward activity, not buying.

Review the model every quarter against the same question: of the leads above the threshold, how many did sales accept, and how many became opportunities.

## Fit: who the lead is (points do not decay)

Fit attributes:

| Attribute | Value | Points |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Industry | [In your target list] | [ ] |
| Company size | [Employees or revenue band you sell to] | [ ] |
| Role | [Buyer or champion titles] | [ ] |
| Seniority | [Decision-maker level] | [ ] |
| Region | [Markets you serve] | [ ] |
| Technology in use | [A system your product works with] | [ ] |
| Disqualifier | [Student, competitor, existing customer] | [negative] |

## Intent: what the lead did (points halve every half-life)

Intent behaviors:

| Behavior | Points | Cap per period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Demo or contact request | [Enough to cross the threshold alone] | [ ] |
| Pricing page visit | [ ] | [ ] |
| Product or comparison page visits | [ ] | [ ] |
| Webinar attended live | [ ] | [ ] |
| Content download | [ ] | [ ] |
| Email click | [ ] | [ ] |
| Reply to an email | [ ] | [ ] |

## Rules

- **Threshold.** [Score] makes a marketing qualified lead. Set it where the leads above it convert to opportunities at a rate sales agrees is worth working.
- **Hand-raises skip the score.** A demo or contact request routes to sales immediately, whatever the score.
- **Half-life.** Intent points halve every [days]. Choose a fraction of your typical time from first engagement to opportunity.
- **Caps.** Cap points per behavior per period, so a hundred email opens cannot make a lead qualified.
- **Fit floor.** A lead below [fit score] is never an MQL, however active.

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From Take the Market: https://www.takethemarket.com/tools/lead-scoring-model