lead scoring

Definition

A methodology for ranking prospects based on their perceived value and likelihood to convert, assigning points for behaviors and demographics. It's hot-or-not for potential customers, but with spreadsheets.

Example Usage

Our lead scoring model assigned 50 points for downloading a whitepaper, which we later discovered mostly attracted people who collect PDFs for reasons unknown.

Origin

Developed in B2B marketing during the 1990s, automated in the 2000s

Fun Fact

Most companies constantly adjust their lead scoring models because they discover their assumptions about what indicates buying intent are hilariously wrong.

Source: CRM systems and marketing automation platforms

Related Terms

Intermediate

conversion rate optimization

The systematic process of increasing the percentage of website visitors who take desired actions, through testing, analysis, and psychological manipulation. Often abbreviated as CRO by people who test button colors with religious fervor.

📣 Marketing / Advertising

Intermediate

long-tail keywords

Highly specific, low-competition search phrases that attract fewer visitors but convert better, like fishing in a small pond with hungry fish instead of the ocean with everyone else. The unsexy workhorses of SEO that collectively drive more traffic than flashy head terms.

📣 Marketing / Advertising

Beginner

Evergreen Content

Content that stays relevant forever, like a blog post about how to boil water or the timeless art of writing listicles. Marketers love it because you write it once and pretend it's generating value for the next decade.

📣 Marketing / Advertising

Intermediate

steam roller pricing

An aggressive discounting pattern where prices progressively decrease to move inventory, crushing margin like asphalt under heavy machinery. The retail death spiral in action.

📣 Marketing / Advertising

Intermediate

cost per engagement

What you pay for each interaction with your ad—likes, shares, comments, or clicks—turning social media validation into a line item on your budget. It's the metric that reveals exactly how much you're spending to get strangers to double-tap your content.

📣 Marketing / Advertising

Intermediate

brand architecture

The organizational structure of a company's brands, products, and services—whether they're independent siblings, a parent-child hierarchy, or one big happy endorsed family. It's the family tree that determines who gets what inheritance.

📣 Marketing / Advertising

Translate This Term

See “lead scoring” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Beginner

360-degree feedback

A performance evaluation process where employees receive confidential, anonymous feedback from everyone around them—su...