What is a lead score?
A lead score is a number given to a prospective customer that estimates how likely it is to buy, or how closely it fits the customers you already win, so a sales team can decide who to contact first; DashLeads has scored 20M+ venues. In B2B software a lead score usually rates contacts; in foodservice and drinks sales it rates outlets, which tells a rep which doors to knock on first.
The trusted intelligence layer for teams selling to Hospitality & Retail
How a lead score is built
Most lead scores combine two kinds of evidence:
- Fit: how closely the prospect resembles the customers you win. For an outlet: venue type, price level, what it already sells.
- Potential or intent: how much it could buy, or how ready it is to buy. For an outlet: size, activity, growth.
How to measure it
Lead score = fit evidence + potential evidence, expressed on a fixed scale such as 0 to 100
Scores come from two families of method. Rule-based scores add points for each attribute a sales leader picks. Model-based (predictive) scores learn from past wins and losses which attributes go together with a sale. Rule-based scores are easy to explain but drift out of date; model-based scores adapt, but need a sense check by people who know the territory.
Either way, a score becomes useful only once it is cut into bands with a rule per band, and once conversion is tracked by band, so you can see whether high scores really convert more often.
Worked example
A rep for a craft cider brand has 400 scored outlets in one city and room for 60 new-business visits this quarter.
| Band | Score | Outlets | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 80 to 100 | 45 | Visit this month |
| B | 60 to 79 | 110 | Visit when nearby |
| C | 40 to 59 | 150 | Contact remotely |
| D | Below 40 | 95 | Do not prioritise |
The 45 A-band outlets fill most of the 60 visits; the other 15 go to B-band outlets near them. At the end of the quarter the rep checks conversion by band. If A converts at 30% and B at 10%, the score separates well. If A and B convert alike, the description of the target account needs work, not the reps.
Lead score vs lead scoring vs tier
A lead score is the number on one prospect. Lead scoring is the practice of producing those numbers across a list and acting on them; see foodservice lead scoring for how sales teams set it up for outlets. A predictive score is a lead score produced by a model trained on outcomes rather than hand-set rules.
A lead score is also not a tier. The score ranks prospects you do not serve yet by how likely they are to buy; tiers usually rank outlets, customers included, by their value to you, to set service levels.
Lead scores for outlets
In foodservice most of the market never fills in a form, so a score built on clicks and email opens rates almost nobody. Outlet scores work from what each venue shows in public instead. Describe your best account in plain words and Dashmote's AI reads each outlet's menu, photos, delivery listings and reviews to give it a score from 0 to 100, across the outlets it maps in your territory, not only those in your CRM. The hotspot map shows where high-scoring outlets cluster.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good lead score?
A good lead score is one in the band your team has seen convert; there is no universal threshold. Track conversion by band and set the visit cut-off where conversion drops.
What is the difference between a lead score and a lead grade?
In B2B marketing a score often measures interest or activity, and a grade, shown as a letter, measures fit. In field sales the two are usually combined into one number and then cut into letter bands.
Can a lead score be wrong?
Yes. A score reflects its evidence and the profile it was given, so a venue with little public information, or a vaguely described target account, gets misranked. That is why reps should check the top of the list and report wins and losses back.
How often should lead scores be updated?
Whenever the underlying data changes materially: openings, menu and ownership changes all move outlets up or down. Stale scores send reps to the wrong venues.
Should existing customers get a lead score?
They can, but most teams keep them separate: customers are managed by tier and account plan, and the lead score ranks the outlets you do not serve yet.