There isn't a universal "right" number for any scoring rule - the right answer depends on your funnel, your content, and how your sales team defines a qualified lead. That said, most B2B teams end up in a similar ballpark. Use the values below as a starting point for your first pass, then tune them as you observe how scored leads actually convert.
Who does this: Marketing ops uses this as a reference; sales leadership signs off on the final numbers
Time needed: 15 minutes to read; 30 to 45 more to adapt the values to your business
Why this matters: The philosophy matters more than the exact numbers. Scoring has to reflect your definition of buying behaviour. Borrow these values to get moving, then revise quarterly based on what you see in real opportunities.
In plain English: Pick a target score for "sales-ready" (we suggest 40). Then weight each behaviour by how close it gets a prospect to that target. A pricing page visit by itself might be worth the whole 40; an email open is worth 1.
How to use this page: This is a reference for the philosophy behind each score. For the full setup walkthrough, see Setting Up a Lead Scoring System.
Marketing funnel stages and score ranges
- Unengaged: 0
- Top of Funnel (Engaged): 1 to 10
- Middle of Funnel: 11 to 29
- Bottom of Funnel: 30 to 39
- Marketing-Qualified / Sales-Ready: 40 to 60
- Hot Leads for Sales: 60+
Time period: Start of buying cycle to close of sale
Target MQL-to-sales-accepted-lead handoff: 40 points. Define a specific threshold for "ready to talk to sales," then rate every other behaviour as a fraction of that target.
Standard activities, scores, and philosophy
| Activity | Score | Philosophy |
|---|---|---|
| Was sent any message | 0 | You could send 40 messages in a week. If none are opened, the recipient isn't any more sales-qualified than anyone else. |
| Opened any message | 1 | An open is nice to see, but doesn't indicate buying interest on its own. |
| Clicked on any message | 1 to 5 | A click shows you have attention, but isn't itself buying behaviour. Tip: set this to (11 minus your "Downloaded Media" score). If Downloaded Media = 10, Clicked on Message = 1. |
| Viewed a form | 0 | Hesitation at the form can mean the prospect isn't seriously evaluating yet. They'll still pick up points from "Visited a web page." |
| Submitted any form | 10 | Trading information for content is a strong signal. |
| Downloaded any media | 5 to 20 | Downloading Media Assets means prospects are consuming content you designed to guide their buying journey. Often very strong. Typical value: 10. |
| Visited any landing page | 2 | Typically weighted more than a general web page visit. Prospects also pick up points from "Visited a web page." |
| Visited any web page | 1 | Ask yourself: how many pages should a prospect view before you want sales to engage? Divide 40 by that number. |
| Clicked any social post | 1 to 5 | Clicking content posted through Act-On's social publish tool. Engagement, not strong intent. |
| Registered for any webinar | 5 | Registration signals interest and reveals topic priority. |
| Attended any webinar | 35 | Registering and showing up is close to sales-ready. Route to sales immediately. |
| Clicked any organic search listing | 5 to 10 | Click-through from an unpaid search result. Flexible category and can include accidental visits. |
| Clicked any paid search ad | 10 to 15 | Clicking an AdWord. PPC gets weighted heavily. |
| Unique: Visited Pricing page | 40 | Pricing page traffic is usually a pure buying signal. |
| Unique: Submitted Contact Us form | 40 | A Contact Us submission should make a prospect immediately qualified. |