B2B lead scoring, marketing optimization and stage based metrics

Stage by stage lead scoring and tracking is critical to building and forecasting business and gaining insight to optimize marketing.

Stakeholder agreement on criteria & outcome-based metrics that qualify & track entry into, activities & time within & exit from each stage is the starting point.

It’s also a critical part of knowing what it costs to generate and nurture leads and to assessing what marketing activities and materials are working and which need revision.

Metrics and analytics can segment prospects enabling more personalized nurturing. They can also be used to identify when a high-quality lead is at risk and initiate activities or outreach as appropriate. Given the dynamic nature of most B2B markets and marketing efforts, constant monitoring and modification of the lead scoring and tracking process will be required. The watchword here is to keep it simple. In today’s world, it’s easy to dial in a lot of data. The key. Focus on the few that count.

A few basics to consider: An overall score based on the activities the lead engaged in, A company score that tracks the number of active leads from each company, Product or solution score based on interest in the product, An aging score that reduces the score as the time between activities increase. Also, track use of materials and activities and capture the users feedback on their value and contribution to their decision making.

Behind all of this needs to be a really clear understanding of who the influencers and decision makers are and what their needs and goals are for each stage of their buying process. With that knowledge and content that aligns with those needs your ability to define and track the value and progress of leads will increase significantly.

I Look forward to your comments on this as a best practice and to your thoughts about other practices that create valuable metrics and analytics.

Mike Connor, Principal Spice Catalyst