Lead Scoring Explained: How to Prioritize Your Outbound List

You have a list of 500 verified leads. All of them match your ICP. All of them have valid email addresses. Where do you start?

Without lead scoring, you start at the top of the list and work down. With lead scoring, you start with the 50 leads most likely to convert and work outward. The difference in reply rates and meeting quality is significant.

What Lead Scoring Actually Is

Lead scoring assigns a numerical value to each lead based on how closely they match your ideal customer and how likely they are to buy. A lead scored 95 is a near-perfect match with strong buying signals. A lead scored 40 matches your basic criteria but lacks urgency indicators.

Both are worth contacting. But the 95 should hear from you first.

The Two Dimensions of Lead Scoring

Fit score measures how closely the lead matches your ICP. This includes:

• Industry alignment (exact match, adjacent, or tangential)
• Company size relative to your sweet spot
• Revenue range match
• Title and seniority alignment
• Geography match
• Technology stack relevance

Intent score measures how likely the lead is to be in a buying cycle. This includes:

• Recent funding (companies that just raised are often ready to invest in growth tools)
• Hiring signals (posting roles that suggest they are scaling the function you serve)
• Technology changes (adopting or leaving tools adjacent to yours)
• Content engagement (visiting your website, downloading resources, attending webinars)
• Competitive signals (using a competitor, especially one they might be outgrowing)

Your overall lead score should weight both dimensions. A perfect-fit company with no intent signals is a good long-term target. A moderate-fit company with strong intent signals might be a better near-term opportunity.

Scoring at VerifiedByTed

Every lead delivered by VerifiedByTed includes an ICP match score from 1-100. This score is calculated based on the specific criteria you defined in your ICP:

• Exact match on primary criteria (industry, size, title) = higher score
• Match on secondary criteria (geography, tech stack, stage) = incremental score
• Presence of trigger events (hiring, funding, growth signals) = significant score boost
• Confidence of underlying data = score adjustment

You receive your leads ranked by score, so you can prioritize your outreach accordingly. Start with the 90+ scores for your primary sequences. Work the 70-89 range for secondary outreach. Bank the 50-69 range for future campaigns.

The Impact of Scoring on Results

Teams that prioritize by lead score typically see:

• 30-50% higher reply rates on their top-scored segment
• 2x higher meeting-to-opportunity conversion
• Faster sales cycles (better-fit leads close faster)
• More efficient use of sales team time

Lead scoring is not a nice-to-have feature. It is the difference between systematic outbound and random emailing.