Account scoring
In short
Account scoring is a method of giving every company a number that reflects how promising it is as a customer. The score is built from criteria such as firmographics, technology use, and buying signals.
Unlike lead scoring, which rates individual people, account scoring rates the company as a whole. That makes it the natural base for account-based marketing and for any team selling to buying committees.
What goes into an account score
Fit criteria
Industry, employee count, region, and tools in use. These change slowly and show whether the company could be a good customer.
Engagement and intent criteria
Website visits, content engagement, product research, and third-party intent signals. These change quickly and show whether the company is active now.
Negative criteria
Subtract points for known bad signs, such as a competitor relationship, a very small team, or a past churned customer with a similar profile.
How to build a simple score
Say a team scores accounts out of 100. It gives up to 60 points for fit and up to 40 for engagement, then adds a deduction for negative traits.
- Step 1: List the traits your best customers share.
- Step 2: Assign points to each trait, giving more to those that separate winners from losers.
- Step 3: Set cutoffs, such as high, medium, and low, tied to different plays.
- Step 4: Test against closed-won and closed-lost deals and adjust.
Account scoring vs. lead scoring
- Account scoring: Rates the company. Useful when several contacts influence a deal.
- Lead scoring: Rates a single person based on their profile and actions. Useful for routing inbound leads.
Common mistakes
- Too many criteria: Fifteen weak inputs add noise. A handful of strong ones usually works better.
- Never validating: A score that has not been checked against outcomes is a guess with a number attached.
- Mixing fit and intent in one number: A single blended score can hide why an account ranks high. Keep fit and intent visible separately.
Account scoring FAQs
How does account scoring work?
Each account receives points for matching traits such as industry, size, tech stack, and recent signals, and may lose points for negative traits. The points add up to a score that ranks accounts from most to least promising.
What is the difference between account scoring and lead scoring?
Account scoring rates a whole company, while lead scoring rates an individual contact. Account scoring suits deals with several stakeholders; lead scoring suits routing and following up on individual inbound leads.
What factors should an account score include?
Include fit factors such as industry, company size, and tech stack, plus engagement or intent factors such as research activity and site visits. Add negative factors for traits that predict churn or lost deals.
How do you know if your account scoring model is accurate?
Compare scores with outcomes. If higher-scored accounts do not win, close faster, or retain better than lower-scored ones, the model needs new inputs or weights. Review it against fresh closed deals regularly.
