HubSpot Lead Scoring Gotchas: Mastering Score Decay for Better Lead Management

The HubSpot Lead Scoring Challenge: When Scores Need to Go Down

HubSpot's lead scoring feature is a cornerstone of effective lead management, helping businesses prioritize and engage with the most promising prospects. However, the native functionality sometimes presents challenges, particularly when it comes to reducing a contact's score. This process, often referred to as 'score decay,' is crucial for maintaining accurate lead qualification over time. Stale leads can clog your sales pipeline and waste valuable resources. But how do you implement score decay when HubSpot's built-in features don't quite cut it?

One HubSpot user recently raised this very issue in the HubSpot Community, sparking a valuable discussion about creative workarounds. Let's dive into the problem and explore potential solutions.

The Core Problem: Subtracting Points from the Total Score

The original poster highlighted two specific scenarios where they needed to subtract a fixed number of points (100, in their case) from a contact's total score:

1. SQL Aging: Contacts reaching a certain score (100+) are designated as Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs). The goal was to prevent contacts from remaining in the SQL stage indefinitely. After 90 days as an SQL, the user wanted to reduce their score, effectively moving them back to the MQL stage. The obstacle? HubSpot's scoring only allows subtracting from either 'Fit' or 'Engagement' properties, not the overall score directly.
2. Lead Status = Needs Nurturing: When a lead's status changes to 'Needs Nurturing,' a similar score reduction was desired. Again, the limitation of only subtracting from 'Fit' or 'Engagement' created a hurdle.

The fundamental issue is that HubSpot lacks a straightforward way to subtract a specific value from the total lead score, irrespective of its distribution across the 'Fit' and 'Engagement' categories. This can lead to inflated scores and inaccurate lead prioritization.

Workaround 1: Resetting the Score with HubSpot Workflows

A community member suggested a clever workaround using HubSpot workflows. While not a true 'decay' mechanism, it offers a practical alternative: resetting the score after a defined period.

Here's how this approach can be implemented:

1. Enrollment Trigger: Configure a workflow to enroll contacts based on a date property. For example, enroll contacts 90 days after they initially became an SQL.
2. Action: Utilize the 'Clear property value' action within the workflow to reset the contact's lead score to zero.

This approach is most effective when you want to significantly reduce a contact's score, essentially starting them over. It's less suitable for gradual score decay.

Important Note: One user noted that the score property was read-only. If you encounter this, ensure you're using the correct property and have the necessary permissions to modify it.

Workaround 2: Adjusting 'Fit' and 'Engagement' Scores Strategically

While not ideal, you can strategically adjust 'Fit' and 'Engagement' scores to approximate a total score reduction. This requires careful planning and an understanding of how your scoring model is structured.

For instance, if you know that a certain behavior contributes primarily to the 'Engagement' score, you can subtract points from that category when the lead's status changes to 'Needs Nurturing.' However, this method is less precise and may require ongoing adjustments to maintain accuracy.

Workaround 3: Leveraging Calculated Properties (HubSpot Professional & Enterprise)

For HubSpot Professional and Enterprise users, calculated properties offer a more sophisticated solution. You can create a calculated property that tracks the 'decayed' score based on specific criteria.

1. Create a Custom Property: Create a new number property to store the decayed score (e.g., 'Adjusted Lead Score').
2. Build a Calculated Property: Create a calculated property that subtracts points from the original lead score based on conditions like SQL aging or lead status changes. The formula might look something like: IF(days_since_sql > 90, original_lead_score - 100, original_lead_score)
3. Use the Adjusted Score: Use the 'Adjusted Lead Score' property for segmentation, reporting, and workflow triggers.

This approach provides greater flexibility and control over the score decay process, allowing you to tailor it to your specific needs.

Best Practices for Implementing Lead Score Decay

• Define Clear Criteria: Establish clear and objective criteria for when a lead's score should be reduced. This ensures consistency and fairness.
• Communicate Changes: Inform your sales and marketing teams about the score decay process and how it impacts lead prioritization.
• Monitor Performance: Track the effectiveness of your score decay strategy and make adjustments as needed. Are you seeing improved lead quality and conversion rates?
• Regularly Review and Update: Lead behavior and market dynamics change over time. Regularly review and update your lead scoring model to ensure it remains accurate and relevant.

The Future of Lead Scoring: Predictive Scoring and AI

While these workarounds can help address the limitations of HubSpot's native lead scoring, the future of lead management lies in predictive scoring and AI-powered solutions. These technologies can analyze vast amounts of data to identify patterns and predict which leads are most likely to convert, offering a more dynamic and accurate approach to lead qualification. Furthermore, robust ecommerce automation shopify integrations can help to bring in more data points from customer purchase behavior.

Conclusion: Mastering Lead Scoring in HubSpot

While HubSpot's lead scoring feature is powerful, implementing effective score decay strategies requires creative thinking and a willingness to explore workarounds. By leveraging workflows, calculated properties, and a strategic approach to 'Fit' and 'Engagement' scores, you can maintain accurate lead qualification and optimize your sales and marketing efforts. As the landscape of lead management evolves, staying informed about emerging technologies like predictive scoring and AI will be crucial for staying ahead of the curve. For those using HubSpot Commerce, integrating your storefront data into your lead scoring model can provide even deeper insights and improve lead prioritization.