Australian businesses are facing increasing pressure to do more with less. That means every marketing dollar – and every sales minute – needs to be focused on the most promising opportunities. Optimising your lead scoring model is absolutely central to achieving this. It’s not just about ranking leads; it’s about predicting which ones will convert into paying customers, allowing your sales team to prioritise effectively.
We’re seeing a shift in what constitutes a ‘good’ lead in the Australian market. Traditional demographic data is becoming less reliable as a predictor of behaviour. Here’s what we believe will be crucial for success.
- Behavioural Data is King: Forget just job title and company size. Focus on what leads *do* on your website. Downloads, page views (especially pricing pages!), webinar attendance, and email engagement are far stronger indicators of intent.
- Intent Data Integration: Consider integrating third-party intent data. This looks at what Australian businesses are actively researching online – even if they haven’t directly engaged with you yet. It’s a powerful signal.
- Negative Scoring Matters: Don’t just score for positive actions. Assign negative points for things like unsubscribing from emails, bouncing emails repeatedly, or consistently ignoring your outreach. This prevents wasted effort.
- Account-Based Scoring: If you’re targeting larger organisations, move beyond individual lead scoring to account-based scoring. Score the entire account based on the engagement of multiple contacts within that company.
Looking ahead to 2026 and 2027, we anticipate increased privacy regulations will further limit reliance on third-party data. This makes first-party data – the information you collect directly from your audience – even more valuable. Invest now in systems that capture and analyse this data effectively.
The key takeaway is this: lead scoring isn’t a ‘set it and forget it’ exercise. It requires continuous monitoring, analysis, and refinement. Start by auditing your current model. Identify the data points you’re using, assess their predictive power, and make adjustments based on real-world results. A well-tuned lead scoring system will significantly improve your conversion rates and maximise your return on investment.
