There are two kinds of signal. Fit scoring looks at who the lead is: company size, industry, location and the person's title, compared with your ICP. Intent or engagement scoring looks at what they do: replies, website visits, hiring for a relevant role. Outbound teams lean on fit, because most cold prospects have not engaged yet.
A: 75 to 100, a close match, email first. B: 60 to 74, worth a sequence. C: 45 to 59, lower priority. D: 30 to 44, only if lists are short. F: under 30, leave out.
How to use the grades
- Send to A leads first, from your healthiest mailboxes, with the most personal copy.
- Give B and C leads a lighter sequence, or hold them until A leads are worked.
- Leave F leads out of campaigns; they cost credits and add bounces and complaints.
- Compare reply rates by grade every month. If B leads reply as well as A leads, your scoring or your ICP needs a second look.
Rules or AI?
Rule based scoring adds points for each matching attribute and is easy to explain, but it misses nuance in job titles and company descriptions. AI scoring reads the whole row against a written description of your business and can explain its reasoning in a sentence, which makes it easier to trust and correct.
In the ZicReach AI Leads Engine, ZicAgent scores every row from 0 to 100 against the business details you give it and writes a one line reason in Match fit. 75 and up is A, 60 is B, 45 is C, 30 is D and lower is F; Insights groups the table by grade. Read how to qualify leads before a sales call for the next step after scoring.