The Lead Scoring Signal You’re Probably Missing

TL;DR

Not all leads are equal, and when sales resources are limited, lead qualification and scoring become essential. The big question is: which leads are actually worth a human touch?

Automation and workflows help, but lead scoring isn’t just about building the perfect system—it’s about making the right bets. And most companies bet on the wrong things.

One overlooked signal consistently increases the chances of conversion: job changes. If a decision-maker within your ICP has changed jobs in the last 100 days and engages with your product, stop everything and prioritize them. Assign your best rep, launch an ABM campaign, check engagement signals, and offer extra support. This will pay off.

Lead Scoring: A System That’s Always Flawed

At its core, lead qualification comes down to one simple question:

“Is this lead worth a human touch?”

It sounds easy, but the moment you try to automate it, you run into problems.

Sales teams want clear signals, so they turn to lead scoring—a system that assigns points based on fit, behavior, and intent. Sounds logical, but the problem with most lead scoring models is they try to turn a messy, human process into a perfect formula.

No matter how many firmographic data points (company size, industry, revenue) and engagement signals (email opens, demo requests, trial logins) you add, scoring is only as good as the triggers behind it.

Most companies obsess over job title, company size, and behavior inside their funnel. But what actually predicts likelihood to buy?

Why Lead Scoring is Like Avocado Shopping

Let’s say you’re shopping for an avocado. If you had to write a program that picks the perfect avocado for your taste and your son’s taste, you’d need to consider:

• Brand (Hass, Bacon, Fuerte—there are dozens).

• Ripeness (too soft? too hard?).

• Color (dark green vs. brownish).

• Skin texture (smooth vs. bumpy).

• Firmness when pressed (too mushy = bad, too firm = not ready).

Even if you input every detail, there’s always a chance you’ll forget to connect the right patterns. You could end up with the wrong avocado over and over.

That’s how most lead scoring models work. They measure the wrong combinations of data while missing the one or two key signals that actually matter.

The Standard Lead Scoring Model (And Why I Don’t Trust It)

A basic lead qualification and scoring model looks like this:

1. Firmographic Fit – Does this company match our ICP? (+10 points)

2. Job Title & Seniority – Are they a decision-maker or influencer? (+10 points)

3. Engagement Level – Did they download a whitepaper? Open an email? Start a free trial? (+5 points each)

4. Behavioral Triggers – Did they request a demo? (+15 points)

If they hit a certain score threshold, they’re qualified.

This sounds logical, but it assumes every point has the same weight. In reality, a VP who just changed jobs and watched a 30-second demo clip is more valuable than a random manager who downloaded three whitepapers. But in a standard lead scoring system, the latter might score higher.

This is where static models fail.

The Lead Qualification Trigger Most Companies Ignore

There’s one trigger that consistently increases the chances of conversion but is rarely prioritized in lead scoring models:

Job Changes.

If a decision-maker within your ICP has changed jobs in the last 100 days and engages with your product (signing up for a trial, registering for a webinar, downloading a report), they are:

• Actively looking for new solutions – They need to make an impact fast.

• More open to new vendors – They don’t have loyalty to their previous stack.

• Likely to have budget – Many new hires get early spending power.

Yet, most lead scoring models don’t include job changes as a primary weight. They focus on what a lead does inside the funnel, rather than what’s happening outside of it.

What To Do When a Job Change Lead Signs Up

If a high-fit lead who recently changed jobs engages with your product, stop treating them like any other lead. Instead:

1. Assign Your Best Sales Rep – This isn’t a cold lead. Get your best closer involved.

2. Run an ABM Campaign – Target their company with hyper-relevant messaging.

3. Check Engagement History – Did they interact with your company at their previous job?

4. Offer Extra Support – Free extended trial, VIP onboarding, personal demo.

5. Move Fast – If they’re evaluating, they’re evaluating now.

Real-Life Example: Why This Works

Let’s say your company sells HR software.

• Scenario A: A random HR manager signs up for a free trial and downloads a white paper

• Scenario B: A newly hired VP of HR at a mid-market company signs up for the same free trial within their first 60 days on the job.

Who should get more attention? Scenario B—every single time.

That VP was likely:

• Tasked with improving HR processes.

• Given a budget to upgrade systems.

• Actively looking for new vendors.

Yet, most marketing teams treat these two leads the same way. That’s why job changes should be weighted more heavily than almost any other factor in lead scoring.

Tools for Lead Scoring & Job Change Tracking

If you want to use this trigger but don’t have an expensive marketing system in place, I’d recommend not using a traditional marketing expensive tool for it—Apollo is a better choice.

They have API limitations, but for $49–$99/month, it does the job. I’ve tested a lot of tools for tracking job changes, and Apollo had the best accuracy at a reasonable price.

No ads, no affiliate links—just personal experience.

SUM: A New Approach to Lead Scoring

This is exactly why Sign-Up Marketing (SUM) exists—to bridge the gap between sign-ups and revenue. Traditional lead scoring models don’t account for key real-world signals like job changes, past engagement history, or network influence, and that’s where companies miss high-value opportunities.

Lead scoring isn’t about creating the perfect model—it’s about figuring out what actually matters.

In future issues, I’ll go deeper into:

• How to use network-based scoring (tracking champions who move companies).

• Why behavior inside your product isn’t enough.

• The best post-sign-up triggers beyond job changes.

If you’re in B2B SaaS growth and thinking about lead scoring beyond the basics, let’s talk. Reply and share what’s working (or not) for you.

More to come. Subscribe and stay tuned.