ABM Scoring 101: How to Prioritize Your Target Accounts

You have a list of 5,000 target accounts. Your sales team has 10 reps. Without a scoring model, you're essentially asking your team to boil the ocean — reaching out to everyone and hoping something sticks.

That's where ABM scoring comes in. A well-built scoring model helps you identify which accounts deserve immediate attention, which should be nurtured, and which aren't worth pursuing at all.

What is ABM Scoring?

ABM (Account-Based Marketing) scoring is a methodology for ranking your target accounts based on their likelihood to buy and their potential value to your business. Unlike traditional lead scoring that focuses on individual contacts, ABM scoring evaluates entire companies.

"ABM scoring answers the question: If I can only reach out to 100 accounts this week, which 100 should they be?"

A good scoring model combines two dimensions:

• Fit Score: How well does this company match your ideal customer profile (ICP)?
• Intent Score: How likely is this company to be in buying mode right now?

Why You Need Account Scoring

Sales teams without proper account scoring suffer from several problems:

Key Scoring Criteria

An effective ABM scoring model incorporates multiple data points across two main categories:

Fit Score Criteria

• Company Size: Employee count and revenue that matches your sweet spot
• Industry: Sectors where you have proven success
• Geography: Regions you can effectively serve
• Technology Stack: Tools that indicate compatibility with your solution
• Business Model: B2B vs B2C, subscription vs transactional, etc.

Intent Score Criteria

• Funding Events: Recent investment rounds
• Hiring Signals: Job postings for relevant roles
• Tech Changes: Additions or removals in their stack
• Executive Moves: New leaders who might drive change
• News & Announcements: Product launches, expansions, partnerships

Building Your Scoring Model

Here's a step-by-step approach to building your ABM scoring model:

Step 1: Define Your ICP

Start by analyzing your best existing customers. What do they have in common? Look at company size, industry, technology usage, and buying patterns.

Step 2: Weight Your Criteria

Not all criteria are equally important. If industry fit is critical for your solution, weight it heavily. If geography is less important, give it a lower weight.

Step 3: Create Score Tiers

Segment your accounts into tiers based on combined fit + intent scores:

• Tier 1 (Hot): High fit + high intent — prioritize immediately
• Tier 2 (Warm): High fit + medium intent — active outreach
• Tier 3 (Nurture): High fit + low intent — stay on radar
• Tier 4 (Low Priority): Low fit — deprioritize or exclude

Step 4: Automate Detection

Manual scoring doesn't scale. Use tools like SignalIQ to automatically detect buying signals and update intent scores in real-time.

Step 5: Review and Refine

Your scoring model isn't static. Review conversion rates by score tier monthly and adjust weights based on what's actually working.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Over-Complicating the Model

A model with 50 criteria and complex weighting formulas becomes unmaintainable. Start simple with 5-10 key factors and iterate.

Ignoring Intent Data

Many teams focus only on firmographic fit and ignore buying signals. A perfect-fit company that's not in buying mode is less valuable than a good-fit company showing strong intent.

Set It and Forget It

Markets change. Your ideal customer evolves. Review your model quarterly and update based on win/loss analysis.

Not Involving Sales

Marketing often builds scoring models in isolation. Get input from your top reps — they have valuable intuition about what makes an account promising.

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Start Scoring Smarter

Ready to stop treating all accounts equally? SignalIQ combines firmographic fit with real-time buying signals to automatically score and prioritize your target accounts.