Account scoring is one of the most effective ways to leverage first party intent data and turn anonymous website traffic into sales and marketing leads.

Moving Beyond Fit Based Scoring

Historically, account scoring has focused on a company’s perceived fit with your Ideal Company Profile (ICP). But relying on fit alone doesn’t help you discover new, high intent opportunities especially in untapped or unknown markets.

Instead, this article focuses on using first party intent data to evaluate how interested an account is in your solutions and when to engage them.

What Is First Party Intent Data?

First party intent data is behavioral data collected directly from your website. It reveals buying signals actions that indicate a visitor’s interest or intent to purchase based on how they interact with your site.

Whether it’s page visits, content downloads, or form submissions, these signals help sales and marketing teams understand which accounts are worth pursuing.

How to Use This Data: Three Core Steps

While there are layers of nuance within each, the account scoring process breaks down into three key steps:

1. Define First Party Intent Signals

Start by listing actions that indicate buying intent. Sales and marketing should collaborate to define meaningful events that show a company is in-market.

Examples of signals include:

  • Downloading a guide or whitepaper
  • Signing up for a free trial
  • Requesting a demo
  • Submitting a contact form
  • Visiting high value product or pricing pages

Each of these signals contributes to a deeper understanding of how interested a company is.

2. Assign Value to Each Signal

This is your scoring system. Each signal should be weighted based on how strongly it correlates with buying behavior. For example:

  • Viewing a product page = 5 points
  • Downloading a whitepaper = 10 points
  • Filling out a contact form = 70 points

Use historical data and multi touch attribution insights to help determine appropriate values. The goal is to prioritize actions that are proven indicators of buying intent.

3. Set Engagement Thresholds

Once your point system is in place, define the threshold an account must reach to trigger marketing or sales follow up.

Example thresholds:

  • Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL): 45 points
  • Sales Qualified Lead (SQL): 70 points

These thresholds help prevent premature outreach and ensure your team focuses on truly engaged accounts.

Real World Example of Account Scoring in Action

Let’s apply the model using the scoring weights mentioned earlier:

  • Page view = 5 points
  • Content download = 10 points
  • Contact form = 70 points

Now, let’s look at three different companies that visit your site:

Company X

Views 5 pages = 25 points
➡ Not enough interest. No action needed.

Company Y

Views 5 pages (25 points) + Downloads 3 whitepapers (30 points) = 55 points
➡ Meets marketing threshold. Add to nurture campaign.

Company Z

Views 2 pages (10 points) + Fills out contact form (70 points) = 80 points
➡ Exceeds sales threshold. Send directly to sales.

Despite visiting fewer pages, Company Z demonstrated the highest intent and should be prioritized accordingly.

Note: Filling out a contact form to receive content is not equal to a general inquiry form. Only the latter should trigger direct sales outreach.

Why This Matters

First party intent data is a powerful tool that allows you to:

  • Prioritize accounts based on real behavior, not assumptions
  • Align marketing and sales on clear qualification criteria
  • Personalize engagement based on buyer stage

This approach helps you focus on accounts that are more likely to convert and at the right time.