How lead scoring works
A lead score usually combines two kinds of signal. Fit describes who the lead is: their role, company size, industry and other details that match your ideal customer profile. Interest, sometimes called engagement, describes what they have done: visiting the pricing page, attending a webinar, replying to an email or requesting a demo. Each signal earns points, some signals subtract points, and when the total passes an agreed threshold the lead becomes a marketing-qualified lead and is passed to sales.
Example
A software company gives points for a director-level title, a company in its target size range and a visit to the pricing page, and takes points away for a personal email address. A lead who matches all three positive signals passes the threshold and appears at the top of an SDR's call list that morning.
Why it matters
Sales teams rarely have time to call every lead quickly, and the leads most ready to talk are easy to lose in a long list. Scoring puts them at the top. It also gives marketing and sales a shared, written definition of a good lead, which cuts down arguments about lead quality. The weakness is that a score is only as good as its rules. Teams that never compare scores with what actually closed end up rewarding activity, like opening emails, that doesn't predict buying.
What it means on the call
A high score tells you a lead is worth calling, not what to say. Before you dial, look at the signals behind the score and use the most relevant one in your opener, lightly: 'I saw your team was reading our scheduling guide' works better than reading their browsing history back to them. Then qualify as you would on any call, because a high-scoring lead can still have no budget or no urgency.