A No-Nonsense Guide to Lead Scoring for Subscription Businesses

After leading growth at companies like WWE and Nickelodeon, I've learned something important: getting customers to come back isn't guesswork. It's about using data the right way.

Let me share a story. At one client, we were struggling with customer churn. Like most companies, we were trying to guess which customers might leave. But I learned in the military that guessing isn't a strategy - you need precise intel to win battles.

So we got serious about data. Working with our data science team, we built a system to track how customers used our product. We looked at things like:

- How often they logged in

- Which features they used most

- When they stopped using certain features

- How they responded to our emails

This wasn't just about collecting data - it was about turning it into action. We used statistical models to give each customer a score based on how likely they were to leave.?

Think of it like an early warning system.

Here's what made it work:

First, we tracked everything that mattered. Not just the obvious stuff like logins, but deeper behaviors that showed whether customers were getting value from our product.

Second, we used real math (like logistic regression) to analyze this data. No gut feelings or hunches - just cold, hard numbers telling us who needed attention.

Third, we set up automatic marketing messages that kicked in when someone's score dropped too low. We reminded them about features they might like or value they might have missed.

The results? We cut customer churn by 17%. That's real money on the balance sheet, not just fancy metrics.

Here's what I learned: Lead scoring isn't just about predicting who will leave - it's about understanding why they leave and fixing those problems early.

Here’s how you can get started:

1. Track everything your customers do (or don't do) with your product

2. Use real statistical models - don't just guess

3. Set up automatic ways to reach out when scores drop

4. Keep testing and improving your model

Want to know if your lead scoring works? Ask yourself: Can you predict with actual numbers (not gut feelings) which customers need attention? If not, you're still guessing.

I help subscription/SaaS businesses with growth strategy and execution so they can grow in a predictable, repeatable way. I have 20+ years of experience leading growth at startups like Curiosity, mid-sized companies like WWE, and large companies like Viacom/Nickelodeon.

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