Marketing templates · 15-minute exercise

Lead qualification scorecard template for marketing agencies

Use this lead qualification scorecard worksheet to separate relevant enquiries from contacts that cannot use or buy the offer. It is written for marketing agencies and starts with an illustrative offer: a 30-day campaign planning and measurement engagement. Replace the assumptions with evidence from your own business before using the result.

LONED EditorialPublished Example + editable working sheet
What you will work towards

Leave with a practical qualification checklist with a clear next action.

Start with a real buying situation

For the worked example, the audience is a founder who has paid for campaigns without clear reporting. Their problem is that the team cannot connect campaign activity to qualified enquiries. The desired practical outcome is an agreed definition of a qualified enquiry and a usable reporting baseline.

The example is deliberately bounded: the client must approve claims and creative before launch. That condition should influence the promise, scope and next step rather than disappear from the marketing copy.

Illustrative offera 30-day campaign planning and measurement engagement
Buyer questionWhat makes an enquiry worth your sales team’s time?
Possible evidencea sample campaign brief showing audience, offer, source and qualification fields
Useful asseta lead qualification and campaign brief

How to complete your lead qualification scorecard

  1. Define the problem and scope you are equipped to address.
  2. Choose a few fit questions tied to delivery and buying readiness.
  3. Identify non-negotiable exclusions.
  4. Decide who reviews uncertain cases.
  5. Track reasons for acceptance and rejection so the criteria can improve.

Worked example

These entries are illustrative planning material, not research findings or customer results. Keep the structure and replace the content with verified details.

Problem and scope fitThe buyer confirms a relevant need: the team cannot connect campaign activity to qualified enquiries. The requested work fits a 30-day campaign planning and measurement engagement.
Timing and readinessClarify timing and whether the required inputs are available: the client must approve claims and creative before launch.
People and approval processAsk who will use the result, who approves scope and who authorises spending. Start with a founder who has paid for campaigns without clear reporting.
Exclusions or risksDo not guarantee leads, revenue or return on ad spend. Decline work outside capability; investigate missing information.
Qualified, investigate or declineQualified: agree to test one offer for one audience with a written budget cap. Investigate: obtain the missing evidence. Decline: explain the scope mismatch respectfully.

Review before using it

A useful operational measure in this example is cost per qualified enquiry alongside the qualification rate. That does not automatically make it a marketing attribution metric. Define the source, period and owner before drawing conclusions.

  • Would two team members classify the same enquiry in a similar way?
  • Check the delivery assumptions: Keep media spend, agency fees and production costs separate.
  • Use evidence rather than promises. Do not guarantee leads, revenue or return on ad spend.
  • Discuss the draft with someone who understands the buying situation. Start with: “What makes an enquiry worth your sales team’s time?”
  • If the next step is a trial, define its purpose. One possible starting point is to test one offer for one audience with a written budget cap.

Common mistakes and a better review

Do not fill a missing fact with an impressive-sounding number. Mark it as an assumption, explain how you will check it and give that check an owner. A short, honest document is easier to use than an elaborate plan built on unknowns.

Watch forA high engagement score does not mean the company is a suitable customer.
A real buyer concernThe last agency sent reports but no useful leads.
Useful response directionLet us define a useful enquiry together and agree what evidence would show whether this test is working.
Evidence to collectThe buyer’s own account, a sample campaign brief showing audience, offer, source and qualification fields, and records relevant to cost per qualified enquiry alongside the qualification rate.

Your working sheet

Write your own version below. Notes are saved on this browser when local storage is available. Use Download to keep a separate copy; avoid adding confidential information on a shared device.

Example: The buyer confirms a relevant need: the team cannot connect campaign activity to qualified enquiries. The requested work fits a 30-day campaign planning and measurement engagement.

Example: Clarify timing and whether the required inputs are available: the client must approve claims and creative before launch.

Example: Ask who will use the result, who approves scope and who authorises spending. Start with a founder who has paid for campaigns without clear reporting.

Example: Do not guarantee leads, revenue or return on ad spend. Decline work outside capability; investigate missing information.

Example: Qualified: agree to test one offer for one audience with a written budget cap. Investigate: obtain the missing evidence. Decline: explain the scope mismatch respectfully.

Review your work

Tick only what you can support with your answer or practice. This is a reflection checklist, not an automated assessment.

Questions about this resource

How do I adapt this for my marketing agencies business?

Replace the audience, offer and evidence with your actual information. Begin with a recent buyer conversation about why the team cannot connect campaign activity to qualified enquiries, then check which assumptions match your business.

Is the filled example ready to publish?

No. It is a working example. Verify claims, permissions, prices, current capabilities and any customer information before using it externally. Do not guarantee leads, revenue or return on ad spend.

What should I do after completing the worksheet?

Use it to make one decision or have one focused conversation. The intended output is a practical qualification checklist with a clear next action. Set a review date and update it when the evidence changes.

Illustrative business worksheet. No customer results, market rates, traffic volumes or performance benchmarks are implied. About these resources.