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Guide

Score the lead before you spend the hour.

Not every inquiry is a job. A useful score is three buckets and one sentence of why, not a 97-point model nobody trusts.

Published 2026-08-18 · Last updated 2026-08-18 · John Alewine

The three scores

Hot means a clear need, some urgency, and a fit you actually serve. Warm means interest with missing pieces: timeline, budget, or the actual job. Cold means browsing, a free-email drive-by with no details, or a request you do not do.

What should happen next

Hot gets an immediate alert and a human. Warm goes into a short nurture and a normal follow-up. Cold is logged so you can see the pattern without living in it.

Why AI is only the reader

The model reads the same fields a coordinator would: name, message, service, sometimes phone. It does not decide your prices. It does not talk to the lead unless you also installed response. It sorts the pile.

Who this is for

Teams that already get volume and waste mornings on calls that were never going to close. Pair it with Instant Lead Response so Hot leads still hear back in minutes.

Pillar: Lead automation that starts the moment they inquire.

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