Glossary

What is Buy-Fit Score?

By Benedict Mehlmann, technology and product at Kodo Leads · Last updated 14 Oct 2026

A Buy-Fit Score is a quantitative metric (usually 0 to 100) that indicates how well a potential account matches a company's predefined Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). It measures structural fit rather than behavior. The higher the score, the more likely a deal will close.

Buy-Fit Score vs. Classic Lead Scoring

While classic lead scoring is often based on behavior (newsletter open rates, clicks, website visits), the Buy-Fit Score is purely account-based. It measures how well a company aligns with your Ideal Customer Profile, answering the question 'does this company fundamentally fit us?' Lead scoring instead answers 'is this person interested right now?' The two are complementary, but in industrial B2B with long cycles, fit is the more reliable early indicator.

Calculation in Practice

In industrial B2B markets, the parameters are fed by, among other things:

Technological compatibility: existing machines, manufacturing processes, and infrastructure
Strategic maturity: ISO and IATF certificates, patents, quality management
Financial signals: growth and creditworthiness from the commercial register
Industry and size fit: industry code, headcount, region

A Hidden Champion with 20 million euros in revenue, who mills exactly the components for which you sell machines, has a score close to 100. A superficially similar but technically unsuitable shop may land at 40 despite a comparable size.

Fit Score Plus Buyer Signals

The fit score alone tells you whether a company is a match. Combine it with current buyer signals, such as a fresh investment or a new job posting, and you also learn when the moment is right. It is exactly this combination of a high score and an acute signal that marks the hottest lead.

Why the Buy-Fit Score Focuses Sales

A sales team has limited time. Without prioritization, every lead is treated equally and the most valuable ones drown in the noise. The Buy-Fit Score ranks the entire addressable market by probability of success, so reps speak first with the accounts most likely to buy. This raises the close rate and noticeably lowers the cost per won customer.

How Kodo Leads helps with Buy-Fit Score

Kodo Leads deliberately does not assign a buy-fit score, because a number hides why a company fits. The weekly list shows the reason instead, with source and date, such as the investment, the new job opening or the certificate, and your sales team decides for itself whom to call first.

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Frequently asked questions about Buy-Fit Score

What is the difference from Lead Scoring?

Lead scoring evaluates behavior (clicks, opens). Buy-Fit scoring evaluates the fundamental suitability and technological fit of the company, regardless of whether it is actively interacting with you right now.

How does the score change?

Good Buy-Fit scores are dynamic. If a company receives new funding or a new IATF certification, the score rises immediately. If it closes a plant or shrinks its workforce, the score falls.

What data feeds into a Buy-Fit Score?

In industrial B2B, mainly technological fit (machines, processes), strategic maturity (certificates, patents), financial signals from the commercial register, plus industry, size, and region.

At what score should I contact a lead?

It depends on your capacity, but as a rule of thumb: accounts from a score of 80 first, from 60 in the second wave. If an acute buyer signal is also present, prioritize the lead regardless of the score.

Last updated on 14 Oct 2026

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