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Original Data & Framework

The Garbage Lead Score: How We Rate Lead Quality

Direct Answer

What is the Garbage Lead Score and how does it work?

The Garbage Lead Score is a 0–100 estimate of how unworkable an individual roofing lead is, where higher means more likely to be garbage. It combines contact validity, service-area fit, intent signals, and exclusivity into one score so a team can triage which leads to call first. It is a triage estimate, not a verdict on whether a lead will close.

Purpose

When dozens of leads arrive at once, teams waste time on dead ends and let good leads go cold. The Garbage Lead Score gives a fast, consistent way to rank leads so the best ones get the fastest human response.

Triage, not judgment

The score sorts leads by likely workability so your fastest response goes to your best opportunities. A high score flags a lead for verification, not automatic deletion.

Designed to be overridden

Human context always wins. The score is a starting point that a rep can override when they know something the inputs don't capture.

Inputs

Contact validity (35%)
Is the phone/email real, reachable, and matched to a name?
Service-area fit (25%)
Is the address within your service area and a job type you do?
Intent signals (25%)
Did the lead describe a real, timely roofing need?
Exclusivity (15%)
Was the lead sold only to you, or shared with competitors?

How the calculation works

Garbage Score = 100 − [(ContactValidity × 0.35) + (AreaFit × 0.25) + (Intent × 0.25) + (Exclusivity × 0.15)] Each positive input is scored 0–100; the weighted sum is the lead's 'quality.' Subtracting from 100 yields the garbage estimate so higher = worse.

Example calculation

Contact validity80 × 0.35 = 28.0
Service-area fit90 × 0.25 = 22.5
Intent signals40 × 0.25 = 10.0
Exclusivity30 × 0.15 = 4.5
Quality subtotal65
Estimated Garbage Score (100 − 65)35 / 100

Assumptions & disclaimer

  • Inputs are assessed quickly and may miss context a human would catch.
  • Weights reflect our current view of lead workability and can change.
  • A low score improves the odds of a workable lead but never guarantees a close.
  • This report is designed to become RooferFuel.ai's ongoing benchmark dataset. Until live client data is available, calculations are based on disclosed assumptions and should be treated as estimates, not guaranteed outcomes.

The Garbage Lead Score is a triage estimate for informational purposes. It does not guarantee that a lead will close or fail, and it should not be the sole reason to discard a lead. Results vary by market and factors outside RooferFuel.ai's control.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Treat a high score as a flag to verify the contact and intent, not as a reason to delete. Some high-scoring leads are simply incomplete.
The Garbage Lead Score rates one lead; the Roofing Lead Waste Index estimates waste across your whole lead investment.
Parts of it can, like contact validity and area fit. Intent usually needs a quick human or AI review of the lead's message.

Related Pages

Data & Reports

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