Stop wasting time on leads who'll never buy. BANT tells you who's worth pursuing in 5 minutes.
Why Lead Qualification Matters
The cost of bad leads:
- Average sales rep spends 30% of time on unqualified leads
- That's 12 hours/week = 624 hours/year wasted
- Result: Missed quota, burnout, low morale
Solution: Qualify early. Disqualify fast.
What Is BANT?
BANT = Budget + Authority + Need + Timeline
Created by IBM in the 1960s, still the gold standard for B2B lead qualification.
B = Budget
Question: Can they afford it?
Questions to Ask:
- "Have you allocated budget for this?"
- "What's your budget range for solving this problem?"
- "How do you typically budget for tools like this?"
- "Where does this rank in your budget priorities?"
Red flags:
- "We don't have budget" (and won't get it)
- "We're just exploring options" (not serious)
- "We need to see ROI first" (backwards)
Pro tip: If they don't have budget NOW, nurture them. Check back in 3 months.
A = Authority
Question: Are they the decision-maker?
Questions to Ask:
- "Who else is involved in this decision?"
- "What's your decision-making process?"
- "Do you have final approval, or does this go to your boss?"
- "Who has to sign off on this purchase?"
Decision-maker types:
- Champion: Advocates for you internally (good to have)
- Decision-maker: Signs the contract (must have access)
- Influencer: Advises the decision-maker (helpful)
- Gatekeeper: Blocks access (avoid)
Rule: If you can't get to the decision-maker within 2 meetings, disqualify.
N = Need
Question: Do they actually have the problem you solve?
Questions to Ask:
- "What's the biggest challenge you're facing right now?"
- "How is this problem affecting your business?"
- "What happens if you don't solve this?"
- "What have you tried so far?"
- "Why isn't your current solution working?"
Need vs. Want:
- Need: "We're losing $10K/month to this problem"
- Want: "It would be nice to have"
Only sell to needs, not wants.
T = Timeline
Question: When do they need it?
Questions to Ask:
- "When do you need this implemented?"
- "What happens if you don't solve this by [date]?"
- "What's driving your timeline?"
- "Are there any upcoming deadlines we should be aware of?"
Timeline tiers:
- Immediate (0-30 days): Hot lead, prioritize
- Near-term (1-3 months): Qualified, stay engaged
- Long-term (3+ months): Nurture, check in later
- No timeline: Not a real lead
BANT Scoring System
Rate each criterion 0-2:
- 2 points: Strong fit
- 1 point: Possible fit
- 0 points: Not a fit
Qualification thresholds:
- 6-8 points: Highly qualified, pursue aggressively
- 4-5 points: Qualified, pursue
- 2-3 points: Marginally qualified, nurture
- 0-1 points: Disqualify
When to Disqualify a Lead
Disqualify immediately if:
- Zero budget and no path to budget
- Can't access the decision-maker
- No real pain point
- Timeline is "someday"
- They want features you don't have (and won't build)
It's okay to say no. Your time is valuable.
BANT Limitations
BANT doesn't account for:
- Fit: Are they your ideal customer?
- Urgency: How badly do they need it?
- Competition: Who else are they evaluating?
Solution: Use BANT as a baseline, add custom criteria as needed.
BANT in Action: Example
Lead: Marketing director at a 50-person SaaS company
Budget (2 points): "$20K allocated for marketing automation"
Authority (1 point): "I recommend, but VP approves"
Need (2 points): "We're losing 15 hours/week on manual email campaigns"
Timeline (2 points): "Need it running by Q1"
Score: 7/8 = Highly qualified. Pursue.
Conclusion
BANT is simple but powerful. Use it on every first call. Qualify ruthlessly. Your quota depends on it.
Formula: Right leads + right timing = closed deals.
Want to generate more qualified leads? Read Lead Generation for Startups.