BANT

What is BANT?

BANT is a sales qualification framework developed by IBM that helps salespeople determine whether a prospect is worth pursuing.

BANT stands for:

• Budget: Does the prospect have the financial capacity to buy?
• Authority: Does the contact have decision-making power?
• Need: Does the prospect have a problem your solution solves?
• Timeline: Is there urgency or a defined timeframe for implementation?

By asking questions in these four areas, sales reps quickly identify qualified prospects and avoid wasting time on leads that will never convert.

BANT has been a cornerstone of sales qualification since the 1950s and remains widely used today, though modern teams often adapt or expand it.

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Why BANT Matters

Time Management

Sales reps have limited time. BANT prevents wasting it on unqualified prospects.

Impact of Poor Qualification:

• Sales reps spend 65% of their time on non-selling activities
• Chasing unqualified leads adds to this waste
• One bad discovery call = 1 hour not spent on qualified prospects

BANT Benefits:

• 30-50% reduction in time spent on unqualified deals
• Higher conversion rates on pursued opportunities
• Improved forecast accuracy

Pipeline Hygiene

BANT keeps your pipeline clean and accurate.

Without BANT:

• Pipeline stuffed with deals that will never close
• Inflated pipeline creates false confidence
• Quarter-end surprises when deals "no-decision"

With BANT:

• Only qualified opportunities advance
• Pipeline reflects realistic closing potential
• Accurate forecasting and resource allocation

Focus on What Matters

BANT ensures reps prioritize prospects who can actually buy.

Priority Matrix:

Budget	Authority	Need	Timeline	Action
Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	PRIORITIZE
Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Nurture
Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Find decision maker
No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Disqualify

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The Four BANT Criteria

1. Budget

Does the prospect have money allocated or available for this purchase?

Budget Qualification Questions:

• "Do you have a budget allocated for this initiative?"
• "What's your budget range for solving this problem?"
• "How did you arrive at that budget?"
• "Is the budget flexible for the right solution?"
• "Who controls the budget for this type of purchase?"

Red Flags:

• "We don't have a budget yet"
• "We'll need to find funding"
• "We're exploring options without defined spend"
• "We need something inexpensive"

Green Flags:

• Specific budget range stated
• Budget already allocated
• Fiscal year planning includes this spend
• Willingness to invest for ROI

2. Authority

Does your contact have the power to make the purchase decision?

Authority Qualification Questions:

• "What's your decision-making process?"
• "Who else needs to be involved in this decision?"
• "Have you made purchases like this before?"
• "What's your role in the evaluation?"
• "Who signs the contract?"

Red Flags:

• "I need to check with my boss"
• Can't answer budget questions
• Unable to commit to next steps
• "Just gathering information"

Green Flags:

• Clear decision-maker or influencer role
• Can articulate the full decision process
• Access to other stakeholders
• Previous purchase authority

3. Need

Does the prospect have a genuine problem your solution solves?

Need Qualification Questions:

• "What problem are you trying to solve?"
• "What happens if you don't solve this problem?"
• "How are you addressing this currently?"
• "Why is solving this a priority now?"
• "What would success look like?"

Red Flags:

• Vague or general interest
• Can't articulate specific pain
• "Just exploring our options"
• No urgency around the problem

Green Flags:

• Specific, articulated pain point
• Clear consequences of inaction
• Current solution is inadequate
• Quantified impact of the problem

4. Timeline

When does the prospect need to implement a solution?

Timeline Qualification Questions:

• "When are you looking to implement?"
• "What's driving your timeline?"
• "What happens if this slips?"
• "Have you defined project milestones?"
• "When do you need to see results?"

Red Flags:

• "Sometime next year"
• "No specific timeline"
• "When we get around to it"
• "Just beginning research"

Green Flags:

• Specific implementation date
• Clear event driving urgency
• Defined evaluation process
• Stakeholders aligned on timing

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BANT in Practice: Sample Questions

Discovery Call BANT Script

Budget:
"I want to make sure we're a good fit. Do you have a budget range in mind for solving [specific problem]?"

Authority:
"Who else will be involved in this decision besides yourself? What does your approval process look like?"

Need:
"Walk me through what's not working with your current approach. What's the impact on [specific metric]?"

Timeline:
"When are you hoping to have this resolved? What's driving that timeline?"

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BANT Strengths

Simplicity

BANT's four criteria are easy to remember and apply.

Benefits:

• New reps learn quickly
• Consistent qualification across team
• Easy to coach and reinforce
• Universal framework across industries

Efficiency

BANT qualification takes 5-10 minutes.

Time Investment:

• 3-5 questions to qualify
• 5-10 minute conversation
• Clear pass/fail criteria
• Quick disqualification saves hours

Focus

BANT focuses on deal-critical information.

What Matters:

• Can they buy? (Budget)
• Will they buy? (Need)
• Can they decide? (Authority)
• Will they decide now? (Timeline)

Everything else is secondary.

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BANT Limitations

Too Seller-Focused

BANT serves the seller's needs, not the buyer's journey.

Problem:

• Interrogation-style questioning
• Doesn't build rapport
• Misses relationship building
• Feels transactional

Solution:
Combine BANT with consultative selling techniques.

Rigid Pass/Fail

BANT treats each criterion as binary, but reality is nuanced.

Examples:

• No budget now, but budget becomes available next quarter
• Contact lacks authority but is a strong champion
• Need exists but isn't urgent yet
• Timeline is undefined but project is important

Solution:
Use BANT as guidance, not rigid rules. Nurture partial fits.

Missing Modern Criteria

BANT doesn't address factors that matter in complex B2B sales.

Missing Elements:

• Technical fit and integration requirements
• Stakeholder mapping beyond primary contact
• Competitive landscape
• Organizational change readiness
• Strategic alignment

Solution:
Expand to MEDDIC or similar for complex sales.

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BANT Alternatives and Expansions

MEDDIC

For enterprise sales requiring deeper qualification.

MEDDIC =

• Metrics: Quantified business impact
• Economic Buyer: Who controls the budget
• Decision Criteria: How they'll decide
• Decision Process: Steps they'll follow
• Identify Pain: Specific problems to solve
• Champion: Internal advocate

MEDDIC takes 30-60 minutes vs BANT's 5-10 minutes.

CHAMP

A modern alternative that emphasizes challenges over budget.

CHAMP =

• Challenges: What problems are they facing?
• Authority: Who can make the decision?
• Money: Budget and funding
• Prioritization: Where does this project rank?

CHAMP starts with pain, not budget—better for early-stage conversations.

MEDDPICC

An expanded version of MEDDIC for very complex deals.

Adds:

• Paper Process: Contract and legal requirements
• Impact: Quantified ROI
• Competition: Alternative solutions
• Consensus: Stakeholder alignment

Use for six-figure+ enterprise deals.

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BANT Best Practices

Ask Naturally

Don't interrogate. Weave BANT questions into conversation.

Natural BANT:
"Tell me about what you're trying to accomplish" (Need)
"When are you hoping to have this solved?" (Timeline)
"Who else needs to be on board for this?" (Authority)
"What kind of investment are you thinking about?" (Budget)

Listen More Than Talk

BANT qualification is about listening, not asking questions.

Good BANT Conversation:

• Rep talks 20% of the time
• Prospect talks 80% of the time
• Questions uncover, not confirm

Disqualify Quickly

If BANT reveals clear disqualification, move on.

Fast Disqualification:

• No budget: "Let's talk when you have funding allocated"
• No authority: "Can we include your boss in our next call?"
• No need: "Sounds like you're all set for now"
• No timeline: "Reach out when you're ready to move forward"

Document Decisively

Record BANT assessment in your CRM.

CRM Fields:

• Budget: $ range / unknown
• Authority: Decision maker / influencer / no authority
• Need: High / medium / low / none
• Timeline: Specific date / quarter / undefined

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BANT by Stage

Prospecting

Quick BANT filter before investing significant time.

Prospecting BANT:

• Budget: Can they afford us at all?
• Authority: Am I talking to the right person?
• Need: Does our value proposition resonate?
• Timeline: Any urgency or is this research-only?

Discovery

Full BANT qualification in first meeting.

Discovery BANT:

• Deep dive on each criterion
• Identify gaps to address
• Map decision process
• Understand urgency drivers

Demo Preparation

Re-qualify before investing in demo prep.

Pre-Demo BANT:

• Budget still available?
• Decision process clarified?
• Need confirmed and urgent?
• Timeline defined?

Negotiation

Final BANT check before investing time in contracting.

Negotiation BANT:

• Budget still aligned with pricing?
• Legal/compliance identified?
• Stakeholder consensus achieved?
• Implementation timeline realistic?

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Key Takeaways

• BANT = Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline qualification framework
• Developed by IBM in the 1950s, still widely used today
• Qualifies prospects in 5-10 minutes with 4-5 questions
• Prevents wasting time on unqualified opportunities
• Strengths: Simple, efficient, focuses on deal-critical factors
• Limitations: Too seller-focused, rigid, misses modern sales complexity
• Alternatives: MEDDIC (enterprise), CHAMP (modern) for more depth
• Best practice: Ask naturally, listen more than talk, disqualify quickly
• Document BANT assessment in CRM for pipeline accuracy
• Combine with consultative selling for relationship building

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Sources:

• Highspot - The BANT Sales Methodology: A Tried-and-True Model
• Salesforce - What is BANT? Lead Qualification Framework
• Gong - 21 Super-Effective BANT Questions
• Qwilr - What is BANT? 14 Essential BANT Questions
• People.ai - What is BANT in Sales? + 16 Example Qualification Questions