BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline)
💡TL;DR
BANT = 4-point lead qualification checklist. B: Do they have budget? A: Are you talking to the decision-maker? N: Do they have a problem you solve? T: What's their buying timeline? Traditional use: all 4 must be "yes" to qualify. Modern use: flexible weighting—strong Need + Authority can compensate for unclear Budget. BANT is simple but criticized for being seller-centric.
Definition
A sales qualification framework developed by IBM. Assesses four criteria: Budget (can they afford it?), Authority (are you talking to the decision-maker?), Need (do they have a problem you solve?), Timeline (when do they need to decide?). Used to determine if a lead is worth pursuing.
🏢What This Means for SMB Teams
BANT works well for SMB sales with shorter cycles. But don't disqualify too early—SMB buyers often create budget after seeing value. Focus on Need first, then help them build the business case for Budget.
Auto-log calls, score leads, revive deals—freeing reps to sell.
Automate the process, elevate the people.
📋Practical Example
A 25-person CRM SaaS trained SDRs on strict BANT: disqualify if any criteria is missing. They discarded 60% of leads as "unqualified." After analyzing closed-lost deals, they found many "disqualified" leads would have bought if nurtured. They shifted to weighted BANT: Need (40%) + Authority (30%) + Timeline (20%) + Budget (10%). Lead-to-opp conversion improved 35% without reducing win rate.
🔧Implementation Steps
- 1
Define what "qualified" means for each BANT criterion in your context.
- 2
Create discovery questions for each criterion (not yes/no, but open-ended).
- 3
Score leads: assign weights to each criterion based on your sales data.
- 4
Set qualification threshold (e.g., 70+ out of 100 = qualified).
- 5
Track conversion rates by BANT score to refine your model.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Is BANT outdated?
BANT is simple and still useful for SMB/mid-market sales. For enterprise, more sophisticated frameworks like MEDDIC are preferred. The criticism is that BANT is seller-centric (focused on qualifying out) rather than buyer-centric (focused on helping the buyer).
Which BANT criterion is most important?
Need is typically most important—without a problem to solve, nothing else matters. Authority is second—you need access to decision-makers. Budget and Timeline can often be influenced or created if Need and Authority are strong.
⚡How Optifai Uses This
Optifai tracks BANT criteria as lead attributes, auto-scoring leads based on discovery call notes and engagement signals. Leads with strong Need + Authority are prioritized even if Budget is unclear.
📚References
- •
- •
Related Terms
MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead)
A lead that has shown enough engagement with marketing content to be considered sales-ready based on predefined criteria. MQLs typically meet demographic fit (ICP match) and behavioral thresholds (downloads, page views, email engagement). Marketing hands MQLs to sales for follow-up.
SQL (Sales Qualified Lead)
A lead that sales has accepted and confirmed as worth pursuing through direct qualification. SQLs have passed BANT or similar criteria (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline) during a conversation. SQLs enter the active pipeline as opportunities.
MEDDIC / MEDDPICC
An enterprise sales qualification and methodology framework. MEDDIC: Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, Champion. MEDDPICC adds: Paper Process (procurement) and Competition. More comprehensive than BANT, designed for complex B2B sales with multiple stakeholders.
Lead Scoring
A methodology for ranking prospects based on their perceived value to the organization, using demographic/firmographic attributes and behavioral signals to prioritize sales outreach.