BANT sales qualification

N: Need

A business problem you can solve, described by the buyer. Ask about it first: it is the reason for the conversation, and every other letter depends on it.

Listen for: Specific examples, consequences and frustration. 'We are just looking' or 'it would be nice' signal low need.

1. What made you look into this now?
2. What is not working the way you want it to?
3. Can you walk me through a recent example?
4. How are you handling it today?
5. What does that cost you in time or money?
6. Who else in the business feels the problem?
7. What happens if you leave it as it is?
8. What have you already tried?
9. If you fixed this, what would change for you?
10. How does this rank against your other priorities?
11. What would you need a solution to do on day one?
12. Is this a problem across the business or in one team?

A 3 looks like: A specific problem with examples and a cost, described in the buyer's words.

T: Timeline

When the buyer intends to act, and why then. A timeline without a reason behind it is a wish. A timeline tied to an event, such as a contract ending or a new financial year, is a signal.

Listen for: Dates linked to events: contract renewals, launches, audits, hiring, the end of the financial year on 30 June.

1. When would you want something in place?
2. What is driving that date?
3. What happens if it slips by three months?
4. Is there a contract ending or a renewal coming up?
5. Are there other projects competing for the same time?
6. When does your financial year start, and does that affect timing?
7. How long did your last purchase like this take?
8. What needs to happen before you can start?
9. Is there an event, such as a launch or an audit, this needs to be ready for?
10. When would you need to decide to hit that date?
11. Who set the deadline?
12. If we could start next month, would that be too early, right or too late?

A 3 looks like: A date tied to a named event, with the steps to meet it understood.

A: Authority

Who makes the decision and who influences it. Your contact may decide, recommend, influence or be researching for someone else. All four can be worth talking to, but you need to know which one you have.

Listen for: 'I would need to run it past', 'my boss', 'the committee', and who signed off the last similar purchase.

1. Apart from you, who else would be involved in a decision like this?
2. How have purchases like this been made in the past?
3. Who would sign off on the spend?
4. What role would you play in the decision?
5. Who would use it day to day, and do they get a say?
6. Does IT, finance or procurement need to be involved?
7. Who could say no, even late in the process?
8. Would it make sense to include them in the next meeting?
9. What would they need to see to support it?
10. Is there anyone who would prefer to keep things as they are?
11. Who raised this problem first?
12. How do decisions usually get made in your team: by one person or by consensus?

A 3 looks like: The decision maker and key influencers named, with your contact's role confirmed and access to the decision maker agreed.

B: Budget

Whether money is available or could be made available. Ask last, and ask about how spending decisions are made rather than for a number. A buyer with a costly problem and no budget is often a better prospect than one with a budget and no problem.

Listen for: Existing spend on the problem, budget cycles, approval thresholds and phrases like 'if the case is strong enough'.

1. How is this kind of spend usually approved?
2. Is there budget set aside for this, or would it need a business case?
3. What do you spend on this problem today, including people's time?
4. When is budget for next year set?
5. Is there a spend level above which someone else signs off?
6. Have you priced any alternatives yet?
7. If the case is strong enough, can budget be found mid-year?
8. Which budget would this come from?
9. Does the cost of the problem justify spending to fix it?
10. Would you prefer to start small and expand, or commit to the full scope?
11. What return would you need to see?
12. Are there funding constraints we should know about this year?

A 3 looks like: Budget confirmed or a clear route to it, with the approval threshold and approver known.

BANT NOTES: {{prospect company}}, {{contact name and title}}   Date: {{date}}

Need (ask first)
What they said: {{problem in their words}}
Evidence: {{example, number or consequence they gave}}
Score 0 to 3: {{score}}

Timeline
What is driving timing: {{event, deadline or contract end}}
Score 0 to 3: {{score}}

Authority
Their role in the decision: {{decides, recommends, influences, researching}}
Others involved: {{names and titles}}
Score 0 to 3: {{score}}

Budget
Budget status: {{set, being set, not yet, unknown}}
What they spend on this today: {{current spend or "not discussed"}}
Score 0 to 3: {{score}}

Total: {{total}} of 12   Next step: {{meeting, nurture or disqualify}}

MEETING HANDOVER: {{prospect company}}
Meeting: {{date and time}}, {{length}} minutes, {{video or phone}}
Booked by: {{SDR name}}   Account executive: {{AE name}}

Who is attending
{{name}}, {{title}}. Reports to {{manager, if known}}.
Others invited or mentioned: {{names and titles}}

Why they agreed to meet (their words)
"{{the reason they gave, as close to verbatim as possible}}"

What they told us
Current situation: {{tools, team, process}}
Problem or goal: {{what is not working or what they want to achieve}}
Impact they mentioned: {{cost, time, risk, revenue}}
Timing: {{deadline, contract end, project start, budget cycle}}
Decision: {{who else is involved, how they buy}}
Budget: {{anything said, or "not discussed"}}

Qualification score: {{framework}} {{score}} of {{max}}. Gaps: {{elements scored below 2}}

What the prospect expects from the meeting
{{what the SDR promised: a conversation, a comparison, a specific question answered}}

Watch outs
{{objections raised, competitor mentioned, sensitivity, anything not to say}}

QUALIFIED MEETING DEFINITION: {{company name}}
Agreed by: {{sales leader}} and {{SDR lead or agency}}   Date: {{date}}

1. Right company
   Industry: {{industries in scope}}
   Size: {{employee range}} employees, or {{revenue band}}
   Location: {{states, regions or countries}}
   Exclusions: {{existing customers, open opportunities, competitors, partners}}

2. Right person
   Titles that count: {{titles}}
   Titles that count only with a second attendee: {{titles}}
   Minimum seniority: {{level}}

3. Confirmed need
   The prospect has said, in their own words, that they have {{problem you solve}} or are reviewing {{category}}.
   The SDR has written down what they said.

4. Timing signal
   One of: {{contract end date, project start, hiring plan, budget cycle, trigger event}} within {{timeframe}}.

5. Attended
   The meeting counts only when it happens with the right person. A no-show is rebooked, not counted.

Handover standard: every meeting arrives with the handover note completed within {{hours}} hours of booking.
Disputes: the account executive flags a meeting as unqualified within {{days}} business days, with the reason.