BANT stands for Budget, Authority, Need, and Timing — a classic lead qualification framework used in B2B sales to determine whether a prospect is a good fit and ready for engagement. Originally developed by IBM, BANT helps sales teams assess deal potential early in the pipeline and focus on leads with real buying intent.
What Is BANT?
BANT is a sales qualification methodology that evaluates four key criteria:
- 💰 Budget – Does the prospect have the financial resources for your solution?
- 👤 Authority – Is the person you’re speaking with a decision-maker or influencer?
- 📌 Need – Does the company have a pain point or problem your product solves?
- ⏱️ Timing – Is there urgency or a defined timeline for implementation?
By scoring leads across these four dimensions, sales teams can prioritize efforts and engage high-value prospects more effectively.
Why BANT Is Still Relevant in B2B Sales
- 🎯 Qualifies Deals Early – Prevents wasted time on unqualified leads
- 📈 Improves Conversion Rates – Focuses on prospects who are sales-ready
- 🧠 Aligns Sales & Marketing – Shared understanding of what a qualified lead looks like
- 💬 Guides Discovery Calls – Structures questions to surface buying signals
- 🔁 Works Across Industries – Applicable to SaaS, consulting, enterprise, and more
Example BANT Questions
- Budget: “What is your budget range for this project?”
- Authority: “Who else is involved in the decision-making process?”
- Need: “What challenges are you currently trying to solve?”
- Timing: “When are you planning to implement a new solution?”
BANT vs Other Qualification Frameworks
| Framework | Focus | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| BANT | Budget, decision-making, urgency | Early-stage qualification |
| CHAMP | Challenges and priorities | Consultative selling |
| MEDDIC | Metrics, economic buyer, decision criteria | Enterprise and complex sales |
| GPCTBA | Goals, plans, challenges, timeline, etc. | Inbound and discovery calls |
BANT with CUFinder
CUFinder enhances BANT-based sales processes by providing real-time firmographic and contact data — including company size (budget indicator), job title (authority), industry (need relevance), and technographics (timing alignment). Filter and engage qualified leads that meet all BANT criteria with confidence.
Cited Sources
- Wikipedia: BANT
- DBpedia: https://dbpedia.org/page/Qualified_prospect