Screen
- Qualify an inbound leadSDR
For B2B sales reps working inbound leads: check fit, need, authority, budget and timeline, then route to sales, nurture, partner, self-serve or out.
General practice, not a standard. Set your own thresholds, for example a minimum deal size of $10,000 or companies over 50 employees.
BANT stands for Budget, Authority, Need and Timeframe (or Timeline). IBM's Value Advantage Plus partner form asks for all four when partners register a government opportunity.
- Is this a real potential buyer?SDR
Screen out job seekers, students, vendors pitching you, competitors and spam before you spend a call on them.
- Disqualify and record the reasonSDR
Pick a reason from a fixed list, such as not a buyer, competitor or spam, so marketing can clean up the source.
- Does the company match your ideal customer profile?SDR
Your ideal customer profile (ICP) is what your best customers share, such as industry, size, region and the tools they use. Write it down. Don't judge by gut.
- Yes: go to step 5, Book a discovery call
- Too small: go to step 6, Is there a self-serve or low-touch plan?
- Region or segment not served: go to step 9, Does a partner or reseller cover it?
- Not sure: go to step 11, Research the account before the call
- Book a discovery callSDR
For example, aim for 20 to 30 minutes. Send a short agenda so the buyer knows what you'll ask.
Then go to step 12, Ask what made them reach out now
- Is there a self-serve or low-touch plan?SDR
- Route to self-serve with an onboarding emailSDR
Send the sign-up link and the most useful getting-started guide. Keep the record so you notice if the account grows.
Check: tag the lead so it isn't counted as a lost sales opportunity.
- Disqualify politely and close the leadSDR
Tell them honestly that you aren't the right fit, and suggest an alternative if you know one.
- Does a partner or reseller cover it?SDR
- Route to the partner with your notesSDR
Pass on everything you learned, including any budget, authority, need and timeframe details. Partners usually have to register the deal.
Check: follow your partner rules on who owns the lead, so two teams don't chase it.
- Research the account before the callSDR
Check the website, headcount and recent news. Then book the call and confirm fit in the first few minutes.
Need
- Ask what made them reach out nowSDR
Use open questions: What is happening today? What does it cost you? What have you tried? Let them talk.
- Is there a clear, specific problem you solve?SDR
- Move to nurture and set a date to check backSDR
Add them to relevant content and set a reminder, for example 90 days. Interest without a problem rarely turns into a deal.
Check: ask permission before adding them to email sequences, and record their consent.
- Can they put a number on the problem?SDR
MEDDIC calls this Metrics: the quantified value of solving it, such as hours saved or revenue lost.
- Yes: go to step 16, Record the number in the CRM
- No: go to step 17, Agree how they would measure success
- Record the number in the CRMSDR
- Agree how they would measure successSDR
Authority and budget
- Who signs off on a purchase like this?SDR
Map the buying group: the decision maker, the budget holder, the people who will use it, IT or security, and procurement.
IBM's Value Advantage Plus BANT form asks for a line-of-business contact and says procurement and purchasing contacts are not valid executive decision makers.
- Your contact: go to step 19, Confirm who else must review it
- Someone else: go to step 20, Can your contact get you a meeting with them?
- Unknown: go to step 24, Ask how they bought the last similar tool
- Confirm who else must review itSDR
Even a decision maker usually needs IT, security or legal to agree. Ask who has blocked purchases before.
Then go to step 25, Is there budget for your price range, or a way to get it?
- Can your contact get you a meeting with them?SDR
- Schedule a meeting with the decision makerSDR
Then go to step 25, Is there budget for your price range, or a way to get it?
- Will your contact champion the purchase internally?SDR
MEDDIC calls this person the Champion: someone inside who has influence and wants your solution to win.
- Coach the champion on the business caseSDR
Then go to step 25, Is there budget for your price range, or a way to get it?
- Ask how they bought the last similar toolSDR
Who found it, who approved it, and how long it took. Past purchases are the best guide to the next one.
- Is there budget for your price range, or a way to get it?SDR
Ask in ranges: Have you set aside budget for this, and is it closer to $5,000 or $50,000 a year, for example?
- Budget is set: go to step 26, Confirm it covers your typical deal size
- No budget yet: go to step 27, Would the value justify new budget this year?
- Below your minimum: go to step 6, Is there a self-serve or low-touch plan?
- Confirm it covers your typical deal sizeSDR
Then go to step 29, When do they need it working?
- Would the value justify new budget this year?SDR
For new kinds of product, buyers often have no budget line yet. Forrester notes it is unreasonable to expect a defined budget early.
- Build the business case with your championSDR
Timeline and hand-off
- When do they need it working?SDR
- Within your sales cycle: go to step 30, Note the date and what drives it
- No date: go to step 31, Is something forcing a decision?
- Later than that: go to step 14, Move to nurture and set a date to check back
- Note the date and what drives itSDR
A real deadline has a cause, such as a contract renewal, a launch or a new regulation.
Then go to step 32, Write the BANT summary in the CRM
- Is something forcing a decision?SDR
- Write the BANT summary in the CRMSDR
One line each for budget, authority, need and timeline, plus the number they put on the problem.
That IBM form treats an opportunity as validated only after at least one sales call where you learned all four. A marketing or event lead alone doesn't count.
- Mark the lead sales-qualified and hand it offAccount Executive
Book the first meeting for the account executive rather than sending an email introduction.
- Does the account executive accept the lead?Account Executive
Agree a review time in your team's rules, for example within 2 business days.
- Sales-qualified lead. The account executive runs the dealAccount Executive
For large or complex deals, many teams qualify further with MEDDIC: Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Identify pain and Champion.
MEDDPICC adds Paper process (how a decision becomes a signature) and Competition.
Check: BANT screens a lead. MEDDIC tests whether a deal can close. Use BANT first and MEDDIC once there's an opportunity.
- Return the lead with the reasonSDR
Agree the specific gap, such as no access to the decision maker, and fix it before resubmitting.
Then go to step 12, Ask what made them reach out now