Method · Sales

BANT: how to run it

A quick way to qualify a sales lead with four questions — Budget, Authority, Need and Timing — so time goes to buyers who can actually buy.

20 minutes5 stepsSales
Other methods

When it helps

Use it in early conversations and lead scoring, especially for simpler or smaller sales, to decide quickly whether a lead is worth a full sales process.

When to use something else

Skip it as a rigid script: many buyers have no budget until they see the value, so treat a missing B or T as something to work on, not always a reason to stop.

How to run it, step by step

  1. Need5 min
    • What problem are they trying to solve, and how badly?
  2. Timing3 min
    • When do they need it solved, and why then?
  3. Authority4 min
    • Who else is involved in deciding?
  4. Budget4 min
    • Is money set aside, or how would it be found?
  5. Decide next step4 min
    • Full sales process, nurture for later, or not a fit?

What comes out — an example

Made up, to show the shape.

Need. Their scheduling breaks every time a nurse calls in sick.

Timing. Before winter, when sickness peaks.

Authority. The operations manager recommends; the owner signs.

Budget. Not set aside — would come from the agency-staff budget.

Next. Qualified: demo booked with the owner.

Where it comes from

BANT is generally credited to IBM, which used it to qualify sales opportunities.

Questions

What does BANT stand for?

Budget, Authority, Need and Timing.

Is BANT still useful?

As a quick early check, yes; many teams ask about need first and treat budget and timing as things to develop rather than strict gates.

What is the difference between BANT and MEDDIC?

BANT is a quick qualification for simpler sales; MEDDIC is a deeper checklist for complex sales with many decision-makers.

Other methods

SPIN questionsA way to run a sales conversation through four kinds of question — Situation, Problem, Implication and Need-payoff — so the buyer explains, in their own words, why a change is worth it.MEDDICA checklist for qualifying a large sale: Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Identify pain and Champion — so you know whether a deal is real and what is missing.Lean CoffeeA meeting with no agenda until it starts: everybody writes topics, the group votes, and you talk about the most popular ones in short, timed rounds.Fishbowl discussionA few people talk in an inner circle while everyone else listens from around them; listeners can step in by taking an empty chair, so a large group can hold one real conversation.1-2-4-AllEveryone thinks alone, then in pairs, then in fours, then the whole group shares — so every person contributes and the best ideas rise in about twelve minutes.Six Thinking HatsThe group looks at one question from six angles in turn — facts, feelings, risks, benefits, new ideas and process — so everyone thinks the same way at the same time instead of arguing.

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