# BANT Qualification Framework Guide

> The classic Budget-Authority-Need-Timeline model broken into real questions and dialogue for each pillar, plus a scoring grid so you know exactly when to pursue, nurture, or walk away.

Free framework for sales reps. Topic: [Discovery & Qualification](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/topic/discovery-qualification/). Published by PeerLab in the [Sales Enablement Resource Library](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/). Source: https://www.peerlab.ai/library/bant-qualification-framework-guide/

## How to use it

Run the four pillars in order during discovery, score the deal against the grid at the end of the call, and route it pursue/nurture/disqualify before it enters your pipeline stage.

## What's inside

- When BANT is the right tool vs. when to use MEDDPICC instead
- Budget pillar, 5 indirect questions that surface money without asking 'what's the budget'
- Authority pillar, 5 questions that map the buying committee and expose single-threaded deals
- Need pillar: 5 questions that separate a funded, painful problem from a nice-to-have
- Timeline pillar, 5 questions that test for a real compelling event vs. fake urgency
- BANT scoring grid: 0/1/2 per pillar with pursue / nurture / disqualify thresholds
- Rebuttal lines for prospects who dodge a BANT question
- Three common BANT mistakes and the fix for each

## When to use BANT
BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline) is a fast go/no-go filter, built for transactional and mid-market deals with short cycles. It is not built for multi-stakeholder enterprise deals, use MEDDPICC there. Never open a call by asking about budget directly; work it in through the dialogue below.

## Pillar 1: Budget
Goal: confirm money is (or can be) allocated, not just that they like the product.
- What's the current cost of not solving this: in hours, dollars, or lost deals?
- Have you set aside spend for this category this year, or would this be a new line item?
- Roughly, what would you expect to invest to fix this properly?
- Who signs off once a number is on the table?
- If the ROI is clear, is budget the blocker, or is it something else?

## Pillar 2, Authority
Goal: find every person who can say yes and every person who can say no.
- Walk me through who else touches a decision like this.
- Who has final sign-off, and who needs to be comfortable before it gets there?
- Has a similar purchase happened here before, who ran that process?
- If we get everyone else excited, who could still say no?
- Would it help to get [economic buyer] in the next call?

## Pillar 3: Need
Goal: confirm a funded, painful problem, not a wish list item.
- What happens if this stays unsolved for another two quarters?
- What have you already tried, and why didn't it stick?
- Who else in the business feels this pain besides you?
- On a 1–10, how painful is this today: and what makes it a 10, not a 6?
- What does success look like in concrete numbers?

## Pillar 4: Timeline
Goal: expose a real compelling event, not a soft 'sometime this year.'
- What's driving the timing: a renewal, a board date, a budget cycle, a hire?
- What happens on your end if this slips a quarter?
- Is there a date something else is contingent on this decision?
- What would need to be true for you to have a vendor picked by [date]?
- Who set that date, and how firm is it really?

## Scoring grid
| Pillar | 0 pts | 1 pt | 2 pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | none identified | plausible, unconfirmed | confirmed & allocated |
| Authority | unknown | identified, not engaged | engaged directly |
| Need | vague | real but not costed | costed & urgent |
| Timeline | none | soft date | compelling event with date |

**7–8 pts:** pursue actively. **4–6 pts:** nurture, re-qualify in 30 days. **0–3 pts:** disqualify or park.

## Common mistakes
1. Asking budget first: ask Need first, Budget follows naturally.
2. Treating one 'yes' as full Authority, always ask 'who else.'
3. Accepting a soft date as Timeline, always ask what forces that date.