BANT sales methodology

In sales, time is valuable, and sales teams need to perfect the art of discovery calls to make sure they’re spending their time wisely.

If your SDR team doesn’t collect the right information early on, your sales team could be spending a ton of time and effort talking to a company that doesn’t have the budget, or a contact who doesn’t have buying authority.

Sales teams need a way to quickly determine if the conversation they’re committing to is worth their time.

Enter the BANT framework—a simple yet effective way for sales teams to qualify leads and make the most of their precious time and resources during the discovery phase.

What does BANT stand for?

BANT might sound like the name of a friendly robot, but it's actually an acronym that stands for Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeline. These four elements form the pillars of the BANT framework and serve as your guide to determine whether a lead is worth pursuing.

What is BANT in sales?

Imagine you're a detective trying to solve a mystery. Instead of searching for clues, sales teams use BANT to uncover essential information about potential customers. Let's break down each element of BANT:

• Budget: Does the prospect have the financial resources to purchase your product or service?

• Authority: Are you speaking to someone who has the power to make buying decisions?

• Need: Does the prospect actually need what you're offering? Is there a genuine problem you can solve?

• Timeline: When does the prospect intend to make a purchase? Is their decision imminent or in the distant future?

How to apply the BANT framework to your sales process

Now that we've cracked the BANT code, let's see how you can put it to work.

With Dialpad’s Ai Playbooks, for example, you can use a prebuilt playbook based on the BANT sales methodology, that guides sales reps through live sales calls and gives managers quick and easy insights in post-sales call reviews for better training and support:

How to apply the BANT framework using Ai Playbooks:

Step 1: Choose the BANT framework template

To start, just choose the BANT playbook template in the Ai Playbooks interface. You’ll notice that Dialpad already comes with Ai Playbooks based on BANT, SPIN, and SPICED to help sales teams speed up adoption.

Step 2: Let Dialpad’s Ai ensure BANT adherence

Sales reps can see the Ai Playbook in real-time as they interact with prospects and customers, which will help ensure they hit all the mandatory tasks, questions, and any scripted items that are expected of them.

When a rep uses an Ai Playbook-recommended phrase or question, Dialpad’s generative Ai and speech recognition capabilities will understand that the behavior was met and check the item off the playbook’s list.

(This also helps speed up QA review for managers in post-call reviews.)

Step 3: Provide post-call coaching & support as needed

Coaches, managers, and leaders can easily see which reps are following or not following Ai Playbook behaviors to better understand who needs additional coaching and for which specific steps that are outlined.

Dialpad’s analytics and dashboards provide a detailed view of Ai Playbook adherence over time to show leaders, managers, and sales reps their improvement in specific skills.

BANT qualification questions to use with prospects

Budget: Questions to ask

Gently inquire about your prospect's budget constraints:

• "Do you have a budget set aside for this?"

• "What are you currently allocating for [product/service]?"

• "Are you comfortable with an investment in the [X] range?"

Authority: Questions to ask

Pinpoint the decision-makers:

• "Who else will be involved in this decision?"

• "Can you introduce me to the person responsible for finalizing purchases?"

Need: Questions to ask

Uncover your prospect's pain points to figure out if and how your offering can help solve it:

• "What challenges are you currently facing?"

• "What would make your life/business easier right now?"

• "Can you describe your ideal outcome for this product/service?"

Timeline: Questions to ask

Understand the prospect’s urgency to give you an idea of if and when you’re likely to close this deal:

• "When do you hope to have a solution in place?"

• "Is there a specific timeframe you're working with?"

Not sure if BANT fits your sales process? Here's some other options

While BANT is a powerful tool, it's not the only kid on the block. Other frameworks like MEDDIC, SPIN, and SPICED offer different approaches to lead qualification.

BANT in sales: Just one way to streamline lead qualification

In conclusion, BANT is like a compass guiding you through the sales wilderness. By assessing Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeline, you'll be equipped to focus your efforts on leads with the highest potential.

However, remember that while BANT is a valuable tool, it's just one method among many. Feel free to explore alternatives and find what works best for your team.