{"id":518,"date":"2020-03-24T11:44:07","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T11:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.only-b2b.com\/blog\/?p=518"},"modified":"2023-06-21T18:05:37","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T12:35:37","slug":"what-is-bant-and-how-can-it-enable-your-sales-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.only-b2b.com\/blog\/what-is-bant-and-how-can-it-enable-your-sales-team\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is BANT And How Can It Enable Your Sales Team?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Introduced by IBM in the 1960s, BANT is a popular sales acronym used to identify and pursue the most qualified<\/strong> prospects<\/span><\/a> based on their Budget, Authority, Needs, and Timeline.\u00a0
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The acronym BANT stands for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Budget: <\/strong>How much is the prospect willing to spend?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authority: <\/strong>Who is the ultimate decision-maker?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need: <\/strong>Does the prospect have problems your product can solve?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Timing: <\/strong>Is there urgency?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Must read: <\/span>BANT VS MEDDIC<\/span><\/a>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is BANT?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
BANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to Hubspot<\/a>, BANT<\/span><\/a> is a sales qualification methodology that lets salespeople determine whether a prospect is a good fit based on their budget, internal influence\/ability to buy, need for the product, and purchase timeline.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Must Read: <\/span>5 ABM Mistakes You Cannot Afford to Commit<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How NOT to use BANT<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Marketers claim that BANT methodology fails if you don’t use it right. For instance, it may fail if your sales representative treats this sales methodology like a checklist, meaning they bombard the prospect with questions after questions- without truly listening to their responses or attempting to add value.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s an example:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike is a prospect who walked into your store hoping to purchase a car. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we cut the exchange of pleasantries, the dialogue will be something like this.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sales Representative: What’s your budget?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike: Um.. somewhere around $40,000!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Obvious question for obvious reasons. Your sales rep wouldn’t want to waste his\/her time showing a car that proceeds beyond this budget) 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sales Representative: Is there anything you’re looking for in particular?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike: You know! Should fit the budget. Great mileage, engine, features & technology, cost of ownership, warranties etc.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sales Representative: Will you be driving it every day or occasionally?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike: Every day! I wish to ditch the passenger trains. Can you elaborate more on this particular (xyz) feature?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sales Representative: Sure. And when would you want to own it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike: This Spring! 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you tell what\u2019s wrong?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, it sounded a lot like an interrogation, not a two-way dialogue. Nobody likes being quizzed. Unfortunately, BANT often causes sales representatives to adhere to a memorized script rather than asking questions that can build on each other.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secondly, the sales representative missed out on so many opportunities to connect with the buyer better. For instance, he could have dug deeper into understanding the nature and purpose of the purchase. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To implement BANT successfully, consider it as a concept rather than a to-do list. You need to qualify on all 4 characteristics, but you don\u2019t need to do them in a specific order or way. You should alter your approach every time to fit the prospect.<\/em><\/strong>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BANT Lead Qualification<\/span><\/a> (Sales qualify<\/span><\/a> or Marketing qualify<\/span><\/a>) Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Budget<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n