Still using BANT? You’re already behind!
Time to move on.
Read time: 3 min
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Why are companies still using BANT?
Got hit with it recently by an SDR—it felt like an interrogation. Newsflash: it’s outdated and useless for outbound. Stop wasting everyone’s time with these lame checklists.
Time to move on from B.A.N.T. and start using modern qualification processes.
B.A.N.T. stands for Budget, Authority, Need, and Timing for those unfamiliar.
It's a technique designed to help salespeople "qualify" opportunities by asking questions about:
Budget: Does the prospect have the financial resources?
Authority: Are you speaking with the decision-maker?
Need: Does the prospect have a need for your product?
Timing: Is now the right time for them to buy?
The goal is to prevent wasting time on deals that are unlikely to close.
However, there’s a significant problem: BANT is:
self-centered
doesn’t align with the SaaS economy,
doesn't align with outbound sales.
Why you should stop using BANT, especially with outbound deals:
1. BANT is Seller-Centric
BANT focuses on the seller, not the buyer, turning it into a checklist that doesn’t build trust or consider the buyer’s journey. Modern sales require a deeper understanding with the buyer.
2. Timing
With outbound, you control who to contact, but timing is unpredictable. Prospects often hesitate until they understand the cost of waiting. Show them how delays affect revenue or efficiency to create urgency.
3. Budget
The traditional approach of checking a prospect's budget upfront is outdated and potentially counterproductive for outbound deals. If they see true value, they’ll find the funds. Disqualifying them early may mean they haven’t fully recognized their problem or the available solution. When an issue becomes urgent, businesses always prioritize finding the budget.
4. Authority
B2B decisions involve multiple stakeholders. According to Gartner: 6 to 10 decision-makers are involved in each B2B purchase.
Don’t just focus on the top decision-maker—engage with influencers and buying committees, as they drive 79% of B2B purchases.
5. Need
Great salespeople don’t just respond to needs—they uncover hidden problems. Only 5% of your market is actively buying, so create urgency by highlighting the cost of inaction.
Providing new perspectives and insights can turn a disengaged prospect into an interested buyer AKA demand creation.
6. Sales are about your customers, not you
Adopt buyer-centric methodologies like SPICED, Gap Selling or P-MAP. These frameworks focus on the buyer’s challenges and decision-making process.
SPICED (Winning by Design’s baby)
You’ve probably heard of it, but let’s be honest—SPICED is just a fancy acronym to say “get your buyer’s story straight.”
Situation: What’s happening in their business right now?
Pain: Where does it hurt the most?
Impact: How deep is the wound—financially or operationally?
Critical Event: What’s pushing them to actually do something about it?
Decision: Who’s calling the shots and how do they make decisions?
Bottom line: It’s about not screwing up the basics. Get this stuff right, and you’re halfway to closing.
Gap Selling (Keenan’s no-BS method):
Gap Selling is simple but powerful: figure out where your customer is today (probably a mess), where they want to be (pipe dream), and then show how your solution bridges that gap. Don’t bother with a product pitch—no one cares. What they want is to see how you can get them from point A to point B without wasting time.
Current state vs. future state.
Make the gap real with numbers.
You’re the fix. That’s it.
P-MAP:
The acronym stands for:
P for Pain: Is the problem big enough, or are they just whining?
M for Mobilizer: Do you have someone who can actually get things moving internally, or are you wasting time with a gatekeeper?
A for Authority: Are you talking to the right people, or just the ones who have no real power?
P for Project: Is this a real deal with a deadline, or just some “maybe next year” nonsense?
These focus on solving real problems and delivering value, instead of just following a checklist.
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