BANT is a qualification framework that stands for Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeline. It gives a rep four questions to answer on a discovery call: does the prospect have budget, do they have authority to decide, is there a real need, and is there a timeline? When all four line up, the lead is a real opportunity worth an account executive's time — a candidate for a qualified meeting. When they do not, you know exactly what is missing.
In plain English
BANT is a four-part checklist to see if a deal is real. Budget: can they pay? Authority: can they decide? Need: is there a problem? Timeline: do they want to act soon? It is not a magic formula — it is a way to make sure you are not spending weeks on a deal that was never going to happen.
Why it matters to you
BANT keeps your pipeline honest. A prospect with need but no budget is research; one with authority and budget but no timeline is a someday deal. Knowing which is which lets you spend your time where revenue actually lives. Master the questions, run them naturally on every discovery call, and you will qualify faster than the rep who pitches first and hopes later.