How to Qualify Sales Leads: Need, Authority, Budget and Timing
Decide which conversations deserve a meeting, using simple qualification questions.
Why qualification matters
Senior sellers have limited time. A meeting with someone who has no need or no say wastes it. Qualification means checking a few basics before you book the meeting. A common framework is BANT: budget, authority, need and timing. Many teams start with need, because without a real problem nothing else matters.
Questions for each part
Ask in natural language, not as an interrogation.
- Need: what is the problem, and what does it cost today?
- Authority: who else would be involved in deciding?
- Budget: how have you paid for similar solutions before?
- Timing: is there a reason to solve this soon?
Hand over with notes
When you book a meeting, write a short handover note for your senior colleague: who you spoke to, their problem in their words, who decides and any timing. Good notes make you a trusted SDR, and trusted SDRs get promoted to account executive roles.
Worked example: a lead that was not ready
A prospect is enthusiastic but says they are a two-person team with no budget until next year. Instead of booking a meeting that would go nowhere, the SDR notes the timing, adds them to a follow-up reminder and keeps the senior seller's calendar for ready prospects. Next year the prospect returns and becomes a customer.
Common qualification mistakes
Booking every meeting looks good for a week and hurts your reputation after a month.
- Skipping the need question
- Asking budget too bluntly
- No handover notes
- Booking meetings with people who cannot decide or influence
- Qualify before booking: need, authority, budget, timing.
- Start with need.
- Ask naturally, not as a checklist.
- Write a handover note for every meeting.
Write natural versions of the four qualification questions for a product you know. Role play with a friend and write the handover note afterwards.
Check your understanding
1. What does BANT stand for?
2. Which part do many teams check first?
3. Why write handover notes?
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Templates from our playbooks
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