Qualifying a lead means deciding, early, whether they are likely to buy, so you spend your hours on the ones who will. Two frameworks come up constantly: BANT and MEDDIC. They are both checklists of questions. The one you need depends on how big and how slow your sales are.
BANT in four questions
BANT is generally credited to IBM. It stands for Budget, Authority, Need and Timeline.
- Budget: Is there money for this, or a way to get it?
- Authority: Is this person able to decide, or who is?
- Need: Is there a real problem you solve?
- Timeline: When do they want it fixed?
It is quick and works for simple sales where one person decides, such as a service package or a small software plan. Its weakness is that it can sound like an interrogation, and buyers often do not know their budget until they see a price.
MEDDIC in six
MEDDIC grew out of enterprise software sales. The letters are Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Identify pain and Champion. It asks more: what number will improve, who holds the money, how they will judge options, what steps and approvals the purchase goes through, what pain is behind it and who inside will push for you. It fits long sales with several people involved, where a deal can stall for months.
Side by side
- Deal size: BANT fits small and quick deals. MEDDIC fits large ones.
- Number of people: BANT assumes one main buyer. MEDDIC assumes a group.
- Time to ask: BANT fits into one call. MEDDIC takes several.
- Risk: BANT can disqualify a good lead too early. MEDDIC can feel heavy on a small deal.
A simple version for a solo seller
Most founders and freelancers need neither in full. Ask four things in plain words on the first call:
- What is happening that made you reach out now?
- What have you tried?
- Who else needs to agree?
- If this works, when would you want it running?
You have covered need, authority and timeline without saying the words, and the first question often gets you the budget story too. The discovery call questions article has more. For a general method, read how to qualify a lead.
Score what you learn
Give each lead a simple mark after the call: a clear problem, a person who can say yes and a date. Three marks is a hot lead, two is warm, one is a nurture. Write it in your CRM or sheet, and check it every week.
Where each one goes wrong
Both frameworks fail the same way: they turn a conversation into a form. If you ask four questions in a row without listening, the buyer feels processed, and they will give you short answers to end it. Ask one question, follow what they say, and fill in the blanks afterward in your notes. The other failure is using a framework as a reason to drop a lead. A buyer with no budget today may have one next quarter. Mark them as nurture, check back on a date you wrote down and keep your list honest.
If you do grow into longer, larger deals, borrow from MEDDIC one piece at a time rather than all at once. Start by asking who holds the money and what number the buyer hopes to move. Those two questions alone change how a conversation feels, because they move it from features to results. Add a champion, the person inside who wants you to win, once you have a few deals that stall in the middle. Add the rest only when you see the same failure twice.
Qualify earlier by choosing better
The best qualification happens before the call: pick buyers who fit your ideal customer profile. Rocketship searches from a plain description of the buyer, so more of your calls start with a fit. Try it for 7 days, card required to begin.