What You'll Walk Away With
A practical qualification system using simplified BANT and MEDDIC frameworks — so you can quickly assess whether a prospect is worth pursuing, and confidently explain that process in any SDR interview.
Why Qualification Matters as Much as Outreach
An SDR who chases every lead wastes time and burns out. An SDR who qualifies efficiently closes their calendar for meetings that actually matter. Qualification is the filter between prospecting and pipeline — it determines whether your discovery call produces real opportunities or just activity metrics.
Two frameworks dominate the industry: BANT (simple, fast, widely used) and MEDDIC (deeper, enterprise-oriented, increasingly standard at growth-stage SaaS companies). Know both. Use the right one for the context.
BANT — Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline
B
BudgetDoes this prospect have the financial resources to buy? Not just "do they have money" but "is budget allocated for this type of solution right now?" Budget questions: "Is there a budget set aside for this kind of tool?" or "How do you typically fund solutions like this?"
A
AuthorityAre you talking to the decision-maker — or someone who will need approval? Map the buying process: "Who else would be involved in a decision like this?" Knowing the full decision chain prevents late-stage surprises.
N
NeedDoes this prospect actually have the problem your solution solves? Is it painful enough to act on? A prospect who says "that would be nice" is different from one who says "we've tried three things and nothing's worked."
T
TimelineWhen is this prospect likely to make a decision? "We're evaluating for Q3" is different from "we're in no rush." Timeline tells you how to prioritize your pipeline and what kind of urgency to create.
MEDDIC — For Growth-Stage & Enterprise Deals
M
MetricsWhat does success look like quantifiably? "We want to reduce onboarding time by 40%" is a metric. Metrics make the ROI case concrete and give your champion something to present internally.
E
Economic BuyerWho controls the budget? Not just who you're talking to — who actually signs. At enterprise companies these are often different people. Your contact may love you, but the economic buyer has never heard of you.
D
Decision CriteriaWhat factors will they use to evaluate options? Price? Integration requirements? Vendor reputation? Knowing their criteria lets you position against them specifically.
D
Decision ProcessHow do they actually make decisions? What's the approval chain? What's the typical timeline from evaluation to signature? Map this early so nothing blindsides you late.
I
Identify PainWhat's the real cost of not solving this problem? Quantified, specific pain creates urgency that vague dissatisfaction never will.
C
ChampionWho inside the account is going to advocate for you when you're not in the room? Finding and developing your champion is often the single biggest factor in enterprise deal outcomes.
When to Use Which Framework
Use BANT for: initial qualification calls at SMB and mid-market companies, high-volume outbound sequences, early-stage conversations where you need a fast filter. It's simple, memorable, and effective for most SDR contexts.
Use MEDDIC for: enterprise accounts, complex multi-stakeholder deals, any opportunity where the sales cycle is longer than 30 days. Mentioning MEDDIC fluency in interviews for enterprise or growth-stage companies immediately differentiates you.
Prove You Got It
Write five discovery questions — one for each letter of BANT — that you could naturally ask in a conversation without making it feel like an interrogation. The key is phrasing them as curious, open questions rather than a checklist. Practice saying them out loud until they sound like you.
Say It Out Loud
"I qualify fast, so I can focus deep. Not every lead is worth my time — and I know how to tell the difference."