BANT stands for Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeline — a classic sales qualification framework. Has the prospect budgeted for this? Are you talking to someone who can actually sign? Do they have the problem your product solves? Are they making a decision soon? BANT is old (IBM developed it in the 1950s) but still useful as a checklist. Modern takes add more nuance, but if a prospect fails multiple BANT criteria, deprioritize.
For example, a prospect might have strong Need and the right Authority, but if they have no Budget until Q4 and Timeline is 'maybe next year,' they're a low-priority opportunity — not worth full sales cycle investment now.
We incorporate BANT checks into SDR qualification scripts to keep pipeline quality high and AE time focused on winnable deals.
Relevant Cactus Services
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Book a free strategy call →Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
Your ICP is the precise description of the company most likely to buy, stay, and expand.
Sales Development Representative (SDR)
An SDR is the outbound hunter on your sales team — their job is to generate qualified meetings, not close deals.
Business Development Representative (BDR)
A BDR is similar to an SDR but often focuses on larger, more strategic accounts or outbound into new markets rather than a defined territory.
Total Addressable Market (TAM)
TAM is the total revenue opportunity if you captured 100% of your target market.
Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM)
SAM is the portion of TAM you can actually reach with your current GTM motion.
Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM)
SOM is the slice of SAM you can realistically capture in the next 12–24 months given your resources, competition, and execution capacity.