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ANT = Budget, Authority, Need, Timing
It was designed in a world where buyers waited for sales reps to educate them.
That is not how modern B2B purchasing works.
Today:
- Buyers educate themselves independently
- Budgets are flexible until a compelling reason appears
- Authority is distributed across buying committees
- Needs evolve as buyers learn
- Timing is fluid and often triggered by internal priorities, not rigid timelines
Using BANT too early in the process leads to:
- Overqualifying inbound leads
- Dismissing high-intent prospects prematurely
- Sales conversations that feel tactical rather than helpful
- Marketing optimising for the wrong metrics
In inbound environments, BANT is not just unhelpful - it’s counterproductive to an effective marketing strategy.
The Modern Approach: Intent + Fit
Instead of using BANT as the qualification gate, high-performing teams use Intent + Fit.
Intent
This is what buyers do, not what they say. It’s behavioural data that indicates they are actively researching or evaluating a problem.
Examples of intent signals:
- Searching problem or solution keywords
- Attending a webinar
- Downloading mid- or late-funnel content
- Viewing pricing
- Requesting a demo
- Repeated visits to the site
- Sharing content internally
Fit
Does the lead match your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)?
Fit includes:
- Industry
- Company size
- Geography
- Technographic compatibility
- Operational maturity
- Problem alignment
Intent + Fit ensures:
- High-intent inbound leads get acted on
- Low-fit leads get gracefully nurtured or disqualified
- Sales prioritises the right conversations
- Marketing focuses on the channels and content generating meaningful engagement
This is the heart of inbound qualification.
Understanding Inbound vs Outbound
Outbound
You push messages toward prospects.
Examples:
- Cold calls
- Cold emails
- Purchased lists
- Interruptive ads
Outbound = You initiate the conversation.
Inbound
Prospects come to you.
They discover you through:
- Search
- Social
- Word of mouth
- Content
- Recommendations
- Events
- Industry influence
Inbound = They initiate the conversation.
Why inbound works better for B2B
- Buyers trust their own research more than a cold call
- They’re already aware of their problem
- They typically have internal buy-in
- Sales cycles are shorter
- Quality is higher
- They convert at a significantly better rate
- CAC is lower (once the engine is built)
Marketing’s role in inbound is to attract, educate, and qualify.
Sales’ role is to guide, validate, and convert.
This only works if the organisation aligns around buyer-driven intent signals.
Lead Definitions
Every business needs clear, mutually agreed definitions.
Here are the recommended ones:
Lead
Anyone who engages with your brand in any way.
Not inherently qualified.
Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)
A lead showing meaningful intent signals AND basic ICP fit.
Marketing continues nurturing unless intent clearly indicates readiness for sales.
Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)
A prospect who has:
- Strong intent signals (e.g., demo request, pricing page views)
- Clear ICP alignment
- A problem the business can solve
- Awareness that they might need a solution
Sales validates, then progresses.
Opportunity
A qualified SQL with a clear evaluation pathway, confirmed through sales discovery.
Customer
Closed-won.
These definitions eliminate ambiguity and prevent “but this wasn’t qualified” arguments.
The Hand-Off Framework (High-Level)
A strong hand-off includes:
- Clear readiness criteria
- Ownership clarity (who does what)
- A structured process
- SLA expectations
- Feedback loops
- Shared tools (HubSpot, CRM workflows)
Marketing should NOT push leads early. Sales should NOT ignore high-intent inbound leads.
Alignment is a two-way street.
Disqualification Rules
Disqualification is as important as qualification.
A good strategy defines:
- Industries to exclude
- Company sizes to exclude
- Tech stacks that don’t fit
- Personas you cannot help
- Red flags
- Mismatched problems
Disqualifying early protects:
- Sales time
- Marketing budget
- Customer experience
Not all leads should be passed; many should be nurtured or excluded.
Feedback Loops & Internal Cadence
High-performing teams communicate regularly across:
- Weekly marketing & sales syncs
- Monthly retrospective reviews
- Quarterly strategy alignment
Feedback loops include:
- Lead quality insights
- Lost deal analysis
- Persona shifts
- Market changes
- Messaging adjustments
Sales input makes marketing smarter.
Marketing insights make sales more targeted.
