Checklists

Deal Qualification

Qualification checklist to protect pipeline quality.

BANT Qualification

Budget

  • ☐ Have they allocated budget for this type of solution?
  • ☐ Do they know the approximate investment required?
  • ☐ Is the budget within your pricing range?
  • ☐ Can they access budget if they need to?

Key question: "Do you have budget set aside for this, or would we need to build a business case?"

Authority

  • ☐ Are you speaking to a decision maker?
  • ☐ Do you know who else is involved in the decision?
  • ☐ Have you mapped the buying committee?
  • ☐ Do you have access to the economic buyer?

Key question: "Who else would need to be involved in a decision like this?"

Need

  • ☐ Have they articulated a clear problem?
  • ☐ Is the problem significant enough to warrant action?
  • ☐ Does your solution address their specific needs?
  • ☐ Have they tried to solve this before?

Key question: "On a scale of 1-10, how much of a priority is solving this?"

Timeline

  • ☐ Do they have a target implementation date?
  • ☐ Is there a compelling event driving urgency?
  • ☐ Is the timeline realistic for their buying process?
  • ☐ Do you know their decision-making timeline?

Key question: "When would you ideally want to have a solution in place, and what's driving that?"

Additional Qualification Criteria

Fit Assessment

  • ☐ Company matches your ICP (industry, size, stage)
  • ☐ Contact matches your buyer persona
  • ☐ Their use case aligns with your strengths
  • ☐ No major red flags (cultural, ethical, technical)

Competitive Landscape

  • ☐ Do you know who else they're evaluating?
  • ☐ Do you understand their evaluation criteria?
  • ☐ Are you differentiated on what matters to them?
  • ☐ Is there an incumbent you need to displace?

Engagement Quality

  • ☐ Are they responsive to communications?
  • ☐ Do they show up to scheduled meetings?
  • ☐ Are they sharing information openly?
  • ☐ Are they completing action items?

Qualification Scoring

Score each area 1-3 and calculate total:

Budget confirmed (1-3) ___
Decision maker access (1-3) ___
Need articulated (1-3) ___
Timeline defined (1-3) ___
ICP fit (1-3) ___
Total Score ___/15

12-15: Highly qualified – prioritise

8-11: Qualified – continue pursuing

5-7: Needs work – address gaps before advancing

<5: Not qualified – disqualify or nurture

Red Flags to Watch For

  • ⚠ Won't share budget or say "we'll figure it out"
  • ⚠ Can't identify other decision makers
  • ⚠ Vague about the problem or impact
  • ⚠ No urgency or timeline ("whenever")
  • ⚠ Repeatedly reschedules or no-shows
  • ⚠ Won't grant access to other stakeholders
  • ⚠ Only interested in pricing (not value)
  • ⚠ Previous vendor relationships failed for unclear reasons

Qualification Best Practices

  • Qualify early: Don't waste time on bad-fit deals
  • Qualify continuously: Re-assess at each stage
  • Be willing to disqualify: Better to lose early than late
  • Document everything: Update CRM with qualification data
  • Trust your gut: If something feels off, dig deeper
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