We’ve all been there—you line up a call with a new prospect, spend time perfecting your plan, and dive into researching about the prospect. The call kicks off, and somewhere in the middle of it, reality hits: this isn’t going anywhere. All that time and effort is gone. Sound familiar? Now, imagine your entire sales team going through this same cycle over and over. Frustrating, right?
Here’s the thing—it doesn’t have to be that way. That’s where a solid lead qualification process comes in.
Whether you’re new to the idea or unsure where to start, no worries. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to qualify leads like a pro. Let’s dive in!
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Lead qualification is all about figuring out which potential customers are worth pursuing and which ones aren’t. It’s like separating the gold from the gravel—it helps you focus on the leads that actually have a shot at becoming paying clients. By digging into their needs, and decision-making authority, you’re setting your team up to hit more home runs and waste less time.
In sales, time is everything. Lead qualification helps you make the most of it by zeroing in on the prospects who are likely to buy. Pursuing unqualified leads isn’t just a waste of energy—it’s frustrating for your team and, honestly, for the prospects, too. Here’s the most important point of all: Qualification is NOT a step in your sales process. It is part of the process all the way through a sales cycle.
Here’s why lead qualification matters:
Move on quickly from dead ends: Spend your time and energy on leads that are more likely to say "yes."
Target a smaller, more specific audience: A focused approach lets you deliver personalized experiences that really click with buyers.
Dig deeper into buyer challenges: Understanding what they might want to fix, accomplish or avoid helps you build trust and craft solutions that truly fit.
Boost your revenue impact: Focusing on qualified leads means more deals closed and fewer missed opportunities.
Tailor your approach: You can adapt your qualification process to different industries or audiences while keeping it personal.
Lead qualification isn’t a new concept—it’s been a cornerstone of sales for ages. Over the years, plenty of frameworks and models have been developed to help guide the process. Think of these frameworks as blueprints, not step-by-step instructions. Unfortunately, most of these are not supported by research and are, in fact, often counterproductive. Let’s look at the most prominent and explore the limitations of each regarding sales qualification strategy.
Developed by IBM in the 1960s, BANT is the classic lead qualification model. It’s simple but severely outdated.
Budget: Does the lead have the financial resources to buy?
Authority: Are you speaking with the decision-maker?
Need: Does the lead have a genuine need for your solution?
Timing: Is this the right time for a lead to buy?
As a sales qualification strategy this seems effective right? What this presupposes however is that the prospect is well down the road in choosing an option. This means there is much less room for the seller to serve as a "decision coach" and/or counselor of a good decision. It usually is sobering for a seller to learn that relying on this approach limits the total possible qualified leads to less than 3% of potential buyers of your solution. Can a seller legitimately meet quota with a potential of only 3% of the market? Doubtful.
This is a twist on BANT and emphasizes starting with authority—ensuring you’re speaking to a decision-maker—before diving into need or urgency. It was introduced to streamline lead qualification by prioritizing the people who can say "yes." Again, as a sales qualification strategy it is too limiting.
Authority: Are you speaking directly to the decision-maker?
Need: Does the lead have a clear problem your solution can help with?
Urgency: Is the lead motivated to act now?
Money: Does the lead have the financial capacity to move forward?
This approach gets closer to the right sales qualification strategy approach but still limits sellers to seeing only 3% of the market as "qualified" and again limits the seller from being an effective decision coach.
What this approach gets right is identifying who is making the decision and focusing the seller on uncovering why now is the right time to explore finding a new solution. However, this approach eliminates possible leads where the purchasing effort is in the initial stages. What if the prospect’s company has a high sense of urgency and a well-defined need but has not yet established who will have a vote and where the money will come from. Why give up if those two pieces are missing? Answer: Don’t give up! This is a prime opportunity for the seller to serve as a decision coach and/or counselor.
Created by the RAIN Group, FAINT is designed for scenarios where buyers may not have a predefined budget. It focuses on capturing authority and interest early, making it a flexible option for less structured buying processes.
Funds: Does the lead have access to resources or funding, even if not earmarked?
Authority: Are you dealing with someone who can influence or make decisions?
Interest: Is the lead showing genuine curiosity about your offering?
Need: Does the lead have a specific problem your solution addresses?
Timing: Is this the right time for the lead to explore or commit?
This is, again, an improvement over the previous two frameworks. That said, there are still limitations to this approach. What works is the attention to Authority and to Need. The definition of Need is a bit limited. A better focus would be on what the prospect is seeking to fix, accomplish or avoid. Regarding Interest, the question labelled Timing is excellent though the theme should be "why now?" rather than "is this the right time?"
What is still missing in this sales qualification strategy framework is the implication that getting these answers is a PART of the sales process rather than areas that should be explored throughout the prospects’ decision journey.
Developed by InsightSquared, CHAMP flips the traditional model by prioritizing challenges over authority. It views the decision-maker as a partner rather than a barrier, aligning the sales process with problem-solving.
Challenges: What specific issues or pain points does the lead need help with?
Authority: Are you engaging with the decision-maker or a key influencer?
Money: Does the lead have a budget, or can resources be allocated?
Prioritization: Where does solving this problem fall on the lead’s list of priorities?
This process is getting even closer to a reasonable sales qualification strategy. Remember that these are questions that should be explored more than one time as a part of a sales qualification strategy. What still limits the effectiveness of this approach is the focus on Money. Many times, a prospect will have a burning issue to be addressed but is early enough in their exploration that no money has yet been allocated. Under no circumstances should the prospect not yet having funds be regarded as a single reason to disqualify the lead.
Pioneered by Jack Napoli at PTC in the 1990s, MEDDIC is a robust framework that dives deep into a buyer’s decision-making process. It’s particularly useful for complex B2B sales with multiple stakeholders and detailed purchasing procedures.
Metrics: What measurable outcomes is the buyer looking for?
Economic Buyer: Who holds financial authority for the purchase?
Decision Criteria: What standards or benchmarks will guide their decision?
Decision Process: What steps will the buyer take to make their choice? Identify
Identify Pain: What challenges or pain points are they trying to address?
Champion: Is there an internal advocate who supports your solution?
This is an excellent framework for areas the seller should explore. It implies that qualification is a process that continues throughout the sales effort. Several elements of this sales qualification strategy can be self-defeating, however, if the seller isn’t aware of how this approach can go wrong.
For one thing, what is labeled the Economic Buyer is a concept first introduced by Miller Heiman. Identifying who has ultimate authority is an important part of sales strategy. But it is common that early in the prospect’s decision journey, they may not have clarity on who has this authority. Also, it is important to recognize that in most cases, Economic Buyers don’t want to interact with sellers. Sellers need to earn the right for an audience with Economic Buyers.
Second, having an internal Champion is always an advantage. Remember however that many sales can be successfully closed without an obvious Champion.
Third, taking this approach will limit the seller to only qualifying those in the 3% of the market who are currently considering alternatives. In other words, this significantly limits the seller’s ability to serve as a decision coach or counselor.
Sales qualification strategy isn’t just a box to check off during your prospecting. If you really want to save your team time and energy, it needs to be a well-thought-out strategy. And hey, it’s not just about your time; it’s about respecting your prospect’s time, too.
That’s where asking the right questions comes in. Strong questions can reveal valuable insights, like:
What challenges are you hoping to solve with this product?
Why haven’t you tackled this issue until now?
What does success look like for your team with this solution?
Which decision-makers will be involved in this purchase?
By tailoring your questions to dig into their specific needs and priorities, you’ll quickly figure out if they’re a good fit for your target audience. It’s about working smarter, not harder.
Building a lead qualification strategy that truly works for your organization isn’t rocket science, but it does take some intentional planning. Here’s how to get started:
Think about your perfect customer. What do they look like? Are they in a specific industry or company size? What problems do they face that your product can solve? Nail down these attributes, and you’ll have a clear blueprint to compare every lead against. This step keeps you focused on the people who align with your business goals.
Uncover or explore what the prospect will measure or observe that will indicate they made the right purchasing decision.
Explore what points of comparison will the prospect use to make the choice between alternative solutions. These are often referred to as Decision Criteria. It is also important to uncover what process the decision makers will use to choose the best alternative.
Don’t underestimate the power of a good CRM. Tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive can help you track leads, manage data, and even automate parts of your qualification process. With the right tech stack, you’ll have everything you need to stay organized and efficient.
Before reaching out, take some time to research your prospects. Follow them on social media, check out their LinkedIn profiles, and dig into industry-specific reports. The more you know about their challenges, goals, and company, the more tailored your approach can be. Bonus: it shows them you’ve done your due diligence, which builds trust right out of the gate.
This is where the magic happens. Whether you’re sending an email, making a phone call, or sliding into their DMs on LinkedIn, keep it personal and to the point. Reference what you learned in your research and focus on how you can help solve their specific challenges. A thoughtful, well-timed message can be the difference between a conversation and radio silence.
Sometimes, prospects don’t even realize they need a solution—or they’re hesitant because they’ve tried before and failed. That’s where you need to step in with a little empathy and a lot of curiosity. By asking the right questions, you can uncover what’s really holding them back and show them how your solution fits their needs.
Here are a few examples of questions that can spark those meaningful conversations:
Why do you think this solution will succeed where others have failed?
Encourage them to reflect on what’s different this time and how your offering could be the game-changer.
Do you feel your team has the expertise to handle this internally?
This gently prompts them to consider gaps they may not have noticed.
If this issue persists, what’s your backup plan for achieving your goals?
Highlight the cost of inaction and why making a change is essential.
While there aren’t any magic numbers for perfect lead qualification, you’ll notice a boost in your sales funnel efficiency when you get it right. Start by setting measurable goals—like improving conversion rates, shortening sales cycles, or increasing win rates. These benchmarks give you a solid foundation to build on and help you tweak your strategy as you go.
Need a little extra help getting started? Our lead qualification training gives your team a proven framework to work with, so you’re not starting from scratch. Let’s make your process smarter and more effective: contact us today.
Tom Snyder is the founder of Funnel Clarity; a training and consulting company focused on humanizing sales. Snyder’s passion is helping companies achieve measurable sales performance improvement. Previously, Snyder spent 10 years with the sales training firm Huthwaite Inc, culminating in the role of CEO. He later founded Business Performance Partners, a sales and strategy consulting firm that evolved into Funnel Clarity. Snyder is a sought after international speaker and was named one of the Most Influential Sales Leaders. He has authored two McGraw Hill best sellers, “Escaping the Price Driven Sale” (2007) and “Selling in a New Market Space” (2010).