JC10X

Senior Sales Manager

Do you still use BANT?

If you do, I'd love to go play on your Sega genesis (fun old gaming system).

BANT is seller centric - "that" doesn't work - humans have something called mirror neurons and those are intention readers. Selling is so much more than - "are you the right person to pay me today?"

Stop looking for qualifying questions and just have a business conversation. I prefer to cover the following:

C = Challenges

G = Goals

P = Plans

T = Timeline

C = Consequences

I = Implications

A= Authority

B = Budget

R = Referrals

Oh and in no particular order, just conversation style, no checklist. Sometimes I'm good with 3 of these, sometimes I get them all.

Give it a shot and let me know how it goes.

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75 comments

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detectivegibbles

Politicker

Sales Director

Da fuq is BANT?? Just have a conversation. Expect the voice on the other end to hate you and once you realize they aren’t an ass, have a conversation.

fuzzy

Notable Contributor

CMO (Chief Meme Officer)

B = Bananas A = Are N = Never T = Tangerines

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

hahaha

Maximas

Tycoon

Senior Sales Executive

LMAO

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

Yes!!

NoSuperhero

Politicker

BDR LEAD

I'm saying!! Shooting for a good conversation is the best strategy!

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

its the only way!

GDO

Politicker

BDM

Hallelujah!

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

Amen!

Mr.Pickles

Arsonist

Sr. Customer Success Manager

I use it *unpopular_opinion_bear.jpg*

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

I think you have a SNES - do you have a dreamcast btw? Goldie oldies! lol

Kinonez

Celebrated Contributor

War Room Enthusiast

I would love either or!!

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

100%

Kinonez

Celebrated Contributor

War Room Enthusiast

Both are amazing classics!

Mr.Pickles

Arsonist

Sr. Customer Success Manager

N64 - never gets old ;) no DLCs - no need to extra pay for anything haha

Mr.Pickles

Arsonist

Sr. Customer Success Manager

snes

Mr.Pickles

Arsonist

Sr. Customer Success Manager

I am an amazing classic hahahaha feeling old yet?

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

Yes you are! A classic haha

Kinonez

Celebrated Contributor

War Room Enthusiast

The one "DLC" for the N64 became a full game.

Kinonez

Celebrated Contributor

War Room Enthusiast

we'll just call you "classy" for short

Mr.Pickles

Arsonist

Sr. Customer Success Manager

AE games - challenge everything... for real.

Kinonez

Celebrated Contributor

War Room Enthusiast

Oh yeah, it all went south after that!

Mr.Pickles

Arsonist

Sr. Customer Success Manager

Classy Jacky?

Kinonez

Celebrated Contributor

War Room Enthusiast

Or Classy Waky?

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

hahahah classic waky

Kinonez

Celebrated Contributor

War Room Enthusiast

That could work too

Mr.Pickles

Arsonist

Sr. Customer Success Manager

HAHAHA, fun fact - my college friends use to say I resemble both Animaniacs characters: Jacko and Wako - my last name is Waked... so yeah: jackywaky

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

Brilliant!

Kinonez

Celebrated Contributor

War Room Enthusiast

So now we know where it's from!! mine is just my last named misspelled

Mr.Pickles

Arsonist

Sr. Customer Success Manager

Yeah - it's just crazy

Mr.Pickles

Arsonist

Sr. Customer Success Manager

that's cool and fancy

Mr.Pickles

Arsonist

Sr. Customer Success Manager

Mine is just sad haha

Kinonez

Celebrated Contributor

War Room Enthusiast

I don't think it's sad, I had fun reading the story!

looper1010

Celebrated Contributor

Solutions Specialist

I use BANT as a foundation to start with. It def branches out into the other topics you refer to. BANT is not the be all end all but it should be covered in a meeting to qualify.

eds

Opinionated

Salesy

No_ty

Politicker

Sales Dir.

No ty

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

hahah love it

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

I've never used BANT. Or been through BANT training.

NoSuperhero

Politicker

BDR LEAD

Funny thing is at the company chat rooms bant is looked down upon, but in the training room is one of the first things that is regurgitated to reps. SMH

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

Sounds like management and the training department need to get on the same page.

NoSuperhero

Politicker

BDR LEAD

I've been thinking that all week long hahahaha

Beasthouse

Opinionated

Corporate trainer

sounds like management needs to remember they didn't even know how to justify their quality 3 months ago >:p

tonysoprano

Big Shot

Sr. AE

When i first started here my VP was HUGE on bant, there were even specific CRM fields in each opp. was not helpful at all

luckily it's gone now because it seriously deters from a business conversation

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

how did you all manage to make him/her see otherwise?

tonysoprano

Big Shot

Sr. AE

I actually wasn't able to - she was not very open to new ideas unfortunately but she's no longer with the company and BANT was one of the first things to go with our new VP

datnillawafer

Big Shot

Account Executive

There’s nothing wrong with using BANT, it’s approaching the conversation with the checkbox mentality that’s the problem. As long as BANT or any other framework is incorporated in a way that makes the customer feel heard and important it will be effective. Your suggested framework is BANT, you’ve just explicitly outlined the subtopics composing ‘Need’ and added referrals:

Budget: Budget

Authority: Authority

Need: Challenges, Goals, Plans, Consequences, Implications

Timeline: Timeline

Qualifying or DQ’ing quickly is the most important thing you can do in sales and it’s important to do that systematically. That said, if it feels like you’re just gathering the required information to the customer any methodology will fall flat.

RachATX

Good Citizen

Senior Director of Sales

Agreed, BANT is useful for newbies that need a very simple framework. As you develop as a sales professional the conversation is much more business-focused to drive outcomes. (however, budget, timeline, need, and authority never go away!)

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

True that!

bamageorge

Celebrated Contributor

International Sales Director

Great content! Love it!

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

Thank you!

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

SaaS Eater

I agree fundamentally with what you are outlining here, with the important call out being that it needs to be delivered in conversation and naturally, not as if you are checking boxes.

However I started my career using BANT and was very successful with it. The structure you outline makes a ton of sense for more complex sales processes and complicated buying processes but BANT can be fantastic for high velocity sales where you need to quickly identify a few key things before moving into your pitch.

There are definitely more effective ways to run discovery now, but dont hate on the oldies!

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

Oh never, sega genesis, dreamcast, snes will always have a space in my heart. They're all oldies but goldies, same with BANT. It just may close some peoples paths as they have not garnered the perspective you and I might have.

Blackwargreymon

Politicker

MDR

I use it *unpopular_opinion_bear.jpg*

Kinonez

Celebrated Contributor

War Room Enthusiast

I do, my company wants us to qualify our prospects through BANT.

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

Interesting. I like to do things that have a higher scientific probability to work. I know change sometimes gets put on our shoulders, but sometimes, we can influence it.

Kinonez

Celebrated Contributor

War Room Enthusiast

I'm with you there, the bigger the probability the better chances of success. I will try to influence change for sure!

Beasthouse

Opinionated

Corporate trainer

just be mindful of the capabilities of the agents vs the demands placed on them

Kinonez

Celebrated Contributor

War Room Enthusiast

Of course! you don't want to work them to death!

Justatitle

Big Shot

Account Executive

Bant is rather outdated now, it’s a good framework still but there’s a lot left out from its qualification criteria. There’s also so many more factors now than there have previously been.

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

100%

SabertoothSales

Valued Contributor

Southeast Regional Manager

Agreed. I've heard a lot about not using BANT lately.

Beasthouse

Opinionated

Corporate trainer

absolutly! BANT has been a fantastic minimum contractual agreement definition to protect our reps and to give some autonomy back to the client. letting them draw the line in the sad has cleared up so many kickback issues. if the client agrees that bant is a good enough qualifier then bam you have your minimum billable metric to justify!

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

yes, bant never goes away, its a good initial tool but the spread gives more room for conversation.

Beasthouse

Opinionated

Corporate trainer

ummmmmmm half my reps can't even spell those words

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

hahahaha talk to HR.

Lhatem

Opinionated

BDR

Definitly trying on my next calls - thanks

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

Pleasure!

TheDirector

Good Citizen

Sales Director - Government

We use Bant just to identify which stage an opportunity is at. It’s not designed to be a conversation/sales technique.

JC10X

Politicker

Senior Sales Manager

Brilliant!

MaximumRaizer

Politicker

Sales Manager

Challenges

Clashingsoulsspell

Politicker

ISR

I use it *unpopular_opinion_bear.jpg*

MR.StretchISR

Politicker

ISR

I think you have a SNES

Mr.Floaty

Politicker

BDR

Money. They can weasel out too easily with empty promises.

Cyberjarre

Politicker

BDR

Career path for sure, money can come and go, but a career path is how you develop as a person. I'll take personal growth over cash any time, the first will earn the second, but the second can't but the first.

Error32

Politicker

ISR

if they offer a solid in paper career path - down for it.

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JC10X

Do you still use BANT?

75 comments

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