Why BANT is bad
The BANT sales questioning model stands for
Budget • Authority • Needs • Timing
Sales teams are familiar with this. It’s a common cold call modus operandi used by a number of sales professionals.
Here’s the problem though. A sales rep may spout off BANT questions like:
- What’s your Budget?
- Are you the person of Authority?
- What are your Needs?
- What’s your Timing?
But as you methodically go through the BANT checklist, you run the risk of coming across as intrusive or interrogational.
As a result, your customer may not respond accordingly in the manner that you want.
Show genuine interest in your customers
My recommendation is to put BANT aside. Speak from the heart, get real, and show genuine interest in your customer’s issues and industry pain-points.
You’ll be amazed. By going “off-book” and thinking “out of the box,” you will have a stronger impact on your customer relationships — providing the opportunity to experience real sales growth.
