BANT, MEDDIC, CHAMP: which framework should you use to qualify B2B prospects?

October 30, 2026 · Prospecting & Strategy · 6 min

A booked meeting is not an opportunity. In prospecting, everything comes down to qualification: knowing, before you hand over to a salesperson, whether the prospect has a real problem, the authority to decide and a reason to act now. Three frameworks come up everywhere: BANT, CHAMP and MEDDIC. Here is what each one checks, and which to pick for your sale.

BANT: the quick filter

BANT is the oldest and simplest of the three. It is usually credited to IBM. It comes down to four questions:

Budget: does the prospect have a budget, or the ability to free one up?

Authority: does your contact decide, or does the decision need sign-off?

Need: is the problem real, and does your offer solve it?

Timing: does a deadline make a decision likely within a reasonable time?

Use it for short sales, simple offers and first screening calls: in a few minutes, you know whether to go further. Its limit: opening a first call with "what is your budget?" is often poorly received. And a prospect with no budget today may find one once they measure the cost of their problem. BANT describes the current state, not the potential.

CHAMP: start with the problem

CHAMP uses similar criteria in a different order: Challenges, Authority, Money, Prioritization. It is often associated with InsightSquared. The idea is to start from the prospect's pain before talking about money.

Use it for selling services and for discovery calls: the conversation stays natural, because you ask about the prospect's daily work rather than their budget. Its limit: it does not map a buying process that involves several decision makers.

MEDDIC: the framework for complex sales

MEDDIC was formalized at PTC in the 1990s (1996, according to the account published by the MEDDICC community), led by Dick Dunkel with Jack Napoli, under John McMahon. It has six elements:

Metrics: the quantified gain the prospect expects.

Economic Buyer: the person who really controls the budget.

Decision Criteria: how the prospect compares solutions.

Decision Process: the steps and approvals up to signature.

Identify Pain: the problem and its impact on the business.

Champion: an internal ally who defends your solution when you are not in the room.

Use it for long cycles, large amounts and purchases with several decision makers. If you cannot answer all six questions, the opportunity is not ready to enter your forecast. Its limit: too heavy for a ten-minute discovery call or for sorting a lead list.

Which one should you choose?

Rule of thumb: the longer the cycle and the more decision makers, the more criteria you need. For an SDR, BANT or CHAMP is almost always enough. MEDDIC becomes useful when the opportunity passes to a salesperson who will follow the deal over several weeks.

Adapting the framework to prospecting

A framework is not a questionnaire to read out. Three habits help:

1. Rephrase the criteria as conversation. Instead of "what is your budget?", ask "how do you handle this today, and what does it cost you in time?".

2. Note what you know and what you don't. An unknown criterion is not a negative one: mark it "to clarify" in your CRM.

3. Use signals before the call: an ongoing hire, a tool change or an open position already give an idea of the need and the timing.

What should you hand over to the salesperson after qualification?

Whatever the framework, the handover contains four things: the problem as the prospect described it, their role in the decision, what triggers urgency, and what remains to be confirmed. A five-line summary is worth more than a half-filled grid.

What is the difference between BANT and MEDDIC?

BANT checks four simple criteria (budget, authority, need, timing) and is used for fast sorting. MEDDIC covers six (metrics, economic buyer, decision criteria and process, pain, champion) and is used to steer a complex sale.

Is BANT still relevant?

Yes, for sorting simple offers and short cycles. It does need to be rephrased as conversational questions, because asking about budget straight away is often badly received.

Which qualification framework should an SDR choose?

BANT or CHAMP is almost always enough during prospecting. MEDDIC is more useful to the salesperson who takes over an opportunity with several decision makers.

What should you do when a criterion is still unknown?

Note it as "to clarify" rather than guessing it or counting it as negative, then pass it to the salesperson along with the rest of the summary.

BANT sorts fast, CHAMP opens the conversation, MEDDIC secures complex sales. The right choice depends on the length of your cycle and the number of decision makers, not on fashion. At Mooniz, we handle prospecting and lead qualification before passing meetings to you. Discover our services →