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Lead Qualification 101for B2B SaaS

BANT criteria and best practices for qualifying enterprise GIS leads. Learn to identify high-value prospects and optimize your sales process.

15 min readBy Justin GriffioenUpdated December 2024

Effective lead qualification is the foundation of successful B2B SaaS sales. For geospatial software companies, proper qualification ensures sales teams focus on prospects with genuine need, budget, and authority to purchase complex enterprise solutions.

This comprehensive guide covers proven qualification frameworks, processes, and best practices specifically tailored for location intelligence and GIS software sales.

The BANT Qualification Framework

B

Budget

Does the prospect have allocated budget for geospatial software?

Key Questions to Ask:

  • What's your current budget for GIS/mapping solutions?
  • When does your budget cycle reset?
  • Who controls the budget for technology purchases?
  • Have you budgeted for this type of solution this year?

Positive Qualifiers:

  • Budget range matches your pricing
  • Clear budget ownership identified
  • Timing aligns with budget availability
  • No major budget constraints mentioned
A

Authority

Can this person make or influence the buying decision?

Key Questions to Ask:

  • Who else would be involved in evaluating this solution?
  • What's your role in the decision-making process?
  • Who has final approval for software purchases?
  • How are technology decisions typically made here?

Positive Qualifiers:

  • Decision maker or strong influencer
  • Access to other stakeholders
  • Clear decision-making process
  • Can facilitate vendor meetings
N

Need

Is there a compelling business reason to buy your solution?

Key Questions to Ask:

  • What challenges are you facing with current mapping/GIS tools?
  • How is this problem impacting your business?
  • What happens if you don't solve this problem?
  • What outcomes are you hoping to achieve?

Positive Qualifiers:

  • Clear pain points identified
  • Business impact quantified
  • Status quo is unsustainable
  • Solutions being actively explored
T

Timeline

When do they need to have a solution in place?

Key Questions to Ask:

  • When do you need to have this implemented?
  • What's driving the timeline for this project?
  • Are there any deadlines we should be aware of?
  • What's your evaluation and decision timeline?

Positive Qualifiers:

  • Specific timeline established
  • External drivers create urgency
  • Realistic implementation schedule
  • Timeline matches sales cycle

4-Stage Qualification Process

1

Initial Screening

Quick qualification of basic fit criteria

5-10 minutes
Qualified for discovery call
Company size and industry verification
Technology stack assessment
Basic needs identification
Contact role confirmation
2

Discovery Call

Deep dive into needs, challenges, and requirements

30-45 minutes
Qualified for technical demo
Current state assessment
Pain point identification
Stakeholder mapping
Technical requirements gathering
3

Technical Qualification

Validate technical fit and integration requirements

45-60 minutes
Qualified for commercial discussion
Technical architecture review
Integration requirements assessment
Security and compliance check
Performance requirements validation
4

Commercial Qualification

Confirm budget, authority, and decision process

30 minutes
Sales qualified lead (SQL)
Budget range confirmation
Decision timeline establishment
Procurement process clarification
Next steps agreement

Lead Scoring Framework

Company Fit

25%
  • Industry vertical match
  • Company size (employees)
  • Geographic presence
  • Technology maturity

Technical Fit

30%
  • Use case alignment
  • Technical requirements match
  • Integration complexity
  • Data volume/complexity

Commercial Fit

25%
  • Budget availability
  • Decision authority
  • Procurement process
  • Timeline urgency

Strategic Value

20%
  • Reference potential
  • Expansion opportunity
  • Strategic account value
  • Competition displacement
Scoring Scale
0-40: Low Priority41-70: Medium Priority71-100: High Priority

When to Disqualify

Hard Disqualifiers

Budget significantly below minimum viable deal size
No decision authority and no access to decision makers
Technical requirements completely outside product scope
Evaluation timeline extends beyond sales capacity

Soft Disqualifiers

Recently implemented competing solution
No clear business driver or urgency
Multiple vendor evaluation with no selection criteria
Unwilling to provide necessary qualification information

Qualification Call Templates

Discovery Call Agenda

1. Introductions & agenda5 min
2. Current state assessment10 min
3. Pain points & challenges10 min
4. Requirements gathering10 min
5. Decision process & timeline5 min
6. Next steps5 min

Key Questions Bank

Current State:
"What mapping/GIS tools are you using today?"
Pain Points:
"What's the biggest challenge with your current approach?"
Impact:
"How is this problem affecting your business?"
Decision Process:
"Who else would be involved in evaluating solutions?"

Improve Your Lead Qualification Process

Our team can help you implement proven qualification frameworks and train your sales team on best practices.