Qualification

Lead Qualification

When to Apply

• Evaluating new leads for pipeline entry
• Marketing-sales handoff decisions
• When pipeline quality is poor (low conversion rates)
• When downstream bottleneck exists (too many unqualified leads)
• Configuring qualification criteria during onboarding

Core Framework

BANT 6-Criteria Gate

Every lead must pass all 6 criteria before entering the pipeline at Step 2:

| Criteria | Question | Pass Condition | |---|---|---| | Problem | Does the prospect have a problem our product solves? | Specific, articulated pain point matching our solution | | Budget | Is budget allocated or likely? | Budget exists or can be created within purchase timeline | | Authority | Is the decision-maker engaged or accessible? | Direct contact with buyer, or champion with access to buyer | | Timeline | Is there a reasonable purchase timeframe? | Active evaluation, not "maybe someday" | | Fit | Does our product capability match their need? | Core use case alignment, not edge-case stretching | | Margin | Can we achieve acceptable margin on this deal? | Deal economics above minimum threshold |

Qualification Flow

Incoming lead
  |
  +-> Score against 6 criteria
  |
  +-> All 6 pass: QUALIFIED
  |     -> Enter pipeline Step 2
  |     -> Assign to appropriate sales Actions
  |
  +-> 1-2 fail: NURTURE
  |     -> Add to nurture sequence
  |     -> Re-evaluate in 30/60/90 days
  |     -> Do NOT add to pipeline
  |
  +-> 3+ fail: DISQUALIFY
        -> Remove from active tracking
        -> Log reason for future pattern analysis

Downstream Bottleneck Rule

When the pipeline bottleneck is downstream (e.g., demo capacity at 90% utilization):

Reduce upstream lead gen volume, don't increase it.

Bottleneck: Demo capacity (30/month, 90% utilized)
Qualified leads waiting: 15 in queue

WRONG: "Generate more leads to increase pipeline"
RIGHT: "Reduce lead gen to match demo throughput.
        Generating more leads than demo can handle is waste."

This is TOC's subordination principle applied to the sales pipeline.

Quality vs Quantity Tradeoffs

| Scenario | Recommendation | |---|---| | High volume, low qualification rate (80%) | Expand lead gen. Quality is proven, need more volume. | | High volume, high qualification rate | Scale carefully — check downstream capacity first. | | Low volume, low qualification rate | Fix targeting AND qualification criteria. Both broken. |

Qualification Criteria Calibration

Criteria should be reviewed quarterly:

• Too strict: pipeline starves (qualification rate >90%, pipeline-to-quota 90% qualification, starving pipeline | "Criteria may be too strict. Consider relaxing [specific criterion]." |

| Missing criteria | Qualification without checking all 6 | "Budget and Authority not checked. These are common failure points." | | Wishful qualification | "Budget probably exists" | "Unverified. Mark as hypothesis, verify before pipeline entry." | | Ignoring nurture | Disqualified leads abandoned | "Nurture sequences convert 5-15% over 6 months. Don't abandon." |

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: masterleopold
• Source: masterleopold/anty-framework
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://4n7y.com

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.