First used by IBM, BANT (Budget, Authority, Need and Timeline) is a criteria framework that allows salespeople to work out if a prospect is a good fit based on their budget, their authority to make the purchasing decision, their need for the product and timeline of when the prospect is planning on making a purchasing decision.
Primarily used in a business to business (B2B) context, the term dates back to the 1960s. Some feel the term is ineffective in the modern age, as digital marketing is a lot more complex than the BANT qualification allows for.