qualification

name	qualification
description	Lead qualification using BANT 6-criteria gate (Problem, Budget, Authority, Timeline, Fit, Margin) at marketing-sales handoff. Qualified leads enter pipeline, unqualified go to nurture. If bottleneck is downstream, reduce upstream lead gen. Use when evaluating leads, managing marketing-sales handoff, or when pipeline quality is poor.
type	skill

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 (<20%)	Tighten lead gen targeting. "39% qualification means 61% wasted effort."
Low volume, high 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 <2x)
• Too loose: pipeline polluted (qualification rate <20%, downstream conversion drops)
• Target: 30-50% qualification rate with healthy downstream conversion

Decision Rules

1. All 6 criteria must pass — partial qualification goes to nurture, not pipeline
2. Nurture is not rejection — unqualified today may qualify later
3. Downstream capacity limits upstream — never flood a constrained pipeline
4. Qualification rate is a health metric — track it, calibrate criteria
5. Log disqualification reasons — patterns reveal targeting problems
6. Quarterly criteria review — criteria drift over time, recalibrate

Anti-Patterns to Detect

Anti-Pattern	Signal	Response
Pipeline pollution	Unqualified leads in pipeline	"These leads don't meet criteria. Move to nurture."
Upstream flooding	Lead gen outpacing downstream capacity	"Subordinate upstream volume to downstream throughput."
Over-strict criteria	>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."