BANT (1950s, IBM)
Dimensions: Budget, Authority, Need, Timing.
Strengths: simple, fast, easy to teach. Good for inbound SDR qualification.
Weaknesses: too thin for complex enterprise sales. Authority is plural; budget is often discovered.
Best fit: high-velocity SMB sales, SDR inbound qualification.
MEDDIC (1990s, PTC)
Dimensions: Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, Champion.
Strengths: structured for complex sales. Strong on Economic Buyer and Champion.
Weaknesses: doesn't explicitly cover Paper Process or Competition.
Best fit: enterprise B2B with complex buying committees.
MEDDPICC (modern evolution)
Dimensions: MEDDIC plus Paper Process and Competition.
Strengths: most complete framework for complex enterprise sales. Paper Process is often the longest stage; explicit treatment reduces slip.
Weaknesses: heavier than BANT. Eight dimensions takes time to fill in.
Best fit: enterprise B2B, especially with long cycles and procurement-heavy buyers.
SPICED (Winning by Design, 2020s)
Dimensions: Situation, Pain, Impact, Critical event, Decision.
Strengths: lighter than MEDDPICC. Critical Event is the most predictive close indicator.
Weaknesses: thinner on paper process and competition than MEDDPICC.
Best fit: high-velocity B2B SaaS, mid-market motion.
GAP Selling (Keenan)
Dimensions: Current state, Future state, Gap.
Strengths: discovery-focused. Forces quantification of business outcome.
Weaknesses: doesn't cover all qualification dimensions. Often used alongside MEDDPICC.
Best fit: discovery methodology rather than qualification framework. Pairs with MEDDPICC.
Side-by-side
BANT: 4 dimensions, fastest to apply. Inbound qualification.
MEDDIC: 6 dimensions. Complex enterprise.
MEDDPICC: 8 dimensions. Complex enterprise with procurement.
SPICED: 5 dimensions. High-velocity SaaS.
GAP Selling: discovery method, not qualification. Pair with another framework.
How to choose
SMB / inbound: BANT.
Mid-market SaaS: SPICED.
Enterprise B2B with complex committees: MEDDIC.
Enterprise B2B with procurement-heavy buyers: MEDDPICC.
Discovery layer for any of the above: GAP Selling.
Operationalizing in Salesforce
Custom fields on the Opportunity, one per dimension of your chosen framework.
Calculated total score for forecasting.
Stage exit criteria require minimum scores per dimension.
Reports surface deals with gaps in specific dimensions.
Inside CRUSH, framework fields tie into the broader account plan.
Frequently asked questions
Which sales qualification framework is best?
Depends on segment. BANT for inbound SDR. SPICED for SaaS mid-market. MEDDPICC for enterprise B2B with procurement.
Can I use more than one framework?
Yes. Many teams use BANT for SDR inbound and MEDDPICC for opportunities past mid-stage. Or GAP Selling for discovery layered with MEDDPICC for qualification.
What's the most common sales qualification framework in 2026?
MEDDPICC dominates enterprise B2B. BANT remains common at SMB. SPICED is growing fast in mid-market SaaS.
CTA
Pick a framework and operationalize it in Salesforce. CRUSH integrates MEDDPICC and related frameworks into the account workflow natively. [Book a Demo]
