💡 TL;DR – Actionable Summary
- ✅ Use BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline) to eliminate poor-fit leads fast.
- 🎯 Customize your lead scoring model with signals specific to your ICP (ideal customer profile).
- 🧠Layer in enrichment data—like job titles or tech stack—to prioritize leads without manual research.
- 🛠Automate lead qualification using tools like Ghostie to filter and sort in real time.
- 📈 Apply your scoring model across channels: landing page forms, scraped lists, LinkedIn outreach, etc.
Why Qualification Before Outreach Matters
Your time is limited. So why waste it chasing leads that were never a good fit to begin with?
Most B2B sales teams lose hours every week on demos that go nowhere. And it’s not just lost time—it’s lost energy, morale, and opportunity cost.
Poor-fit leads:
- Increase your no-show rate
- Lower your close rate
- Kill your momentum
The 60-Second Qualification Framework
One of the fastest ways to eliminate bad leads? The classic BANT framework:
- Budget – Can they afford your solution?
- Authority – Are you speaking with a decision-maker or gatekeeper?
- Need – Do they have a real problem your product solves?
- Timeline – Are they buying soon, or just browsing?
That’s the base. But here’s where it gets interesting...
Customizing it for Your ICP
Every business has unique signals that matter. For example:
- If you sell to funded startups, funding round may matter.
- If you serve B2B SaaS, active tools in their stack could be a key signal.
That’s why a custom scoring model beats generic qualification. The Lead Quality Playbook gives you a scoring spreadsheet to do exactly this.
Signals You Shouldn’t Ignore
You don’t need a crystal ball—you just need the right signals.
Firmographic data:
- Company size
- Industry
- Location
- Revenue
- Funding history
Behavioral triggers:
- Visited your pricing page
- Downloaded your content
- Clicked multiple emails
- Requested a demo
The more of these you track, the easier it is to spot the leads that are heating up.
How to Automate Qualification at Scale
Doing all of this manually doesn’t scale. That’s where Ghostie (or any smart lead engine) comes in.
You can:
- Feed in scraped lists or lead forms
- Enrich them with contact/company data
- Apply your scoring logic automatically
- Route only qualified leads to your outreach pipeline
With the right setup, your sales team only sees the cream of the crop.
Written by: Reid Mosieur