What is BANT? How is it traditionally used in sales and marketing? And, most importantly, how can you apply the BANT formula to drive conversions from your landing page? Is it still relevant?

BANT was originally developed by IBM as a great tool for sales leaders and salespeople alike to help them quickly determine if a prospective buyer has the Budget, Authority, Need and Time when buying a product/service.

B = Budget: Determines if there is a budget for what you are selling.
A = Authority: Determines if the person you are talking to has the authority to make a purchasing decision.
N = Need(s): Determines if there is a business need for what you are selling.
T = Time: Determines the timeframe for implementation.

You may have heard of it before. Some of you (like the guys at HubSpot) may think that it is simply not enough anymore to qualify prospects. But that’s not what this topic is about. This is about using BANT to convince potential case leads to contact your firm, not to convince yourself whether a potential case lead is worthy of pursuing or not. This is about getting in your reader’s mindset. It is about understanding their situation and convincing them that you can be their legal weapon.

If you’re creating a landing page in-house for your mass tort campaign, I recommend using this version of the BANT formula as your guide to convert traffic into leads.

To effectively use this formula, remember that the goal of your landing page, first and foremost, is to get people to contact your firm.

Simple Ways to Apply BANT to Your Landing Page

B – Budget

In the traditional use of BANT a salesperson may ask, “Do they have the funds for what I’m selling?”

In the legal world, potential clients may ask, “How much will it cost to hire an attorney?” For a mass torts campaign, such as a personal injury claim or a defective product case, make it very apparent on your landing page that:

1. Requesting a case evaluation is free.
2. Fees are based on an agreed upon percentage of the recovered amount.
3. Fees do not apply if the attorneys are unsuccessful in recovering compensation for the client.

This reduces the financial hesitation for potential case leads, since they don’t have to pay out of pocket, and encourages them to contact you.

A – Authority

“Do they have the authority to make the decision to purchase?” This is what a salesperson may ask in the traditional use of BANT.

Before you got to this section, you were probably wondering how “Authority” would apply in converting site traffic to potential case leads. In order to persuade users to convert, people looking to hire an attorney for their claim need to know that:

1. They have the right to find out if they have a case and the decision to pursue a lawsuit is theirs.
2. Your firm can review the case and may offer to file a lawsuit on their behalf if the case has merit. Keep in mind that your landing page is not the place to push them to hire your firm right away. The goal of your landing page is to get them to contact your firm.
3. They are not obligated to take the offer.

Help potential case leads feel in control of their situation with your firm as their legal weapon and guide that handles all the legwork. Your landing page should reflect a sense of authority and control to gain their trust, so they let you evaluate their case.

Your landing page should clearly outline the steps they need to take to reach you. Here are three main items you need to include in the steps:

1. Let them know how they can reach you. Typically, this is through calling your office number or filling out a “contact us” form.
2. Let them know that an attorney will review their case for free.
3. Ensure that they will hear back from your firm right away and that you will secure any necessary paperwork and medical records for them.

Your landing page should let them know that they call the shots. You are letting them know that you work for them and that you will make it easy for them to reach and (later) hire you. You are relieving them of anxiety and pressure.

N – Need

“Do they have a business need for what I am selling?” is what a salesperson may ask in the traditional use of BANT.

The goal of your landing page is to get the potential case leads to contact you first, not hire you. Assume that the people landing on your site are victims of a drug, medical device or personal injury; therefore, your landing page should assume that:

1. They need to find out if they have a case. This means your content should outline what could potentially be a case with merit.
2. They need a firm that has experience and expertise to evaluate their case. This means your content should provide compelling reasons why they should let your firm evaluate their case.
3. They need compensation for their suffering. Having historical settlement and recovery figures on your landing page helps prove your credibility and success with similar types of cases.

Clearly acknowledging and reinforcing the above three needs in your landing page ensures relevance of your service and your firm.

T – Time

“Do they have a specific time when they wish to make their purchase?” is what a salesperson might ask in the traditional use of BANT.

Well, there is really not a lot of time to waste when it comes to legal issues. A person with a potential claim needs your firm to review their claim as soon as possible to find out if it has or has not fallen out of the statute of limitations (SOL). Your landing page should:

1. Remind the potential case leads that time limits apply and vary.
2. Help them familiarize with what SOL means.
3. Provide dates that are relevant to litigations if available.

Although a case evaluation is free and hiring your firm can be affordable, your landing page should strongly emphasize that they can’t afford to waste time. Using time restriction is an excellent way to add the urgency to convert.

The Take Away

It’s important to remember that having a landing page that quickly converts traffic into qualified leads is only the first part. Your firm needs to have the ability to close these qualified leads into revenue-making clients.

Should you use BANT? The answer is “YES.” Make use of this version of BANT to guide you in developing your landing page’s design and content strategy. Use it as your go-to when you don’t know where to start. Refer back to it often to make sure your audience is given clear direction on how and why they should contact your firm.

Have you tried any of my BANT methods? Let me know which (if not all) you find helpful in this guideline.