---
title: CAI BANT Framework — Simplified Scoring Rules
type: article
created: '2026-04-05'
updated: '2026-04-05'
source_docs:
- raw/2026-03-19-cai-hubspot-connect-131231738.md
tags:
- hubspot
- bant
- sales-ops
- citrus-america
- qualification
- lifecycle-stages
layer: 2
client_source: null
industry_context: null
transferable: true
---

# CAI BANT Framework — Simplified Scoring Rules

## Overview

During the April 2026 HubSpot sales workflow review, Citrus America (CAI) finalized a simplified BANT scoring framework for sales qualification. The decision to simplify was deliberate — the goal is team adoption over nuance, with the understanding that scoring rules can be made more granular once the team is comfortable with the process.

This framework governs when a contact advances from MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead) to SQL (Sales Qualified Lead) in HubSpot.

## Scoring Rules

| BANT Dimension | Required Score |
|---|---|
| **Budget** | 3 |
| **Authority** | 3 |
| **Need** | 3 |
| **Timing** | 3 or 4 |

- Budget, Authority, and Need must **all** be rated **3** to qualify.
- Timing has slightly more flexibility — a score of **3 or 4** is acceptable.
- No partial credit or weighted averaging is used at this stage.

## Rationale

Miriam Framson (CAI) explicitly chose simplicity to ensure the sales team could adopt the framework without confusion:

> *"I want to get everyone on board and understanding what's happening... I think for the time being, if we just say set it up that if for the BANT, all of them should be a three, or with the timing, it can be three or four."*

A point-based or threshold-weighted system was discussed as a future enhancement but deferred until the team is comfortable with the current rules.

## Future Enhancements

The following improvements were noted as potential next steps once adoption is established:

- **Weighted point system** — assign different point values per dimension and require a minimum total score.
- **More granular Timing options** — expand the acceptable range or add sub-criteria.
- **Automation refinement** — trigger additional workflows based on specific BANT combinations (e.g., high Need + low Timing = nurture sequence).

## HubSpot Implementation Notes

- BANT scoring is configured as a set of fields on the Contact record in HubSpot.
- The SQL automation trigger fires when all four BANT conditions are met per the rules above.
- A separate automation bug was identified and fixed in the same session: the MQL → SQL trigger was incorrectly linked to the field `You juicing currently?` instead of `Are you already juicing?`. Karly Oykhman was assigned to correct this and map existing data. See [[wiki/clients/citrus-america/index]] for full action item tracking.

## Related

- [[wiki/knowledge/hubspot/mql-sql-lifecycle-automation]]
- [[wiki/knowledge/hubspot/contact-database-cleanup-strategy]]
- [[wiki/clients/citrus-america/index]]