How can outbound B2B sales teams effectively qualify leads? How should they maximize success?

Nothing like a simple straightforward question! I kid. I kid. 

Qualification is a massive topic, but at the SDR level we do a semi qualified model with specific characteristics based on what we know about the company and the individual(Lead). 

We care about revenue size, role(must be above a certain level), interest level, need/pain, industry as a starting point. We know who will be successful with our solution and will occasionally take meetings if they don't meet ALL of the above but you've got to at least match this part of our profile. If we can get all of the above we're happy but 3/5 is a  minimum.

Inbounds require more qualification but the above is a good place to start. Filter harder if you're a smaller bootstrapped company(like us) and less if you're a VC hypergrowth(done this as well).

From there....well that's a whole book probably. Hope this was helpful.

First, remember that qualification is a continuous process. Something could change from either the selling or buying company's side that changes the opportunity qualification, either positively or negatively. ABQ (Always Be Qualifying)!

The very first thing you need to start qualifying is the business case. Answer these two questions: Is the customer ready to buy? Is the customer ready to buy from you? B2B is different from B2C. In B2C, there is a higher emphasis on "want"; nobody "needs" a Ferrari, but they sell because people want them. In B2B, if the need for your product can't be established, then the probability of closing the deal approaches zero. Period. I've seen too many sellers get 6 months into a deal, establishing great relationships and doing blow-your-socks-off demos, only to have the bottom fall out because they missed establishing the "need" a the beginning of the entire process.

You need a qualification framework, like MEDDICC or SPI, that addresses the various aspects of the customer's buying journey. However, don't use a qualification framework as a "checklist". Instead, use it as a guide to your conversations. Craft your conversations and stories such that they tease out the answers to 2 or 3 of the items. You don't need to thoroughly qualify them in one call. As for BANT, be careful there. BANT is an "acid test" and doesn't provide an opportunity to uncover hidden demand. Think of BANT as a "slash and burn" approach to get through as many calls as possible. 

Develop a qualifying framework that is appropriate for YOUR ICP and sales process. For example, my career has been spent in enterprise/C-suite selling so I developed the P-DAT qualifying framework. P-DAT = Product Fit, Decision Ability + Timeline. Just as important as finding a qualifying framework that's appropriate for your sales process is creating a clear set of rules of engagement. The # 1 issue I see on teams is they don't have clear expectations about which types of leads qualify and which don't. You know who your ICP is. Stick to it. Happy Selling!

For our outbound team of BDRs we look at minimal qualification. 
Do they fit into our size criteria (employee size, revenue, etc)?
Do they have a problem we can solve?
Do they want to continue the conversation?

That's where the BDR will get something booked and hand it over to the AE for a more in depth discovery.

It's also important to note we have a relatively small TAL right now, so we want to maximize every opportunity and understand as much as we can about our space.

Best to get an introduction. You then start off with someone who is interested and you have some credibility that was transferred from the introducer. Then to effectively "qualify" you are looking for a fit between their problem, need, concern and your solution. You are not looking for BANT Budget, Authority, Need and Timeline. If you uncover a fit, they will give you all of that information as they move forward. You are looking for a fit so that you can show them how you will solve. Even if you can't get an introduction if you peak their curiosity so that they want to have a conversation, then your job is to find the fit. That's how you maximize success.