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Mastering the MEDDIC Sales Process

Use this guide to explore the MEDDIC sales process and see how it can effectively qualify leads and transform your sales approach for optimal results.

Qualifying leads with the MEDDIC sales process can help you save time and boost success by targeting only the most promising buyers.

Your business-to-business (B2B) sales reps have endless charm, ambition for days, and a sales pitch that could convince a fish to buy a bicycle. They’re not just good at what they do—they’re phenomenal. So, why aren’t they consistently closing sales?

Sometimes, it all comes down to focusing on the wrong target audience. People who aren’t genuinely interested or don’t have the authority and means to make a purchase decision won’t buy, no matter how compelling the sales pitch and offer are.

So, what’s a results-oriented sales team to do? Use the MEDDIC sales process to identify qualified buyers and confirm they’re on the same page before putting their all into landing the sale. Here’s how that might work for your business.

Why you need a lead qualification process for your sales funnel

Failing to close deals can demoralize your sales team, resulting in a vicious cycle of decreased motivation, lowered confidence, and reduced effort, leading to even fewer sales. The ambitious team you once knew can become a shadow of its former self unless you step in with a prompt solution.

The wasted time, effort, and resources can add up—cutting into your bottom line and stalling business growth. Over 50% of salespeople spend most of their day selling. Without targeting qualified leads, they might put hours into delivering their sales pitch without seeing results.

An established lead qualification process gives your sales reps a framework that helps them focus on the right customers and use their resources wisely. You have many methods to choose from, but MEDDIC is the gold standard for many B2B sales reps. Although it was created nearly 30 years ago, its proven results make it an invaluable tool for modern sales teams.

Decoding the MEDDIC sales methodology

So, what makes the MEDDIC sales process so special? MEDDIC provides a structured approach to lead qualification. The core components address the key factors and potential barriers in the B2B sales process to help improve the likelihood of closing the deal.

Each letter in the MEDDIC acronym represents a step your salespeople can take to qualify leads:

  • Metrics
  • Economic buyer
  • Decision criteria
  • Decision process
  • Identify pain
  • Champion

The acronym suggests a particular order, but you can move through the steps as you see fit. You’ll likely go back and forth through the steps as you gather information and the sales process unfolds.

Metrics

Metrics are the concrete gains the customer can expect from buying your product or service, like hours saved per week, revenue increase percentage, or return on investment (ROI). Presenting clear numbers and clearly illustrating the benefits can reduce doubts for the buyer.

Economic buyer

The economic buyer authorizes purchases and is directly responsible for the company’s profits and losses. They’re typically at the executive or C-level, such as a CEO or CFO. Identifying the key decision-maker allows the salesperson to personalize their pitch and directly engage with the person with the final say.

Decision criteria

The decision criteria are all the categories the buyer considers before purchasing any solutions from potential vendors. Understanding the significant factors weighed for each buying decision helps reps determine if their solution fits the customer.

Decision process

The decision process includes the steps that the economic buyer takes to approve purchases for the company. Learning about the decision process saves salespeople from tying up too much time with clients who have an overly complex or time-consuming buying process.

Identify pain

Identifying pain is pinpointing specific challenges your product or service can potentially solve for the customer. Discovering the pain points enables sales professionals to present a cost-benefit analysis that highlights the value of the product or service.

Champion

The champion is the person within the economic buyer’s organization who is interested in your product or service and wholeheartedly vouches for your solution. Their role depends on the company’s structure, but they may be a project manager, business analyst, or technical lead. A champion supporting your solution puts internal pressure on the lead to complete the sale.

MEDDIC vs. MEDDICC vs. MEDDPICC sales process

Some sales teams have found it helpful to evolve the MEDDIC sales process by adding 1-2 more steps. The first evolution transformed the sales process into MEDDICC, with the extra C standing for competition. The next transformation became MEDDPICC, adding P for the paper process.

Competition

The competition step urges your sales reps to take a big step back and look at the competitive landscape. Who are the major players in the industry? What can your sales team do to set themselves apart? Answering these questions allows your salespeople to identify unique selling points and better tailor their pitches.

Paper process

The paper process is all about considering the paperwork your team must complete to close the deal. It builds on the decision process by identifying the procurement and legal documents that stand between them and the sale. By considering the necessary paperwork, the sales process will become more organized and efficient for the sales team and the buyer.

Pros and cons of the MEDDIC sales qualification process

The MEDDIC sales process is not the only option when choosing a methodology to guide your sales reps. Solution selling, SPIN selling, and BANT are just a few of the alternatives that sales leaders can select instead.

So, which one should you choose? That’s entirely dependent on your company’s goals, the complexity of the sales cycle, and your available resources. Exploring the pros and cons of the MEDDIC sale qualification process can help you decide if this framework aligns with your needs.

Pros

These are the top 3 advantages of adopting the MEDDIC methodology:

  • Save time, effort, and resources by qualifying leads, addressing customer pain points, and delivering pitches to the right people when needed.
  • Improve your sales team’s ability to accurately forecast sales outcomes and manage the sales pipeline from start to finish.
  • Build stronger customer relationships for lasting connections that significantly boost customer lifetime value and return on investment.

Cons

These are the main disadvantages of using MEDDIC:

  • Doesn’t work well for all types of sales situations, like low-ticket items or quick transactions.
  • Initially feels overly complex or time consuming to sales reps new to the framework, making it feel daunting to integrate into their workflow.
  • Often requires extra effort to qualify leads, especially if your salespeople don’t have buyer personas guiding them to your ideal target customers.

Often, you need to put the sales strategy into action before truly deciding if it will work for your company. You can do that without shaking things up too much by having a couple of your salespeople try it out first.

How sales teams can use the MEDDIC framework

Understanding the MEDDIC process is one thing, but actually using it is a whole different story. You’ll need to push aside other sales methodologies to weave these new steps into your business’s sales funnel. How this works differs for every team. MEDDIC sales training can help, but in most cases, the transition involves adopting the following best practices.

Weave metrics into the sales pitch to share your product’s value

Many sales teams aim to highlight product features above all else. Although that’s an important step, getting the customer to envision how your solution can help them achieve their goals will capture their attention much better.

Quantifying their potential gains with specific metrics is the key to making that happen. Not just any metrics will do, however. You need the ones the buyer will consider when they are deciding if your solution meets their needs.

So, think about what would make your customer want to pay for your solution. What kind of return on investment can they expect to get? Then, roll out the metrics that paint their picture of success.

Depending on your customer’s needs, the metrics may look like:

  • Expand the active user base by 20% within 1 quarter
  • Reduce operational costs by 25% within 6 months
  • Boost sales conversions by 30% over the next quarter
  • Lower customer churn rate by 15% within the year
  • Grow monthly recurring revenue by 35% by year-end

Don’t go overboard here. You want to highlight the customer’s potential wins with laser focus to keep them from feeling overwhelmed. If you do that successfully, it’ll help them see you as a partner in their success.

Engage with the economic buyer throughout the sales cycle

Budget is everything when it comes to making a sale. If the money’s not there, nothing you say will make it appear. How are you supposed to know what budget your customers are working with? You could ask directly but finding the economic buyer and directing your sales pitches to them is usually better.

The economic buyer is the person with the buying power. As a senior executive, they have in-depth knowledge of the company’s profits and losses and the responsibility to maintain the profitability of the organization. They can stop the deal instantly, even when everyone on their team welcomes your solution with open arms.

Finding the economic buyer can be challenging. If you’re lucky, asking your primary contact to direct you their way will work like a charm. Sometimes, you may need to research the company on its website, LinkedIn, and other channels to see who’s in charge of purchasing.

Once you identify the economic buyer, get to know their priorities and expectations before launching into the sales pitch. The better you understand their mindset, the easier it will be to identify metrics that match their needs and create a personalized pitch.

Outline the decision criteria likely used by the sales prospect

The potential benefits of your product are just one piece of the puzzle as customers weigh your solution against their other options. Numerous other factors shape their decision and set the decision criteria framework for evaluating purchases. Economic buyers rarely write out the criteria in a checklist, but you can bet that they’re mentally checking off each one while hearing the sales pitch or demoing the product.

Every company uses unique decision criteria that typically vary depending on the product. For example, when considering a new cloud storage solution, the economic buyer may assess if it offers seamless migration tools for their current data. When shopping for communication tools, they’ll see whether the tools support multiple platforms, like mobile and desktop. Other decision criteria might be more general, like pricing and ease of use.

You’re unlikely to get the economic buyer to share every aspect of their decision criteria. But a little critical thinking can get you most of the way there. Use what you know about businesses in their industry and any goals the customer has shared to figure it out.

If you’re using the MEDDICC framework, this is where competitor research may come into play. Customers compare products and look at their features, benefits, and drawbacks with their decision criteria in mind. So, you should, too.

Upon getting a good idea of what they’re thinking while considering the purchase, use that information to position your products as their ideal solution. For the best results, don’t be shy about sharing how your product stands above the rest in all their focus areas.

Expedite the decision process with a personalized sales strategy

The economic buyer has the power to close the deal, but what steps must they take to do that? Perhaps they must first bounce the solution and its associated paperwork to the legal department. Or maybe they plan to compile all the potential solutions and present them at an executive meeting before picking the best one.

Whatever the case, you can significantly benefit from knowing how their decision process works. Understanding their steps and timelines allows you to follow along and offer support at every turn. Your attention to detail and responsiveness will go a long way in showing your commitment and building trust.

The only real way to get to know the customer’s decision-making process is by asking them to walk you through their typical buying process. For additional insights, ask about any barriers that could get in the way of adopting a new solution for their company. Remember to pinpoint an ideal timeline for each step and the overall process.

Use the buying process and timeline to create a sales strategy for a tailored approach that impresses the buyer. Show up when they need you most, then let your actions speak for themselves. For example, if they plan on presenting solutions at an upcoming meeting, offer a presentation deck or demo they can showcase.

If the MEDDPICC framework is in play, create a strategy for the paper process at this stage. Decide how you will provide documentation, handle contractual negotiations, and what preapproved concessions you can offer if pushback occurs.

Identify pain points to highlight how your product can help

Knowing what’s holding the customer back from achieving success can ensure you will always present your product as their ideal solution. These pain points usually fall into 1 of 3 categories: finances, efficiency, or people. They’re the things that keep the business from growing year over year and reaching its full potential.

Pain points differ for each organization. It’s also common for pain points to change as the company expands its operations, adds new products, or improves its market position. The solutions that worked previously may not solve the emerging pain points, leaving the customer looking for something better.

As with decision criteria, identifying pain points takes research. Use anything your customer has shared about their needs and goals as a starting point. Then, complete competitor research to identify common challenges in the industry. Explore the market by attending webinars, reading forums and blogs, and looking at reviews for the company and its competitors.

Write down every pain point, then arrange them from most to least serious. Reflect on how your product can solve those pain points better than your competitors ever could. Tie the benefits back to the metrics that matter to create a well-rounded sales pitch personalized to the customer’s needs.

Find a champion for your sales qualification framework

There’s nothing more powerful than having someone in your prospect’s company vouching for your products; they are your champion for the cause. In some cases, this person could be the economic buyer, but more often than not, it’s someone else in the organization, like a team leader.

The champion’s opinion can heavily influence the buying process, especially if they could directly benefit from using your solution to relieve key pain points. Moreover, their desire to resolve the problem keeps them pushing for the purchase, maintaining focus on your company through even the longest sales cycles.

Finding a champion usually involves some extra effort. Although you want to work directly with the economic buyer, it’s often a good idea to interact with multiple stakeholders in some way during the sales cycle. Look for people who show genuine interest in your products or express excitement about how your solution can address their challenges.

As you do that, identify the people with the most influence on the buyer. Then, boldly ask if they’re willing to champion your solution. Although you could leave this up to chance, asking directly is much more effective. Stay in touch with your champion through the sales cycle to address concerns and get updates.

Five tips for successfully using the MEDDIC sales process

The MEDDIC sales process can help high-performing sales teams close deals like never before, but it’s only as good as its implementation. If you want to make the most of it, aim to get the basics right and be open to refinement along the way. Here are some tips to help you make that happen.

Switch to MEDDICC or MEDDPICC if needed

MEDDIC is a proven sales strategy, but it doesn’t work perfectly for every sales team. If you’re not getting the desired results, switching to MEDDICC or MEDDPICC instead might make sense.

MEDDPICC can serve you well if you’re in a highly competitive field saturated with solutions similar to your own. Keeping the competitive landscape in mind lets you pinpoint what makes your product unique and better share that message with your prospects.

On the other hand, MEDDPICC might be a better choice if your sales funnel continuously gets jammed with paperwork. This framework can help you effectively navigate working with customers bogged down by stringent legal requirements and procurement protocols.

Prioritize MEDDIC sales training for your team

Your salespeople undoubtedly already have their process to follow in interacting with customers and closing deals. Introducing MEDDIC can throw them off course and tank their productivity if they’re not adequately prepared for the change.

To help them get ready for this major switch, set up MEDDIC sales training from the start. The training sessions should help them learn the framework and level up their sales skills bit by bit. For even better results, you can incentivize continued training that covers even more complex sales scenarios and challenges.

Use a CRM system to track sales cycle data

MEDDIC is all about creating lasting customer relationships and understanding their needs. Using a customer relationship management (CRM) system, you can track these interactions and insights while considering the big picture.

A well-designed CRM system works seamlessly with the MEDDIC framework by storing all your data in one place and enabling efficient communication with your customers. Its audience dashboard gives you a clear view of patterns in your data so you can see which customers respond best to your approach.

The system also organizes all your contacts, giving you instant access to each company’s economic buyer and champion. Follow-ups are easier than ever, which is essential if you want to stay by your customer’s side through the decision process.

Review results quarterly and revise as needed

MEDDIC, MEDDICC, and MEDDPICC don’t work for every company—and that’s okay. It’s often difficult to know if it will work for your team until you try it. Sometimes, it’s only suitable for specific customers and not for others. Again, plan to try the framework before deciding to revise your approach or abandon it altogether.

Plan to review sales results quarterly to see if the chosen lead qualification methodology is working. Look at the collective efforts of your team, individual performance, and customer-level data to see where it provides the best results. Then, revise your approach as needed to support your sales team in effectively qualifying leads and landing new customers.

Get better-qualified leads and sales success with MEDDIC

Using the MEDDIC sales process can improve your leads and boost sales success for your entire team. It helps you focus on the right customers, understand their needs, and deliver winning sales pitches time and again.

Switching to a new sales strategy has its challenges, but the potential benefits can make it worth the effort. So, embrace the change to set your team up for success and reap the rewards.

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