MEDDIC is not a Checklist

MEDDIC is not a checklist; it's not a series of letters that are either present or absent. 

Any engagement with a customer is fluid. MEDDPICC elements cannot be 'checked off' as done, because deals are constantly changing. For example, the presence of new Competition can throw the Champion, Decision Criteria and Decision Process sideways.

Sure, using MEDDIC as a checklist or 'X-ray' on your deals to determine which “bones are broken” is better than not using it at all, but if you approach MEDDIC and selling this way, you will always be reactive, not proactive.

The best salespeople are proactive:

• They help their customer to uncover and quantify Pain.
• They inspire the customer to consider the Metrics they get from solving the Pain.
• They influence their customers of the optimal Decision Criteria to obtain the value uncovered in the Metrics.

All of this helps them to identify and build a Champion, who they can proactively work with to uncover and accelerate the Decision Process, while understanding the technical validation process and the stakeholders involved in the business approval.

The Champion is critical for professional selling. Without them, getting insights and inspiring change across stakeholders, including but not limited to the Economic Buyer, is virtually impossible in today's busy workplaces.

But just like all of the other letters of MEDDPICC, you can't just 'check' off that you have a Champion, because your Champion can change. They can change their minds and priorities, your competition can win them over, they can move teams, and they can leave the company, to name a few things that could happen.

So, not only is it essential to think of the role of the Champion as being alive and fluid, but consider who else you can build to be your Champion. It's always essential to maintain a primary Champion, but the more Champions you can build, the better.