Tips For Your Job Interview with a MEDDIC Company

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Interviewing at a MEDDIC Company

Over the last few years, I've interviewed hundreds of candidates for Account Executive roles. And honestly? The standard of interview craft among sellers is surprisingly low.

MEDDIC companies are, by nature, more professional and have higher expectations. But they'll also respond positively to a candidate who takes control of the interview and steers it toward a favorable outcome — exactly what they'd want a seller to do with a customer. With that in mind, the most powerful thing you can do when interviewing at a MEDDIC company is to use MEDDPICC in the interview process itself.

Before we get into that, here are two fundamentals every candidate should get right.

Research

Research your interviewer just as you would a prospect before a first meeting. Specifically:

• Mutual connections — If you share one, reach out to them before the interview. They might offer invaluable insight, and mentioning it to the interviewer signals thoroughness.

• Their background — What does their resume tell you about their values and priorities?

• Their interests — If they're actively promoting a social profile, take a look. Don't be creepy about it, but if there's a genuine shared interest, be ready to discuss it naturally.

One thing that still baffles me: in the last three months, I've interviewed over 30 AE candidates, and only a handful mentioned MEDDICC: The Book — despite MEDDPICC being listed as a requirement in the job description. Either they didn't research me, or they didn't see the value in aligning their strengths to my requirements.

SET THE TONE

It never ceases to amaze me how many professional salespeople show up to interviews without setting the tone. This is simple and takes seconds — but it matters enormously.

Near the start of the interview, check how much time the interviewer has and set a loose agenda. Here's an example of how easy it is:

"Thanks so much for making time today. Before we get into it, I just wanted to check — do we have 30 minutes? Do you have a hard stop on the hour? Great. I'm sure you have plenty of questions for me. Should I start with a quick introduction about my background?"

That's it. I've never scored a candidate higher than a soft "Yes" if they failed to set the tone, regardless of how well they performed in every other area. It's that important.

Now, here's the main event: using MEDDPICC to land your next role.

METRICS

In a deal, M1s are metrics from existing customers used to establish credibility early. In an interview, use M1s to understand what success looks like for top performers in that organization.

• How much time do they spend in discovery?

• How many stakeholders do they typically bring into the sales process?

• How successful are they at engaging the Economic Buyer?

Once you know which metrics define a great seller in that business, demonstrate how you deliver against them. That's your M2 — making the metrics personal to you and the role.

ECONOMIC BUYER

In a deal, the Economic Buyer holds the ultimate authority. In hiring, that's the person who makes the final call on who gets the role. This varies by company size and seniority of the position — it might be a founder, a VP of Sales, or a CRO.

Just as you'd work to access the Economic Buyer in a deal, you need to get in front of the Economic Hirer. The best route is through your hiring manager. And the same rules apply: speak their language and understand what they're looking for.

DECISION CRITERIA

Treat this almost identically to how you'd handle it in a deal. Get the hiring criteria out in the open early, align yourself against them, and weave in your differentiators. Hiring managers will appreciate the directness — it's a clear signal that you sell the right way.

As with selling, it's good practice to check in throughout the process that you're continuing to meet the criteria.

DECISION PROCESS

Every interview should have a clear evaluation process. If it doesn't, that's a red flag — it may indicate a disorganized company, and without a structured process, a fair evaluation is difficult.

Most MEDDIC organizations will have a thorough interview process. Uncover it early, triangulate it with each person you speak to, and close against it. Closing at the end of an interview has become fairly standard — to stand out, use the Decision Criteria and Decision Process to do it:

"Sarah, thank you for your time today. You mentioned you're looking for someone who demonstrates X, Y, and Z. I'd love your honest feedback on how you think I align against those criteria… That's great to hear. You mentioned the next step is meeting your VP of Global Sales — would you be able to introduce me ahead of that conversation so I can break the ice?"

If they push back, you have more convincing to do. Take it as useful signal.

PAPER PROCESS

Less critical in hiring, but a good opportunity to demonstrate professionalism. Be proactive about references — it signals confidence in your track record.

IMPLICATE THE PAIN

This is a huge part of the hiring process that almost every candidate overlooks.

Why is there a vacancy? There's always a pain behind it, and it typically falls into one of three categories:

• Growth — The company is scaling and needs more sellers. Show that you can onboard quickly and hit the ground running.

• Someone was fired — A golden opportunity. Understand what went wrong and position yourself as the person who solves those exact problems.

• Someone resigned — First, figure out whether it's a regrettable loss. If it is, emphasize your loyalty and commitment. If it isn't, treat it like the fired scenario and dig into the underlying reasons.

Understanding the pain behind the vacancy and aligning yourself as the solution is one of the most underused levers in any interview process.

CHAMPION

No Champion, no job. It's as true in hiring as it is in sales.

Your Champion is most likely your hiring manager. If they're not actively advocating for you, your chances are slim. Test this just as you would in a deal:

• Do they have influence within the organization?

• Are they selling you internally to other stakeholders?

• Do they have a vested interest in your success?

Ask them for feedback from other conversations they've had about you. Understand their own goals — whether that's hitting a target or earning a promotion — and show how hiring you helps them get there. 

COMPETITION

Competition isn't just other candidates. It's anything that could take the resource you're competing for. Consider this scenario: you're interviewing for a UK AE role, and the hiring manager has one open headcount for EMEA. Most candidates assume they're competing against other AEs. But the real options on the table might be:

A) Hire a new AE for the UK market

B) Promote an SDR to be an AE for the UK market

C) Hire an AE for a different market within EMEA

If you only account for option A, you're leaving yourself exposed. Use discovery to understand the hiring manager's broader strategy, not just the role itself.

IN CLOSING

Whether you choose to explicitly tell the interviewer you've been applying MEDDPICC to the process is a judgment call — read the room. But don't lose sight of MEDDPICC's other value here: it's a qualification tool. Use it to assess whether the role is right for you, not just to win the offer.