MEDDIC was created in 1996 inside PTC by Dick Dunkel, working under SVP John McMahon alongside teammate Jack Napoli. PTC is one of the most successful software companies of all time, taking its sales org from $0 to $1 billion in ten years. Much of that growth is credited to the discipline MEDDIC brought to their sales process, though the path there was not smooth.
The Problem MEDDIC Was Built to Solve
When PTC's sales team reached roughly 300 reps, attrition became a serious threat. The organization could not hire fast enough to replace the people it was losing. Something had to change, and fixing it was the job handed to Dick and Jack.
Working alongside the talented salespeople within PTC, they studied the team's opportunities, past and present, to answer three questions:
- Why did PTC win deals?
- Why did PTC lose deals?
- Why did deals slip?
What Are the Six Elements of MEDDIC?
The pattern held every time: a deal's success or failure could be traced back to six specific areas: Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, and Champion. Together, they became MEDDIC.
You can explore how each of these pillars works in practice on our MEDDPICC Explained hub.
How Did MEDDIC Spread Beyond PTC?
PTC's focus on qualification, and its development of MEDDIC, sent thousands of MEDDIC-proficient salespeople out into the wider workforce. Look at many of today's most respected sales leaders and you can trace their sales lineage straight back to PTC.
Want it from the source? Dick Dunkel sat down with us to walk through the origin story firsthand. Watch the conversation on Masters of MEDDICC.
Why Did MEDDIC Become MEDDPICC?
MEDDIC has changed a lot in the nearly thirty years since it was created, most notably with the addition of a second C for Competition and a P for Paper Process, forming MEDDPICC: our preferred variation at MEDDICC.
Sales has kept changing since 1996, and so has the framework, which is exactly why it remains the strongest methodology for complex, multi-stakeholder deals. You can see the full breakdown of all eight letters on our MEDDPICC Explained page.
Thirty years on, the six areas Dick Dunkel and Jack Napoli mapped out at PTC still shape how the best sales teams qualify their biggest deals, and MEDDPICC is where that thinking lives today.
Ready to put it into practice?
Get certified through the MEDDPICC Masterclass.
Frequently Asked Questions About MEDDIC and MEDDPICC
Who invented MEDDIC?
Dick Dunkel invented MEDDIC in 1996 while working at PTC, in collaboration with Jack Napoli and under the leadership of SVP John McMahon.
What company created MEDDIC?
MEDDIC was created inside PTC (Parametric Technology Corporation), a software company that grew its sales organization from $0 to $1 billion in ten years.
What is the difference between MEDDIC and MEDDPICC?
MEDDIC covers Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, and Champion. MEDDPICC adds Paper Process and a second Competition, giving sales teams two extra qualification checkpoints for complex deals. See the full framework.
Is MEDDIC still used today?
Yes. Nearly thirty years on, MEDDIC and its extended form, MEDDPICC, remain among the most widely adopted qualification methodologies for complex B2B sales, taught and certified through programs like the MEDDPICC Masterclass.
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