Lead Qualification: MEDDIC

Qualify complex enterprise opportunities using the MEDDIC framework to ensure deal viability and improve forecast accuracy.

When to Use This Skill

• Enterprise deal qualification
• Complex sales cycles (60+ days)
• Multiple stakeholder deals
• High ACV opportunities ($50K+)
• Improving forecast accuracy

Methodology Foundation

Based on PTC's MEDDIC methodology (developed by Dick Dunkel), extended to MEDDPICC:

• Metrics - Quantified value
• Economic Buyer - Decision authority
• Decision Criteria - How they'll choose
• Decision Process - How they'll buy
• Identify Pain - Business problem
• Champion - Internal advocate
• Competition - Competitive landscape
• Paper Process - Legal/procurement

What Claude Does vs What You Decide

Claude Does	You Decide
Structures MEDDIC questions	Deal prioritization
Scores each component	Resource investment
Identifies gaps	Coaching focus
Creates deal summaries	Forecast commit
Suggests next actions	Win strategy

Instructions

Step 1: Define MEDDIC Components

Component	Definition	Key Question
Metrics	Quantified outcomes	"What numbers will improve?"
Economic Buyer	Person with budget authority	"Who can say yes and write the check?"
Decision Criteria	How they evaluate	"What criteria will you use to decide?"
Decision Process	Steps to purchase	"What happens between now and signed contract?"
Identify Pain	Business problem	"What happens if this doesn't get solved?"
Champion	Internal advocate	"Who's fighting for this internally?"
Competition	Alternatives	"What else are you considering?"
Paper Process	Procurement/legal	"What's involved in getting contracts signed?"

Step 2: Discovery Questions by Component

Metrics:

• "If this project succeeds, what numbers will change?"
• "How will you measure ROI?"
• "What's the cost of the current problem?"
• "What KPIs are you trying to impact?"

Economic Buyer:

• "Who ultimately approves the budget for this?"
• "Have you worked with them on similar initiatives?"
• "Can I meet them before we finalize a proposal?"

Decision Criteria:

• "What are the must-haves vs nice-to-haves?"
• "How will you compare solutions?"
• "Who developed these criteria?"
• "How important is [your differentiator]?"

Decision Process:

• "Walk me through the steps from here to signed contract."
• "Who else needs to evaluate this?"
• "Are there approval committees or board reviews?"
• "What could delay or derail this process?"

Identify Pain:

• "What's driving this initiative now?"
• "What happens if you do nothing?"
• "How is this affecting your team/business/customers?"
• "Have you tried to solve this before?"

Champion:

• "Who's the biggest advocate for this project?"
• "What happens to them if this succeeds/fails?"
• "Can they get us access to [stakeholder]?"
• "How much influence do they have?"

Competition:

• "What alternatives are you considering?"
• "How far along are you with other vendors?"
• "What do you like about what you've seen?"
• "How does that compare to what we've shown you?"

Paper Process:

• "What's your typical procurement timeline?"
• "Are there security or legal reviews required?"
• "Have you worked with vendors like us before?"
• "What can we do to expedite the process?"

Step 3: Score Each Component

Score	Criteria
🟢 3	Confirmed, documented, verified
🟡 2	Identified but not confirmed
🟠 1	Weak or incomplete
🔴 0	Unknown or missing

Deal Qualification Levels:

Score	Status	Action
21-24	Strong	Commit to forecast
16-20	Developing	Address gaps
11-15	Early	More discovery needed
<11	Weak	Qualify out or restart

Examples

Example 1: Full MEDDIC Analysis

Output:

## MEDDIC Deal Scorecard: GlobalTech ($250K)

### Deal Overview
- **Account:** GlobalTech Inc
- **Value:** $250,000 ARR
- **Stage:** Proposal
- **Close Date:** March 15
- **Sales Cycle:** 90 days (Day 60)

---

### MEDDIC Score: 18/24 🟡 Developing

| Component | Score | Status |
|-----------|-------|--------|
| Metrics | 3/3 | 🟢 |
| Economic Buyer | 2/3 | 🟡 |
| Decision Criteria | 3/3 | 🟢 |
| Decision Process | 2/3 | 🟡 |
| Identify Pain | 3/3 | 🟢 |
| Champion | 3/3 | 🟢 |
| Competition | 1/3 | 🟠 |
| Paper Process | 1/3 | 🟠 |

---

### Component Details

#### Metrics: 3/3 🟢
**Status:** Strong - Quantified and agreed

**Evidence:**
- ROI target: 3x in Year 1
- Specific KPIs: Reduce CAC by 20%, increase pipeline by 40%
- CFO signed off on business case
- Baseline metrics documented

**Quote:** "If we can hit these numbers, this pays for itself in 6 months."

---

#### Economic Buyer: 2/3 🟡
**Status:** Identified but not met

**Evidence:**
- EB: CFO Jennifer Walsh
- Champion confirmed she has budget authority
- Haven't had direct meeting yet
- Email correspondence only

**Gap:** Need face-to-face with CFO before proposal review

**Action:** Request 15-min executive alignment call

---

#### Decision Criteria: 3/3 🟢
**Status:** Strong - Criteria aligned with our strengths

**Evidence:**
- Formal RFP with weighted criteria
- Our top differentiators match their priorities:
  - Integration depth (30% weight) - ✅ Our strength
  - Time to value (25% weight) - ✅ Our strength
  - Price (20% weight) - ⚠️ Neutral
  - Support (15% weight) - ✅ Our strength
  - References (10% weight) - ✅ Have 3 ready

**Quote:** "Integration is non-negotiable for us."

---

#### Decision Process: 2/3 🟡
**Status:** Mapped but timeline fuzzy

**Evidence:**
- Step 1: Technical evaluation ✅ Complete
- Step 2: Business review ✅ Complete
- Step 3: Proposal review ⏳ This week
- Step 4: CFO approval ⏳ Pending
- Step 5: Legal/Procurement ⏳ Unknown timeline
- Step 6: Contract signed ⏳ Target March 15

**Gap:** Steps 4-6 timeline not confirmed

**Action:** Get specific dates for approval meeting and legal review

---

#### Identify Pain: 3/3 🟢
**Status:** Strong - Urgent, quantified pain

**Evidence:**
- Current problem: 40% of leads fall through cracks
- Business impact: $2M estimated lost revenue
- Trigger: Missed Q3 target, board pressure
- Previous attempts: Tried 2 solutions, both failed

**Quote:** "This is keeping our CEO up at night."

---

#### Champion: 3/3 🟢
**Status:** Strong - Active, influential champion

**Champion Profile:**
- Name: Marcus Chen, VP Revenue Operations
- Motivation: His initiative, career impact
- Influence: Direct report to CFO
- Actions taken:
  - Built internal business case
  - Scheduled all meetings
  - Defended us vs. competitor
  - Sharing our content internally

**Quote:** "I'm putting my reputation on this."

---

#### Competition: 1/3 🟠
**Status:** Weak - Incomplete intel

**Evidence:**
- Know they evaluated CompetitorX
- Don't know current status
- Champion said "we've narrowed to two"
- No details on competitor proposal

**Gap:** Critical blind spot

**Action:**
- Ask champion directly about competitor status
- Understand their proposal/pricing
- Prepare competitive battle card response

---

#### Paper Process: 1/3 🟠
**Status:** Weak - Unknown

**Evidence:**
- They have a procurement team
- Security review likely required
- No timeline documented
- Haven't met procurement

**Gap:** Could add 2-4 weeks we haven't planned for

**Action:**
- Ask champion about typical procurement timeline
- Offer to start security questionnaire early
- Get intro to procurement contact

---

### Gap Summary

| Gap | Priority | Owner | Action | Due |
|-----|----------|-------|--------|-----|
| Meet CFO | High | AE | Request exec call | Day 62 |
| Competition intel | High | AE | Discovery with champion | Day 63 |
| Paper process | Medium | SE | Start security review | Day 65 |
| Decision timeline | Medium | AE | Confirm dates | Day 65 |

---

### Forecast Recommendation

**Current:** In forecast at 50% probability
**Recommendation:** Keep in forecast, but address gaps before increasing commit

**Path to 80%:**
1. Meet CFO (Economic Buyer confirmed)
2. Confirm competitor status (know we're preferred)
3. Map procurement timeline (no surprises)

**Risks:**
- Competition could have better pricing
- Procurement could delay past March 15
- CFO hasn't engaged directly

Example 2: Champion Assessment

Output:

## Champion Evaluation: Marcus Chen

### Champion Scorecard

| Criteria | Score | Evidence |
|----------|-------|----------|
| Access | 🟢 High | Direct report to EB |
| Influence | 🟢 High | Owns budget recommendation |
| Motivation | 🟢 High | Career tied to outcome |
| Credibility | 🟢 High | 8 years at company |
| Engagement | 🟢 High | Weekly calls, sharing content |
| **Overall** | **Strong Champion** | |

---

### Champion Profile

**Name:** Marcus Chen
**Title:** VP Revenue Operations
**Reports to:** Jennifer Walsh (CFO)
**Tenure:** 8 years
**Role in Deal:** Project owner and recommender

---

### Why They're Championing

1. **Personal Win:** This is his initiative; success = promotion
2. **Pain Owner:** Responsible for the problem we solve
3. **Budget Influence:** Makes recommendation to CFO
4. **Trusted:** Long tenure, respected internally

---

### Champion Actions Taken

✅ Built internal business case
✅ Scheduled all meetings
✅ Shared our ROI calculator with CFO
✅ Defended us when competitor name dropped
✅ Gave us competitive intel
✅ Proactively updated us on internal discussions

---

### Champion Test Questions

**Question: Can they sell when you're not in the room?**
Answer: Yes - built business case, defends us

**Question: Will they give you bad news?**
Answer: Yes - warned us about CFO concerns

**Question: Can they get you to the Economic Buyer?**
Answer: Partially - email intros yes, meeting not yet

---

### Champion Gaps

| Gap | Risk | Mitigation |
|-----|------|------------|
| Hasn't secured CFO meeting | Medium | Help champion prepare ask |
| Single-threaded | Medium | Build relationships with IT Director |

---

### Champion Coaching Plan

**Help Marcus succeed by:**
1. Provide leave-behind for his CFO conversation
2. Share competitor objection responses
3. Arm with 3 references he can share
4. Prepare him for likely CFO questions:
   - "Why not build this ourselves?"
   - "What's the implementation risk?"
   - "Can we get better pricing?"

Skill Boundaries

What This Skill Does Well

• Structuring complex deal qualification
• Identifying deal gaps systematically
• Creating deal coaching plans
• Improving forecast accuracy

What This Skill Cannot Do

• Replace relationship skills
• Guarantee deal outcomes
• Know competitor strategies
• Handle negotiation tactics

References

• PTC MEDDIC Framework (Dick Dunkel)
• Force Management MEDDICC
• Salesforce Enterprise Selling
• Winning by Design MEDDIC

Related Skills

• lead-qualification-bant

  - Simpler qualification

• deal-risk-scoring

  - Risk assessment

• pipeline-forecasting

  - Commit based on MEDDIC

Skill Metadata

• Domain: SDR Automation / Sales
• Complexity: Advanced
• Mode: centaur
• Time to Value: 45-60 min per deal
• Prerequisites: Enterprise sales experience