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