The HUNT Framework: A Deep Dive

After 25 years of enterprise sales, I've learned that successful prospecting isn't about luck—it's about systems.

The HUNT framework is the exact methodology I used to scale Hortonworks from $0 to $250M+ and IPO. It's what I teach every founder who wants to build a repeatable enterprise sales motion.

H - Hone Your ICP

Every great deal starts with surgical precision about who you're targeting. Most founders cast too wide a net, wasting time on prospects who will never buy.

The framework:

1. Define the problem - What urgent, expensive problem does your ICP have?
2. Identify the buyer - Who feels this pain most acutely? (Hint: It's usually not the CEO)
3. Understand the trigger - What event makes this problem urgent right now?

At Hortonworks, we didn't target "enterprises with big data." We targeted "Fortune 500 companies with Hadoop clusters that were failing in production." That specificity cut our sales cycle in half.

The scorecard:

• Company size: $500M+ revenue
• Technology stack: Already using Hadoop
• Pain point: Production failures costing $1M+ annually
• Budget: IT operations budget holder
• Timeline: Active project, not exploratory

Score 4/5 or higher? You have a qualified ICP. Score lower? Move on.

U - Uncover Champions

Your best salesperson isn't on your payroll—they're inside your prospect's organization.

What makes a true champion:

• Authority or influence over the decision (not just "interested")
• Personal motivation to see the deal succeed (their reputation is on the line)
• Internal credibility and political capital to spend

How to identify them:

1. They ask detailed technical questions
2. They introduce you to other stakeholders
3. They share internal documents or org charts
4. They fight for budget allocation

At Cockroach Labs, our champions were database administrators who were tired of managing PostgreSQL clusters at scale. They became our internal advocates, selling the solution when we weren't in the room.

The champion scorecard:

• Introduces you to decision makers: +2 points
• Shares internal budget info: +2 points
• Fights for your solution in meetings: +3 points
• Provides competitive intel: +2 points

Score 6+ points? You have a champion. Nurture them like your best customer.

N - Navigate the Committee

Enterprise deals die in committee meetings, not in one-on-ones. Map every stakeholder before you make your first call.

The buying committee map:

1. Economic buyer - Controls budget (usually CFO or VP Finance)
2. Technical buyer - Evaluates feasibility (CTO, VP Engineering)
3. User buyer - Day-to-day users (often multiple departments)
4. Champion - Your internal advocate
5. Influencer - Doesn't decide but influences (consultants, advisors)

The framework:

• Map all stakeholders before first meeting
• Understand each person's success metrics
• Tailor your message to each role
• Identify who can say "no" (they're your biggest risk)

I've seen $10M deals die because we didn't know the CFO's procurement team had veto power. Map the committee. Know who can kill the deal.

T - Transform with MEDDIC

MEDDIC is the qualification framework that separates predictable deals from pipe dreams.

Deep Dive: For a comprehensive guide to MEDDIC, see MEDDIC: The Qualification Framework That Turned 35% Close Rates Into 82%.

M - Metrics: What's the business impact? (Revenue, cost savings, time saved)

E - Economic buyer: Who controls the budget? Have you met them?

D - Decision criteria: What are their evaluation criteria? Do you meet them?

D - Decision process: How do they make decisions? What's the timeline?

I - Identify pain: What's the cost of inaction? Is it urgent?

C - Champion: Do you have an internal advocate?

The scoring:

Score each element 1-2 points. You need 10+ points total to have a qualified deal.

• 12+ points: High probability, fast-track this deal
• 10-11 points: Qualified, standard process
• 8-9 points: Needs work, don't forecast
• <8 points: Disqualify, move on

At StarTree, we used MEDDIC to increase our close rate from 35% to 82%. The difference? We stopped chasing deals that would never close.

Putting It All Together

HUNT isn't a checklist—it's a system. Use it in sequence:

1. Hone your ICP until you can score prospects objectively
2. Uncover champions who will sell for you internally
3. Navigate the committee so you know who can kill the deal
4. Transform with MEDDIC to qualify ruthlessly

The founders who master HUNT don't just close more deals—they close deals faster, with less effort, and higher win rates.

That's the difference between a sales team and a revenue machine.