MEDDIC: The Qualification Framework That Turned 35% Close Rates Into 82%

Most sales teams lose deals they never should have pursued. They chase pipe dreams instead of qualified opportunities.

At StarTree, we had a 35% close rate. After implementing MEDDIC rigorously, we hit 82%. The difference wasn't better sales skills—it was ruthless qualification.

Here's how MEDDIC works and why it's the foundation of predictable enterprise sales.

Related: Learn more about the HUNT Framework which incorporates MEDDIC as the final step in enterprise prospecting.

What Is MEDDIC?

MEDDIC is a qualification framework that ensures you're only pursuing deals you can actually win. It stands for:

• M - Metrics
• E - Economic Buyer
• D - Decision Criteria
• D - Decision Process
• I - Identify Pain
• C - Champion

Each element is scored 1-2 points. You need 10+ points total to have a qualified deal.

Note: This framework is based on the work of Andy Whyte, founder of MEDDICC, who has been teaching enterprise sales teams how to stay one step ahead in complex sales for decades. For deeper insights, see MEDDICC: The Ultimate Guide.

M - Metrics: Quantify the Business Impact

The first question: What's the business impact of solving this problem?

Good metrics:

• "This will save us $2M annually in infrastructure costs"
• "We'll reduce customer churn by 15%, worth $5M in ARR"
• "This cuts our time-to-market by 6 months, worth $10M in revenue"

Bad metrics:

• "This would be nice to have"
• "It might improve efficiency"
• "We're exploring options"

The framework:

1. Quantify the problem - What does the current state cost them?
2. Quantify the solution - What's the value of fixing it?
3. Make it urgent - What happens if they don't act?

At Hortonworks, we didn't sell "better big data management." We sold "$5M annual savings from production failures." That's a metric.

Scoring:

• 2 points: Quantified ROI >$1M, urgent timeline
• 1 point: Some quantification, moderate urgency
• 0 points: Vague benefits, no urgency

E - Economic Buyer: Who Controls the Budget?

The economic buyer isn't always who you think. At Fortune 500 companies, the person who "wants" your solution rarely controls the budget.

How to identify the economic buyer:

1. Ask directly: "Who approves budgets for initiatives like this?"
2. Follow the money: Who signs the purchase order?
3. Understand the process: Is there a procurement team involved?

Red flags:

• "I'll need to check with finance"
• "We don't have budget allocated yet"
• "This would need board approval"

Green flags:

• "I control the $2M budget for this initiative"
• "I can approve up to $500K without board approval"
• "This fits in our Q2 budget cycle"

Scoring:

• 2 points: Met economic buyer, confirmed budget authority
• 1 point: Identified economic buyer, haven't met yet
• 0 points: Unclear who controls budget

D - Decision Criteria: Do You Meet Their Requirements?

Every buyer has evaluation criteria. Most sellers never ask what they are.

The questions:

1. What are your evaluation criteria?
2. How do you score vendors?
3. What would disqualify a vendor?
4. What's your ideal solution look like?

Common criteria:

• Security certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001)
• Integration capabilities (API, SSO)
• Support SLAs (24/7, <1 hour response)
• Reference customers in their industry

The trap:

Don't assume you meet their criteria. Ask. Document. Verify.

At Cockroach Labs, we lost a $3M deal because we didn't ask about their requirement for "multi-region disaster recovery with <5 minute RTO." We had it, but they didn't know. We lost to a competitor who asked.

Scoring:

• 2 points: Meet all criteria, documented confirmation
• 1 point: Meet most criteria, some gaps
• 0 points: Unclear criteria, or don't meet them

D - Decision Process: How Do They Make Decisions?

Enterprise deals die in process, not in product. Map the decision process before you invest time.

The questions:

1. What's the approval process?
2. Who needs to sign off?
3. What's the timeline?
4. Are there any gates or checkpoints?
5. What could delay or kill this deal?

The framework:

• Formal process: RFP → Evaluation → POC → Legal → Procurement → Approval
• Informal process: Champion → Demo → Budget approval → Purchase

Formal processes take 6-12 months. Informal processes take 1-3 months. Know which you're in.

Red flags:

• "We're just exploring"
• "No timeline yet"
• "We need to get buy-in from multiple teams"
• "This might need board approval"

Green flags:

• "We need to decide by Q2"
• "We have budget allocated"
• "The champion is driving this forward"
• "We've done this type of purchase before"

Scoring:

• 2 points: Clear process, realistic timeline, mapped stakeholders
• 1 point: Process identified, timeline uncertain
• 0 points: No process, no timeline

I - Identify Pain: What's the Cost of Inaction?

Pain without urgency is just a complaint. Urgent pain is a deal.

The framework:

1. Current state: What's broken?
2. Cost of inaction: What happens if they don't fix it?
3. Urgency: Why now?

Good pain:

• "Our current system fails weekly, costing us $500K per incident"
• "We're losing customers because we can't scale"
• "We're missing compliance deadlines, risking fines"

Bad pain:

• "It would be nice to improve"
• "We're thinking about upgrading"
• "This might help efficiency"

The urgency test:

Ask: "What happens if you don't solve this in the next 90 days?"

If the answer is "nothing much," you don't have urgent pain. Move on.

Scoring:

• 2 points: Quantified pain, urgent timeline, cost of inaction clear
• 1 point: Pain identified, moderate urgency
• 0 points: Vague pain, no urgency

C - Champion: Your Internal Advocate

Your champion is your best salesperson. They're inside the organization, selling when you're not there.

What makes a true champion:

• Authority or influence over the decision
• Personal motivation to see the deal succeed
• Internal credibility and political capital

Champion behaviors:

1. Introduces you to decision makers
2. Shares internal budget information
3. Fights for your solution in meetings
4. Provides competitive intelligence
5. Accelerates the timeline

The champion scorecard:

• Introduces you to economic buyer: +3 points
• Shares budget info: +2 points
• Fights for you in meetings: +3 points
• Provides competitive intel: +2 points
• Accelerates timeline: +2 points

Score 6+ points? You have a champion. Score less? You have a friendly contact, not a champion.

Scoring:

• 2 points: Strong champion, clear advocacy
• 1 point: Friendly contact, limited influence
• 0 points: No champion

The MEDDIC Scorecard

Score each element 1-2 points. Total possible: 12 points.

Qualification thresholds:

• 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

The rule:

Don't forecast deals that score below 10. Don't invest time in deals that score below 8.

At StarTree, we stopped forecasting deals below 10 points. Our forecast accuracy went from 60% to 92%. Our close rate went from 35% to 82%.

Common MEDDIC Mistakes

Mistake #1: Scoring optimistically

"Maybe they have budget" isn't 2 points. "Confirmed budget" is 2 points.

Mistake #2: Confusing contacts with champions

A friendly contact who answers your emails isn't a champion. A champion fights for you internally.

Mistake #3: Assuming you meet criteria

Don't assume. Ask. Document. Verify.

Mistake #4: Ignoring process

A 12-month RFP process isn't a deal. It's a fishing expedition.

Putting MEDDIC Into Practice

Week 1: Score every deal in your pipeline using MEDDIC.

Week 2: Disqualify deals scoring below 8. Move them out of your forecast.

Week 3: Focus on deals scoring 10+. Work to get them to 12+.

Week 4: Review your close rate. It should improve immediately.

The result:

You'll close fewer deals, but you'll close them faster, with less effort, and higher win rates.

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

The Bottom Line

MEDDIC isn't about saying "no" to deals. It's about saying "yes" to the right deals.

Qualify ruthlessly. Close predictably. Build a revenue machine.

That's how you scale from $0 to $100M+ ARR.