MEDDIC: how to check every criterion in your sales call

MEDDIC is a qualification method for B2B sales. The letters stand for Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain and Champion. You use the framework to check during a call whether a deal is really worth pursuing: do you know what it delivers, who signs, how the decision gets made and who is championing you?

MEDDIC is an acronym for six criteria you use to assess a sales opportunity. It is designed for complex sales with multiple decision-makers and a longer sales cycle. The framework was developed in 1996 at the software company Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) and is now widely used in B2B sales.

MEDDIC is not a script. It is a checklist of what you need to know. How you ask the questions is up to you.

Here are the six criteria at a glance:

• M, Metrics: the measurable value the customer expects, such as time saved, lower costs or additional revenue.
• E, Economic Buyer: the person with budget authority who has the final say.
• D, Decision Criteria: the requirements your solution has to meet.
• D, Decision Process: the steps, parties and timing of the decision.
• I, Identify Pain: the problem that is urgent enough to act on.
• C, Champion: someone inside the customer’s organization who actively supports your solution and has influence.

You check each criterion with one concrete question and clear evidence from the call. If all you have is a vague answer, the criterion isn’t covered yet. Below you’ll find, for each criterion, what to ask and when you can tick it off.

1. Metrics

Ask: “What result does this need to deliver, and how do you measure that today?” Tick it off when the customer names a number, a baseline or a target themselves. “It needs to be more efficient” is not a metric. “Right now we lose two hours per rep per day on admin” is.

2. Economic Buyer

Ask: “Who ultimately decides on the budget for this?” Tick it off when you have a name and know whether you have spoken to that person or can. An answer like “the department handles that” isn’t enough.

3. Decision Criteria

Ask: “What does a solution need to meet to be considered?” Tick it off when you know the requirements for functionality, technology, price and risk, and which ones carry the most weight.

4. Decision Process

Ask: “How does a decision like this one work, from first conversation to signature?” Tick it off when you have the steps, the people involved and an expected date. Think of a demo, a legal review, a security review or procurement.

5. Identify Pain

Ask: “What happens if you don’t do anything about this?” Tick it off when the customer spells out the consequences and there is a reason to act now. Without pain, a conversation stays noncommittal.

6. Champion

Ask: “What do you need to get this approved internally, and how can I help?” Tick it off when someone gives you information, introduces you to the budget holder and advocates for you internally. A friendly contact is not yet a champion.

After every call, spend five minutes going through your notes or transcript and give each criterion a status: covered, partial or open. For each criterion, write down the quote from the call that proves it. That way you avoid labeling a deal as promising based on gut feeling.

1. List the six criteria one below the other.
2. Find a verbatim statement from the customer for each criterion.
3. Mark whatever is missing as “open”.
4. Pick the one open question you’ll ask first in the next call.
5. Log the next step with a date in your CRM.

Keep an eye on speaking time too. If you did most of the talking, you probably didn’t ask enough questions to cover the criteria.

Yes. Pitched is an online AI tool that analyzes transcripts of sales calls. You paste the text or upload a .vtt, .srt, .txt or .md file, choose MEDDIC as the framework and get coaching feedback within 30 seconds. That feedback includes a speaking time analysis, missed signals and feedback with quotes and timecodes.

New accounts get 14 days of free access to all frameworks, MEDDIC included, no credit card required. After that, MEDDIC is part of the Pro plan, from €10 per month. On the Free plan you analyze calls against BANT.

BANT looks at budget, authority, need and timing and is quicker to run through. MEDDIC goes deeper into value, the decision process and internal support, and is a better fit for complex deals.

Read more about the other framework in BANT in sales: how to qualify in one call.

MEDDPICC extends MEDDIC with two extra criteria: Paper Process (the legal and procurement steps after the yes) and Competition (who else is in the running). That gives MEDDPICC eight criteria: Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Paper Process, Identify Pain, Champion and Competition. For large enterprise deals, MEDDPICC is often the better choice.

MEDDIC works for B2B sales with multiple decision-makers, a deal that takes several months and a solution whose value can be measured. For quick, small transactions it is often too heavy. A lighter method such as BANT is enough there.

Want to know which criteria you missed in your last call? Try MEDDIC free for 14 days in Pitched, no credit card required. After that, you automatically move back to the Free plan, unless you choose a paid plan. See the plans.