MEDDIC Implementation
We all know organizational effectiveness has a lot to say about the merits of common language and cross-functional collaboration. What you may not know is these are also very important topics related to getting the most out of your MEDDIC and qualification framework. Often ignored, both come with their benefits and challenges. Establishing a common language for your MEDDIC will increase execution consistency and contribute to the more effective cross-functional collaboration you’re seeking. There are simple steps you can take for each; whether you are just implementing MEDDIC or want to get more out of the MEDDIC you’ve already been using.
A Common, Unified Language
One challenging aspect of MEDDIC is adhering to a shared, common language. Sales executives often have their own terminology and notation. The inconsistency leads to confusion and misalignment when discussing the various elements of MEDDIC. Ensuring that everyone understands and consistently uses the MEDDIC terminology is crucial for effective communication and collaboration within the sales team. Effective MEDDIC requires that everyone understands and uses a unified set of terminology for better communication and collaboration. Doing so achieves the following:
Clarity: There should be no misinterpretation of the MEDDIC captured. The MEDDIC should tell a single story about the customer that is understood by many parts of the organization, not just sales. This reduces the time typically wasted trying to seek clarity and understanding.
Alignment: We need agreement as to what constitutes a qualified lead and opportunity. Aligning on a common set of expected language goes a long way in reducing the pursuit of unqualified deals.
Consistency: In today’s data and AI-driven world, we need consistent MEDDIC articulation. Doing so not only assists with interpretation by various functions and colleagues but also is required to effectively train algorithms providing efficiency and increased productivity.
Onboarding: Giving new sales executives a clear understanding of what they should expect to be hearing and collecting MEDDIC shortens ramp-up, improving sales force agility and the ability to scale.
Though it may seem challenging, there are simple steps you can take to achieve that common language of MEDDIC:
Don’t seek perfection. Seek quality robust language your organization can agree on and stick to.
Find an acceptable balance between specificity and abstract. Too specific and you avoid adjacent opportunities. Ambiguous language leaves a deal open to interpretation and of little value to AI and future contributors.
Use pre-existing language already articulated by your customers. Look for language previously collected in user/success stories.
Product will have already defined their ICP and PMF. Leverage that content to agree on language one should be using to describe the customer, the metrics expected, the pain points typically expressed, and decision criteria desired.
Be willing to review and revise language, but not often. Agree on key events that should trigger change, such as a new sales playbook or new foundational solution capabilities. Leverage your sales enablement team to help facilitate discussions and document agreed language.
Add to your knowledge base examples of collected MEDDIC that demonstrate the level, quality, and kind of language one should expect to hear articulated.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Today’s complex enterprise deals have multiple stakeholders and require sales cycle contributions from many functions. The ability to collaborate effectively in lead generation and deal progress is vital. The common language noted above goes a long way in making collaboration easier. But we still need to encourage collaboration to avoid the miscommunication and misalignment of actions that lead deals to slip and stall. Good collaboration means the following:
Bridging Silos: Making MEDDIC the responsibility of all involved. Contribution and access to MEDDIC should not be limited to the sales executive. It needs to live alongside and be included in all the information needed to judge and value a deal.
In the Loop: MEDDIC should be part of a content loop between product, marketing, and sales; MEDDIC being informed by product and marketing while influencing product development and marketing campaigns. MEDDIC in the loop contributes to a company’s ability to innovate and respond to market changes.
Consistent CX: Leverage MEDDIC to anchor all customer touchpoints. It ensures consistent messaging and value propositions along the customer journey. This improves deal conversion, overall customer retention, and lifetime value.
Improving collaboration is not about making sure people get together to discuss a deal or customer. Effective collaboration needs to occur outside the meeting. Here are some simple steps to take.
Make sure all customer-facing and deal-contributing functions can see MEDDIC and, where appropriate, contribute to MEDDIC.
Train your product, marketing, and revenue functions on the basics of MEDDIC. Ensure they understand the value of MEDDIC beyond sales qualification.
Bring MEDDIC front and center to all customer and deal conversations, such as sales forecasts and post-sale hand-overs.
Increase the prominence of MEDDIC in customer, lead, and deal management platforms and reporting.
Mastering and getting the most from MEDDIC takes more than writing it down. When you establish a common, unified language for MEDDIC aligned in and outside your sales organization, you bring new values that extend beyond sales qualification. Collaboration should deliver a consistent customer experience and align the multiple stakeholders and contributors around the customer. Make strides in both, and you will see an increase in productive communication, more efficiency in deal execution, and less time wasted on trying to formulate and coordinate the next best action. Let MEDDIC be your path to accomplishing them all.
MEDDIC offers a structured approach to identifying and addressing technical and business pain points. Understanding the difference and connecting these pains empowers presales professionals to offer compelling solutions and drive successful sales engagements.
Get in touch. Let us show you how to implement MEDDIC effectively in your tech stack.
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