MEDDIC · sales qualification
MEDDIC, six questions every complex deal must answer
MEDDIC is a B2B sales qualification framework: Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Identify pain and Champion.
This guide explains each letter, the MEDDICC and MEDDPICC versions, the questions to ask, and when a lighter framework such as BANT is enough.
Reviewed by Dan Keegan, GTM Quest · 24 October 2026 · 3 sources linked below
MEDDICone letter, one question
- MMetricsVALUEWHAT CHANGES, IN NUMBERS
- EEconomic buyerMONEYWHO CAN SAY YES
- DDDecision criteria and processHOWWHAT THEY JUDGE · WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
- ICIdentify pain, ChampionWHYTHE PROBLEM · THE INSIDER
business buying cycles with procurement as a decision maker (Forrester, 2026)53%
01/ definition
What is MEDDIC? the short answer
MEDDIC is a checklist for qualifying complex B2B deals: if you cannot answer all six letters, you do not yet know whether the deal is real.
MEDDICC, the firm that now trains the method, says MEDDIC was created at PTC in 1996.
Atlassian describes it as an assessment of opportunities that shows the customer's internal dynamics, so teams spend time on the deals most likely to close.
It suits long sales with several people involved; for short, single-buyer sales it can be more than you need.
02/ the six letters
MEDDIC, letter by letter with questions to ask
Metrics
The measurable result the customer expects: time saved, cost removed, revenue added.
- ✓ What does success look like in numbers?
- ✓ How do you measure it today?
Economic buyer
The person with the authority to spend the money, who is often not the person you first meet.
- ✓ Who signs off a purchase of this size?
- ✓ Have we met them?
Decision criteria
What the customer will judge you on: technical, commercial and risk criteria.
- ✓ How will you compare options?
- ✓ Which criterion matters most?
Decision process
The steps, people and dates between now and a decision.
- ✓ What happens after this meeting?
- ✓ Who else must approve?
Identify pain
The business problem that makes change worth the effort now.
- ✓ What happens if you do nothing?
- ✓ Who feels the problem most?
Champion
Someone inside the customer with influence who wants you to win and will sell for you when you are not in the room.
- ✓ Who gains if this works?
- ✓ Will they introduce the economic buyer?
03/ versions
MEDDIC vs MEDDICC vs MEDDPICC the added letters
According to MEDDICC, later versions added Competition and then Paper process.
→ Name the alternative, including doing nothing.
→ Forrester finds procurement is a decision maker in 53% of business buying cycles, which is why the paper process earns its letter.
04/ MEDDPICC
What is MEDDPICC? the eight letters
MEDDPICC is the eight-letter version of MEDDIC.
MEDDICC, the firm that trains the method, gives the letters as Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Paper process, Implicate the pain, Champion and Competition.
MEDDICC says the method evolved from MEDDIC, created at PTC in 1996, with Competition added first and Paper process later.
Older write-ups of MEDDIC use Identify pain for the I; MEDDICC now uses Implicate the pain, which asks you to show the buyer the cost of the problem, not just name it.
Use MEDDPICC when deals stall after the buyer has said yes, because that is usually the paper process.
05/ worked example
A MEDDIC example one deal, scored
An illustrative deal for a software firm selling to a UK logistics company.
The company, people and numbers are invented for the example.
Two gaps and an unproven champion: the next meeting should be with the economic buyer, arranged by the champion.
A deal with gaps is not a bad deal; it is a deal with a clear next step.
06/ fit
MEDDIC or BANT? pick your sale
Which sounds like your sale?
MEDDIC
Use MEDDIC or MEDDPICC
With a typical decision involving 13 internal stakeholders, you need to map the economic buyer, process and champion.
BANT
BANT is probably enough
Budget, authority, need and timeline cover a short sale with one decision maker.
See our guide to BANT.
Fit first
Check fit before you qualify
If the account is not in your ideal customer profile, no framework will make it a good deal.
07/ pitfalls
How MEDDIC goes wrong four habits
01
A form, not a conversation
Reps fill in the fields to pass a review instead of asking the questions.
02
A coach called a champion
Someone friendly who shares information is not a champion unless they have influence and act for you.
03
Metrics you invented
The numbers must be the customer’s, in the customer’s words.
04
Never updated
Qualification changes every meeting; a score from the first call is stale by the third.
08/ GTM Quest
Where MEDDIC fits in go-to-market after the list
MEDDIC qualifies a deal once a conversation exists; it does not create the conversation.
As a London GTM agency, we build the account list from your ideal customer profile, run the outreach and pass meetings to your sellers with the first MEDDIC answers already written down.
If you are hiring the people who will run it, our GTM recruitment agency recruits sellers and sales leaders.
15 minutes · video or phone
Pipeline that is already qualified
Book 15 minutes and we will show you how we qualify meetings before they reach your sellers.
- 0115 minutes, video or phone
- 02Your qualification gaps
- 03No forms, just a call
Pick a day that suits · live availability
09/ questions
MEDDIC FAQ
Short answers to what people ask about MEDDIC.
A B2B sales qualification framework.
The letters stand for Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Identify pain and Champion.
Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Identify pain, Champion.
MEDDICC, the firm that trains the method, says MEDDIC was created at PTC in 1996.
MEDDPICC adds two letters: Paper process, the legal, security and procurement steps to signature, and Competition, the alternatives the buyer is considering.
Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Paper process, Implicate the pain, Champion and Competition, as MEDDICC gives the letters.
For long, complex sales with several decision makers, usually yes.
For short sales with one buyer, BANT is often enough.
Someone inside the customer with influence who wants you to win and will make the case for you when you are not there.
Taking on new clients
Qualified pipeline starts with the right accounts
Fifteen minutes is enough to see where your deals are leaking.
11/ sources
Every source on this page
Each figure above links to one of these. All were opened and checked on 24 October 2026.
- Forrester, The State of Business Buying, 2026forrester.com
- MEDDICC, MEDDPICC sales methodology: acronym and meaningmeddicc.com
- Atlassian, MEDDIC sales methodology explainedatlassian.com