qa-aman/deal-qualification

Overview

Based on "MEDDICC" by Andy Whyte (and the original MEDDIC methodology from PTC). MEDDICC is the qualification framework used by the highest-performing enterprise sales teams globally. It maps every deal across seven dimensions: Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, Champion, and Competition. Gaps in any dimension are gaps in your deal - not unknowns, risks.

Workflow

Step 1: Score each MEDDICC dimension

Run through every letter. For each one, write what you know and what you don't know. A blank answer is a red flag, not a neutral state.

| Dimension | Key question | |---|---| | M - Metrics | What is the quantified business impact of solving this problem? | | E - Economic Buyer | Who has final budget authority? Have you spoken to them directly? | | D - Decision Criteria | What does the prospect use to evaluate solutions? Do you know all criteria? | | D - Decision Process | What are the steps from now to signed contract? Who is involved at each step? | | I - Identify Pain | What is the explicit, documented pain? Who feels it most acutely? | | C - Champion | Who inside the account is actively selling for you when you're not in the room? | | C - Competition | Who else is being evaluated? What is your position vs. each competitor? |

Step 2: Flag red zones

For each dimension scored blank or weak, mark it RED. A deal with 3+ red zones should not be in your forecast at any stage above "pipeline."

Common red zone patterns:

• "I haven't met the Economic Buyer" = you are not in a real deal yet
• "I don't know their evaluation criteria" = you are flying blind in a competitive situation
• "I have a contact but no Champion" = your contact cannot close this internally without you

Step 3: Build the gap-closing plan

For every red zone, write one action to close the gap this week.

Format:

• Gap: [dimension + what's missing]
• Action: [specific outreach or meeting to close it]
• Owner: [who on your team does this]
• Deadline: [specific date]

Example:

• Gap: Economic Buyer - never spoken to VP of Finance who owns budget
• Action: Ask Champion to facilitate 20-min intro call with VP Finance
• Owner: [AE name]
• Deadline: This Friday

Step 4: Assign a deal stage based on MEDDICC completeness

| Stage | MEDDICC requirement | |---|---| | Pipeline | Pain confirmed, one internal contact | | Qualified | M + E + I confirmed, Champion identified | | Commit | All 7 dimensions known, Decision Process has a close date | | Closed | Contract signed |

Do not let deals sit in Commit without all 7 dimensions covered.

Step 5: Prep the deal review narrative

Write a 5-sentence deal summary using this structure:

1. What is the pain and who feels it? (I)
2. What is the quantified impact of solving it? (M)
3. Who is the Champion and what have they done to demonstrate that? (C)
4. Who is the Economic Buyer and what is their posture? (E)
5. What is the next step and when does it happen? (D - process)

This narrative is what you bring to pipeline review. If you can't write it, the deal is not qualified.

Anti-Patterns

1. Confusing a contact with a Champion Bad: "My Champion is [name] - she was really engaged on our last call." Good: A Champion has organizational credibility, access to the Economic Buyer, and has taken a personal risk for you (e.g., introduced you upward, shared internal budget info, advocated in a meeting you weren't in).

2. Accepting verbal budget confirmation as Economic Buyer access Bad: "They said budget isn't an issue." Good: "I have met the Economic Buyer, confirmed the budget line, and know who needs to sign the PO."

3. Leaving competition as "unknown" Bad: "We don't know who else they're evaluating." Good: Ask directly - "Are you evaluating other solutions alongside us?" Then position against each competitor.

4. Moving a deal to Commit on gut feel Bad: "They seem really interested, I'm 90% confident." Good: Every MEDDICC dimension is documented. The Decision Process has a signed-off timeline with specific dates.

Quality Checklist

• [ ] All 7 MEDDICC dimensions answered - no blanks
• [ ] Red zones identified and a gap-closing action written for each
• [ ] Champion has demonstrated internal advocacy, not just enthusiasm
• [ ] Economic Buyer has been spoken to directly, not just named
• [ ] Metrics are quantified in the prospect's own terms (time, money, or risk)
• [ ] Decision Process has a specific close date agreed upon with the prospect
• [ ] Deal stage matches MEDDICC completeness, not the sales rep's optimism