How I Use MEDDPIC

The most valuable and finite resource to manage in enterprise sales is time. The second is focus. Time and focus of our internal team (solution architects, product, engineering, customer success etc) is key to winning deals.

My approach to MEDDPIC isn’t about being operationally sound. It’s about building a common mental model and execution framework in order to de-risk complex cycles, standardise our approach to resource efficiency, and build a predictable and transparent pathway into a transaction. MEDDPIC is designed to be programmatic to allow compelling sales experiences and innovative approaches within the sales cycle.

What is MEDDPIC

Before diving into execution, this is the operational lens I apply to each component of the framework.

Click to expand: The MEDDPIC Operational Lens

Component	My Operational Lens
Metrics	The economic proof required to justify change.
Economic Buyer	The ultimate sign-off; the person who can release budget.
Decision Criteria	The technical and business blueprint we must help shape.
Decision Process	The governance, evaluation steps, and internal approval gates.
Paper Process	The literal path a contract takes through legal and procurement.
Identified Pain	The compounding business problem driving the urgency.
Champion	Our inside operator with the political power to break glass.

1. Hard-Testing the “C” and “E” to Prevent Shadow Chasing

Most deals don’t die from a lack of technical capability; they die from a lack of political power. As I wrote previously, confusing a fan with a Champion is a fatal mistake.

When I run a cycle, I test the relationship early to understand where I stand. If a contact claims to be a Champion but won’t or can’t co-author the business case or grant access to the Economic Buyer (E), I treat that as a data point that the deal is misaligned. Hard-testing these gates early ensures we only deploy heavy technical resources (POCs, trials, architecture reviews etc) on opportunities that are real.

2. Turning “Process” into Control (D, D, and P)

Enterprise procurement is a bureaucratic machine designed to slow things to mitigate risk. If you’re reactive, the machine eats your deal timeline. It’s a continual process but I like to map out the Decision Criteria (D), Decision Process (D), and Paper Process (P) so I can go beyond understanding them and aim to influence them.

• Decision Criteria: If we didn’t help define the technical and business requirements the customer is grading against, we might be playing someone else’s game. I work with Champions to shape criteria towards our value proposition.
• Decision & Paper Process: I don’t guess who touches the paper. I map out every layer (review boards, legal redlines, security clearances, and procurement queues etc).

3. The Transition to a Mutual Action Plan

As MEDDPIC gates are validated, the strategy shifts from qualification to execution. We don’t leave the closing sequence to chance or hope the customer remembers what to do next.

From this information, we articulate a Mutual Action Plan (MAP). This helps us to simplify the complexity around multi-month procurement cycles and build transparency and trust built side-by-side with our Champion. This allows us to work internally and externally to avoid any potential blindspots.

We lay out milestones, dates, and delegate to people that can help unlock value required we found in the Metrics (M) and Identified Pain (I) stages. It changes the dynamic entirely: we stop behaving like a vendor trying to force a signature by the end of the quarter, and start acting as an execution partner helping them hit a critical business deadline.

The Bottom Line

Using MEDDPIC programmatically means having the discipline to ask uncomfortable questions, the data-driven focus to map out the internal landscape, and the conviction to walk away from unviable deals. By running a structured process, I protect our engineering resources, build deep alignment with stakeholders, and turn unpredictable enterprise cycles into repeatable, successful outcomes.