Poor sales qualification is one of the biggest reasons for poor sales performance for B2B sales reps.
The MEDDIC framework can help sales pros properly qualify prospects, so they’re selling to the right people in the right way, and closing more sales.
But misunderstandings abound around this powerful framework. Reps often resist implementing it, making it difficult to create a consistent sales process for your org.
Here are the top seven reasons your reps may have for not using MEDDIC and ways to counter their concerns.
If a rep doesn’t understand MEDDIC and how it can help them, they may resist using it. Here are the most common myths we’ve encountered over the years.
1. MEDDIC is a Sales Methodology
MEDDIC is often grouped together with Solution Selling, SPIN selling, the Challenger Sale, and Sandler Sales. These are great methodologies that provide guidance for what to say in specific situations to move the sale forward.
But MEDDIC is NOT a sales methodology. It’s a qualification methodology. It doesn’t provide you with a playbook for how to move the sale forward. It provides you with a set of criteria to disqualify prospects who aren’t ready to buy.
2. MEDDIC Can Be Used to Qualify Every Prospect
The term “qualification” needs some defining as well. Many sales representatives believe you can apply a specific sales methodology to prospects so they become qualified to buy.
But that’s not qualification. Sales qualification is an active process of deciding whether a prospect meets the criteria needed to make a buying decision. In many cases, prospects aren’t actually ready to buy. Or they have internal issues that might prevent them from closing the deal.
Not every prospect is qualified to take up your reps’ time. And no amount of persuasion or nurturing will make them qualified.
That’s where MEDDIC comes in. It helps you quickly disqualify prospects who aren’t a good fit now.
3. MEDDIC Is a Checklist of Questions to Ask Your Prospects
This is an interesting one. MEDDIC looks and feels like a checklist. But it shouldn’t be treated as a checklist when you’re engaging with a prospect.
Newer sales reps often don’t understand this. They treat MEDDIC like a questionnaire, running through the questions as if they’re grilling the prospect. This can rub the prospect the wrong way and could even drive off qualified prospects.
If your team is turning off their prospects, make time to evaluate how they’re using MEDDIC. Coach them on ways to work the questions into natural conversations. This takes practice and comes with experience. Seasoned reps can make this look seamless.
4. MEDDIC Takes Too Much Time to Implement
Sales representatives are type-A, can-do, get-it-done personalities. They would rather be in the arena than in the stands.
These are great attributes if you want your people to pick up the phone, make calls, and move prospects through the pipeline. But these same attributes can make reps distrust MEDDIC, believing it will slow them down.
In reality, MEDDIC doesn’t take time away from selling. It saves reps from pursuing prospects that can’t or won’t pull the trigger. If your reps resist MEDDIC for this reason, explain that it’s a time-saver, not a time-waster. Then provide sales coaching on ways to find answers quickly and effectively, without treating it like a questionnaire.
5. MEDDIC Disqualifies Everyone
Another complaint from reps is that MEDDIC disqualifies too many prospects. Salespeople want to spend time selling, and selling often gets confused with convincing. But you can’t convince an unqualified prospect.
And if you disqualify too many prospects, you have to go back to prospecting, which may feel like a step backwards.
There’s a lot to address with this objection. To begin, MEDDIC doesn’t disqualify everyone. It shines a spotlight on the prospects who are most likely to close. So reps can manage their time more effectively, working only with qualified prospects that are a good fit.
And if your reps are concerned that they’re disqualifying too many prospects, the problem may be your prospecting, not MEDDIC. Focus on building a better pipeline. You need to attract qualified prospects instead of nurturing unqualified prospects.
6. You’ll Burn Your Bridges
New sales reps are often uncomfortable saying “no” to a prospect. They fear that turning away a disqualified lead could burn their bridges with them — especially if they might be more qualified in the future.
But disqualifying a lead early is a win-win, and your prospects will understand that. By being honest with the prospect, the rep can actually build trust and deepen relationships with them, which leaves the door open for reengaging them down the road.
Coach your reps on how to break it off with a prospect. Let them know that there’s no need to abruptly announce, “Sorry, I can’t spend more time with you. You’re not qualified.”
Instead, coach them to say something like, “I’m not sure if this is the right time for you. Let’s circle back around in a few months.”
It’s all in the delivery.
7. It Can’t Be a True Methodology if Everybody’s Adding Letters
It’s true, MEDDIC does have variations, including MEDDICC and MEDDPICC.
Some critics feel that adding additional letters distorts the original framework. If it needs “fixing,” does it actually work?
But this objection comes from an inflexible, fixed mindset. Organizations have different needs and reasons for adopting one flavor or another of MEDDIC.
For example, if a product involves a complex set of approval steps, the sales team might want to add the P, “Paper Process.”
It’s important to remember that every sales organization and their products or services are different. They can’t be shoe-horned into a static qualification methodology. And by making a few simple adjustments, MEDDIC can work for all of them.
Conclusion
MEDDIC is one of the most powerful sales qualification tools available today. It can help your sales team manage their time more effectively and close more deals.
But they have to buy into it.
If you’re looking for a way to motivate your team to use MEDDIC, look for the misunderstanding that’s holding them back. And encourage them to use this powerful framework the right way.
There’s nothing like success to boost motivation!
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