Why MEDDIC isn’t enough: 5 hidden reasons your sales team still struggles

Among the many sales methodologies, MEDDIC or its cousin MEDDPICC is the one that comes up most often in my conversations with various CROs or sales directors. I often hear: "We have successfully implemented MEDDIC/MEDDPICC," but:

1. We are concerned about a conversion rate that is not as good as we would like it to be.

2. It's frustrating to have salespeople who struggle with consultative selling.

3. We find ourselves too often in situations of negotiation that eat up our margins...

Etc., etc.

Why does implementing a framework such as MEDDIC not solve these problems? There are many, too many reasons.

MEDDIC is a good framework, don't get us wrong but fundamentally, it' seller's focused. It's focused on helping the salesperson to qualify their prospect based on his or her criteria. Rather than on understanding the prospect themselves. But beyond this philosophical reason, here are five reasons why MEDDIC (or similar) isn't helping as much as it could:

Prospects do not tell us the truth

Yes, dear reader. At the risk of being very blunt, prospects do not tell salespeople the truth. That is a fact. We have the right to lie to salespeople and we will still go to heaven. So a salesperson can ask for all the economic indicators, decision-making processes, etc. – or if they use BANT, the budget, timing, etc. – but if they haven't put in place a whole set of psychology-based strategies to develop a relationship of trust with the prospect (a relationship that goes beyond talking about holidays), then the prospect won't be completely honest with the sales rep. Not because the prospect is fundamentally bad. But simply because they have learned to mistrust salespeople and therefore lie to them in order to try to get the most out of them while paying the least.

Superficial problem vs. real problem

First of all, almost all companies that implement MEDDIC / MEDDPICC focus their approaches on the benefits they bring to their customers. Even though the I stands for Identify Pain, I have noticed that too often when I talk to executives who have implemented one of these frameworks, they also tell me, "My salespeople present too early; they have a hard time getting past the superficial problem." What's more, armed with MEDDIC /  MEDDPICC, salespeople often lack the ability to have a real conversation with their prospects, bombarding them with questions to qualify them. Gong talks about the fatigue that prospects feel. Too often, it is an approach – and I deliberately draw the line here – that shines a light in their face with a "Gestapo" approach and a lack of finesse, which reduces the relationship of trust between the prospect and the salesperson.

Mind game

Sales is the most difficult job in an organisation. Constantly facing rejection, not having complete control over decisions, dealing with competition, etc. It's mentally challenging. What's more, we humans are conditioned to seek the approval of others. This fundamental human need works against salespeople. They must seek not approval but respect, for example by asking difficult questions that may unsettle prospects. This respect allows them to develop a relationship as a trusted advisor. Salespeople must also work on their mindset so that they are not affected by rejection, for example. Or adjust their perception of money, which may be biased by their upbringing. Or any other psychological aspects. MEDDIC does not cover these aspects of mindset, yet they are absolutely key to salespeople's success (see this post here). The importance of a sales recrutement process, robust, without biases, and dedicated to the sales function can't be underestimated.

What and how?

There are only two things that salespeople control. What they do. And how they do it. Asking a prospect a difficult question is challenging for salespeople because they have to step outside their comfort zone. What's more, they have to ask this question in a way that challenges the prospect without offending them. It's a fine line to walk. So they need to have habits in place to acquire these new ways of doing things, to make them part of their reflexes, their DNA. Repetition reinforces the concept. And here again, MEDDIC, which is generally a good approach, does not offer a solution for these aspects of repetition and reinforcement over time.

It's about systems

Sales is all about systems. For example, the foundation of a successful sales team is recruitment. However, if the sales organisation is unable to identify candidates who, for example, are intrinsically (rather than extrinsically) motivated, and if the sales organisation has a recognition system that is heavily based on monetary commissions, then it will be difficult to motivate salespeople to implement MEDDIC through traditional commissions. Or if there are no regular coaching systems in place covering various points beyond MEDDIC (see here), it will be difficult to guarantee the adoption of MEDDIC or any other framework.

Obviously, there are many good things about MEDDIC. It is crucial to have a methodology. But the five points above are some of the fundamental limitations of this approach, as well as those such as BANT or other similar approaches.

If you haven't completely given up on the idea of understanding how to avoid these pitfalls and if your success or the success of your sales team is a priority, let us know, and we'll be happy to set aside some time in my schedule to discuss it.