MEDDIC + METHODOLOGY
Your stage-by-stage playbook for qualification + methodology
👋 Hey, I’m Grant. Each week I share lessons from the sales leadership trenches. What’s working, what’s not, and what I wish someone had told me years ago.
In this week’s Stretch VP: Weekly:
Why methodology wars are a waste of time (what’s really going on)
The difference between HOW to sell vs. IF the deal is real
How to map MEDDPICC + Methodology to your sales stages
Plus: Early access to my MEDDPICC + Methodology stage mapping
Want to work together? I help founders and revenue leaders build and operationalize the systems and structure behind predictable, scalable revenue. Reply to this email or DM me to explore what that could look like.
If you find this valuable, consider sharing it with a fellow sales leader. Not subscribed? Fix that here 👇
METHODOLOGY WARS
I’ve seen the full spectrum and array of sales methodologies over the years.
I’m a fan.
Before I even really knew what a formal sales methodology was I was learning from Zig Ziglar, Jeffrey Gitomer, Frank Bettger, and Harry Beckwith.
(Bonus points for OGs, and anyone who has read these ones)
And now fast forward to SaaS. First it was BANT. Then SPIN, Solution Selling, Command of Message, Challenger, SPICED, MEDDIC etc. All have their place.
Across multiple SaaS companies as a leader I’ve been lucky to have seen fast growing orgs, teams, and reps utilize all of them with some degree of success. They work. And yet there still was confusion, debates, forecast inaccuracies, and stalled deals. Why?
The problem I saw with various teams and companies I’ve been a part of that one of two things happens…
The constant shift or lack of discipline implementing any one of these only to have a new leadership regime come in and take over.
New leader installs their methodology of choice and it’s groundhog day all over.
or
Methodology invested in and implemented. The team is fired up and enablement is rolled out. People are bought in and it’s seemingly going well. Reps learn how to say the right things, anchor on the pain, and peel the onion to impact. Demo is solid. They challenge customer thinking, bring insights, and take control of the sale. The deal is moving through stages nicely.
And then…the deal stalls late stage and nobody knows why.
Why? Because they never qualified it properly in the first place. Or during the sales process - key gaps, insights, or crucial findings were never uncovered.
METHODOLOGY MISSES
The methodology taught them HOW to sell. But it didn’t teach them IF the deal was real, or WHAT was missing and needed to continue moving it forward to close.
We were losing deals we should’ve DQ’d months earlier. Wasting energy and cycles on opportunities that were never really real.
Methodology + MEDDIC to the rescue. I posted about this last week. Here’s that post to set up the context before we get into the HOW.
So again - MEDDPICC is not a sales methodology. It’s a qualification framework.
Methodologies teach you HOW to sell. How to have conversations. How to create value. How to challenge thinking or build pain.
MEDDPICC tells you IF the deal is real and WHAT’S missing. Last week I posted my MEDDPICC Cheat Sheet to learn more or brush up.
In summary - MEDDPICC is:
Metrics: What’s the quantifiable impact? How do we measure success?
Economic Buyer: Who controls the budget? Who signs the contract?
Decision Criteria: What are they evaluating? How do they choose?
Decision Process: Who’s involved? What’s the sequence? What’s the timeline?
Paper Process: What’s the legal/procurement/approval process?
Identify Pain: What’s the real problem? Is it urgent?
Champion: Who’s selling this internally for you? Do they have power?
Competition: Who else are they looking at? What’s the status quo?
If you can’t answer these questions, the methodology doesn’t matter.
METHOD TO THE MADNESS
As a quick refresher, here’s a short summary of the most common sales methodologies.
Challenger Sale
Challenge the customer’s thinking. Don’t just build relationships, bring insights they haven’t considered regarding their business.
Think: Teach, Tailor, Take Control.
Best for: Reframing problems, creating urgency, selling to executives who don’t think they have a problem.
Learn more HERE: The Challenger Sale
SPIN Selling
Uncover pain through questions. Get the customer to articulate why they need to change in their own words.
Think: Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff.
Best for: Discovery calls, building pain, getting customers to sell themselves.
Learn more HERE: SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham
Sandler Selling System
Qualify hard. Disqualify early. No more chasing deals that were never real.
Think: Pain Funnel, Up-Front Contracts, Budget Early.
Best for: Early qualification, avoiding tire kickers, setting clear expectations.
Learn more HERE: Sandler Training
Command of the Message (CoM)
Sell business outcomes, not features. Tie your solution to unconsidered needs and quantifiable impact.
Think: Required Capabilities, Negative Consequences, Positive Business Outcomes, Why Change/Why Now/Why You.
Best for: Building business cases, differentiating from competition, value-based selling.
Learn more HERE: Force Management
MEDDIC + METHODOLOGY
In my experience, and recommendation, the best way forward is to integrate both MEDDPICC and your methodology of choice. You choose which one based on your business, team, past trainings, terminology etc.
I haven’t seen a methodology yet that is incompatible with MEDDPICC.
Use MEDDPICC as your qualification framework. As a way to spot gaps, stalls, and what needs to happen to sharpen, progress and win the deal.
Use the methodology in your conversations, slide decks, and messaging to sell the problem, and tie to a business impact. Use it to help articulate the discovery and demo stage, and of course to help develop value of your solution.
I’ve actually put together a MEDDPICC + METHODOLOGY slide deck that outlines where these match up best. I’m not done with it quite yet - but here’s a sneak peak. Message me if you want the Beta version and I’ll send it over.
SO NOW WHAT
The methodology debate is a waste of time. Challenger, SPIN, Sandler, Command of the Message. They’re all good. Pick one that fits your market and your team.
But none of them work without qualification discipline. MEDDPICC + Methodology. Not one or the other. Both.
Use the methodology to sell. Use MEDDPICC to qualify.
Thanks for reading!
If this was helpful, forward it to another sales leader who might need it.
Want to work together? I help founders and revenue leaders build scalable sales systems through Stretch VP. Reply to this email or DM me to explore what that could look like. — Grant 👋
About Stretch VP: Weekly
Lessons from the sales leadership trenches on what works, what breaks, and how to build systems behind scalable revenue.
I’m Grant. This is where I unpack what I’ve learned leading sales teams for the last two decades.
The wins, the scars, and the things I wish someone had told me earlier. Sometimes tactical, sometimes reflective. But always grounded in real leadership and real life strategy.
I also work directly with founders and revenue leaders through Stretch VP when deeper support is needed. If you’re building or leading a sales organization and trying to do it the right way, welcome.