Glossary:

Lead Management & Qualification

Master the essential revenue and financial metrics that drive B2B SaaS success. From ARR and MRR to retention metrics and customer economics, these terms are critical for understanding pipeline health, forecasting growth, and making data-driven decisions.

MEDDPICC

Short Definition

A framework (Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Paper Process, Identify Pain, Implications of Pain, Compelling Event, Champion) for qualifying $500K+ enterprise deals.

Definition

MEDDPICC evaluates nine criteria to de-risk massive enterprise opportunities. Metrics quantify ROI. The Economic Buyer holds budget authority. Decision Criteria define selection factors. The Decision Process maps human approvals. The Paper Process charts legal/contract steps. Identifying Pain uncovers business problems. The Implications of Pain reveal consequences. A Compelling Event drives urgency. The Champion advocates internally.

Why MEDDPICC Matters

MEDDPICC maps person buying committees before competitive displacement.
It quantifies business impact for C-suite Economic Buyers.
It uncovers hidden Paper Process delays.
It creates internal Champions who reframe Implications of Pain.
It identifies Compelling Events driving Q1 budget approvals.

How to Use MEDDPICC

Execute progressively through multi-threaded discovery:

1. Metrics

"What $X business outcome gets you promoted?"

Target: $3M+ ROI.

2. Economic Buyer

"Who approves $1M+ without board review?"

Target: CCO/CRO by week 4.

3. Decision Criteria

"What technical gaps eliminate competitors?"

Target: Your differentiators rank #1-2.

4. Decision Process

"Walk through VP/CRO/legal sequence?"

Target: <75 days total

5. Paper Process

"Who negotiates MSA? Standard terms?"

Target: Legal review <45 days

6. Identify Pain

"What KPI failure risks your bonus?"

Target: 8+/10 severity.

7. Implications of Pain

"How does missing Q2 targets hit comp?"

Target: Personal career risk.

8. Compelling Event

"What would force a decision by March 31?"

Target: Budget deadline, competitor threat

9. Champion

"Who convinces CRO over dinner?"

Target: SVP-level, 9.5+/10 commitment.

‍

MEDDPICC Score = 8-9 -> Forecast as Committed

Example: $8M churn risk (IP), Q1 budget cut-off (CE), VP Engineering champion.

MEDDPICC Qualification Matrix

Criterion	Discovery Questions	Red Flags
Metrics	$X outcome? KPI improvement?	Vague ROI, no C-level metrics
Economic Buyer	$1M+ signature authority? Board required?	VP maximum authority
Decision Criteria	Technical eliminators? Integration reqs?	Incumbent owns criteria
Decision Process	Full stakeholder sequence? Vote reqs?	>90 days, consensus required
Paper Process	MSA negotiator? Standard terms accepted?	Procurement controls, custom MSA
Identify Pain	KPI failure severity?	<8/10 business impact
Implications	Personal consequences? Comp risk?	No career stakes
Compelling Event	Hard deadline? Budget trigger?	Perpetual evaluation mode
Champion	EB meeting power? Political capital?	Weak advocate, can't access EB

‍

MEDDPICC Scoring Thresholds

Score	Status	Action
9/9	Best Case	Multi-thread all roles
8/9	Commit	Legal review scheduled
6-7/9	Viable	Paper Process mapping
<6/9	Speculative	Champion development focus

‍

Key Metrics

MEDDPICC Coverage: 90%+ of $500K+ opportunities scored.
Economic Buyer Touch: 85% by discovery week 4.
Paper Process Velocity: <45 days legal review.
Champion Strength: 9+/10 average score.
Win Rate Correlation: 9/9 deals close 55% vs. 5% for <6/9.

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Starting discovery with Paper Process questions kills early momentum and loses technical buyer trust.	Lead with Identify Pain and Implications discovery to build emotional urgency first.
Accepting VP-level contacts as Economic Buyer for $1M+ deals wastes months before discovering real authority lies with CCO/CRO.	Verify they reference past $1M+ purchases they've owned and mention board approval thresholds.
Using generic pains without connecting to Implications of Pain fails Economic Buyer presentations and stalls committee progress.	Coach Champions to quantify "$8M churn exposure hits CRO comp 20%" in EB language.
Advancing demos without Compelling Event creates perpetual evaluation deals that never close.	Surface budget cliffs, competitor RFPs, or C-suite mandates during Week 2 discovery.
Working with weak Champions who lack political capital dooms multi-stakeholder deals to consensus paralysis.	Test by asking them to schedule Economic Buyer dinner citing specific business implications.
Delaying Paper Process discovery until contract stage triggers 90+ day procurement black holes.	Map MSA negotiators and redline history by Week 5 alongside Decision Process.

Frequently Asked Questions

MEDDPICC vs MEDDIC?

MEDDPICC adds Paper Process, Implications, and Compelling Event for $500K+ deals with legal review. MEDDIC is good enough for $100K-$500K deals.

When does Paper Process discovery happen?

Make sure it happens by Week 5 at the latest. It should come after Decision Process mapping but before architecture validation.

How do you verify the Economic Buyer for $2M deals?

They mention board approval thresholds and reference past $1M+ purchases they owned.

What's a strong Compelling Event?

Strong CEs include Q1 budget expiration, competitor RFP response, C-suite mandate, and a regulatory deadline.

How do I test Champion commitment level?

Ask them to arrange Economic Buyer dinner meeting citing specific Implications of Pain.

Related Terms

Back to Category

Lead Management & Qualification

Back to All Glossary Terms