The A-B-C of MEDDIC implementation
So, you’ve sent your team on MEDDIC/MEDDPICC training. What next?
We speak to many sales leaders who want to upskill their team with MEDDIC and see the promised results from this qualification technique.
To achieve this result, there are key points to note on how to ensure the fastest and mostly impactful approach to embedding the language into your teams.
Most importantly, post-training, your team will require sales leadership input to ensure that they successfully integrate the learning into their daily operating rhythm.
Jump to the A-B-C of successful implementation
Plan for success
To get the most out of the training, some pre-planning is very helpful.
Pre-training questions leaders should ask themselves:
- How will we bring MEDDIC to life outside of the training room?
- How do we ensure teams use MEDDIC in their every-day customer interactions?
Answering these questions, and creating a plan to embed MEDDIC in the team once the training is over, will lead to success.
Not having this plan decreases chances of implementation success, impacting productivity, revenue and cost.
Training is not a one time event and we should consider planning, training and coaching all part of the implementation.
Be patient with the process
Learning the theory of any qualification methodology; where and how to apply each letter in the sales cycle, is one thing. Successfully applying the theory in real opportunities is quite another.
Even with access to all the post course material and online resources that we provide, it takes time for a salesperson who is new to MEDDIC to assimilate all the information from a training course.
It takes time for your organisation to build up the metrics, success stories and customer profiles that allow for the successful application of MEDDIC into sales cycles.
Critically - it also takes time for coaching to feed into their daily operating rhythm.
With all this time spent, you might be wondering when you should you expect to see the results of the MEDDIC training, coaching and usage?
Results can be seen quickly on the pipeline and deals - however to really embed a level of maturity it can take up to 18 months to embed MEDDIC fully into the organisation.
This might sound like a long time, but there are ways to speed up and optimise the process…
Success starts with leadership mindset
Coaching teams to success is about driving the right messages to engage and create curiosity for learning and improvement.
As a leader, we set the example. Being curious and sharing our thoughts with the team.
Consider first of all:
- How do or will you use MEDDIC/MEDDPICC?
- What are the measures of success? (Leading indicators)
- How will you see the difference? In opportunities? In the CRM?
- What messages are you giving when you talk to the team about MEDDIC?
What not to do:
Don’t just add it as mandatory fields to your CRM tool and expect to see results.
If you are using MEDDIC predominantly as a management and forecasting tool, you are far less likely to see the benefits of the training your team has just been on.
Why?
- Your team will not be incentivised to do the hard job of in-depth MEDDIC-based qualification
- They will only be required to do the bare minimum to get through the reviews and fill in the appropriate fields in your CRM
- The information and resulting forecast will be unreliable and the whole process a waste of time
What to do:
If, on the other hand, you use MEDDIC as something that helps you and your teams be more productive and successful in the deals, then you will reap the benefits of the training your team attended.
That is not to say that this is the easy option for your sales team at the outset. It is not.
MEDDIC/MEDDPICC is a qualification framework, and effective qualification of a deal takes time and effort.
Once it has been successfully embedded and operationalised, it is transformative to your business:
- New onboarding time will decrease with a common language
- Pipeline conversion will increase with greater understanding of the customer's 'why'
- Forecast accuracy will increase with more sophisticated qualification
- Sales cycles will decrease as the machine matures
To best reap these benefits, think of MEDDIC/MEDDPICC as a personal coaching tool for you and your teams.
The more frequent the usage - the better the implementation. MEDDIC/MEDDPICC is a must for all deal reviews and forecast meetings.
The A-B-C of successfully implementing MEDDIC in your team:
A = Analyse and Ask
Analyse your deals. Ask questions throughout the whole sales cycle.
- What do we know? / What do we not know?
- Describe the Identified Pain? Who cares about it?
- Can we describe the Decision Process?
- Why do we think our Champion is our Champion?
B = Business Case
Understand the business case for change.
- Explain Metrics that underpin the opportunity, business case and value?
- Describe Economic Buyer’s business case requirements?
C = Collaborate and communicate
Collaborate with your team and use effective ways to communicate information.
- Make sure that everyone who speaks to the customer can communicate the value Metrics. Use the 3 WHYs to summarise.
- Share the case studies with Metrics across the whole team and make sure they can quote at least two of these on any customer call, as needed.
- Use Metrics to understand your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and to prioritise your time.
In summary, attending MEDDIC training is just the start. Using MEDDIC effectively takes focus, effort and time.
So, before you embark on the journey, ask yourself – why are you implementing MEDDIC, and what can you do to embed it effectively in your team?
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