MEDDPICC deal scoring, explained.
MEDDPICC stands for Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Paper process, Identify pain, Champion and Competition. Here is what each one means in a live deal and how to tell real evidence from hope.
What each letter means, and what proof looks like.
MEDDPICC is a qualification framework used by enterprise sales teams. Each letter is a question about the deal. A deal is only as strong as the evidence behind each answer, so for every letter below you will find what real buyer evidence looks like and the warning sign that usually means it is missing.
Metrics
The measurable result the buyer expects, in their numbers.
Real evidence: The buyer has put a number on the problem and repeats it in their own words.
Warning sign: Value is described as "efficiency" with no figure attached.
Economic buyer
The person who can release the money and say yes when others say no.
Real evidence: You have met them, or your champion has a date on their calendar for you.
Warning sign: Everyone says the budget owner "will be fine with it."
Decision criteria
How the buyer will judge the options in front of them.
Real evidence: Written criteria you helped shape, shared back to you.
Warning sign: Criteria appear late, and they read like a competitor wrote them.
Decision process
The steps, people and dates between today and a yes.
Real evidence: Named steps with owners and dates agreed in writing.
Warning sign: "We'll circle back after the quarter."
Paper process
Legal, security, procurement and signature.
Real evidence: Procurement and security are engaged before the verbal yes.
Warning sign: Legal hears about the deal the week it is meant to close.
Identify pain
The business problem that makes doing nothing expensive.
Real evidence: The buyer describes the cost of the problem and who feels it.
Warning sign: Interest without urgency. Nice to have.
Champion
The insider who sells for you when you are not in the room.
Real evidence: They share internal information, open doors and take a risk for you.
Warning sign: Friendly and responsive, yet never introduces anyone new.
Competition
Every alternative, including doing nothing and building it in-house.
Real evidence: You know who else is in the deal and why you would win.
Warning sign: "You're the only vendor we're talking to."
Scored on what the buyer did.
Most MEDDPICC fields get filled in from memory after the call, which is how a hopeful rep ends up with a full scorecard on a stalled deal. SalesOgre maps the buying committee against MEDDPICC from your notes, emails and calls, and scores each deal against events: who replied, who went quiet, who is missing from the room, and which commitments were made and kept.
When a signal changes, the score changes with it. Timeline Confidence and Honest Quota scoring show what the pipeline actually is, and a stage only advances on a buyer-side commitment. When the forecast moves, it is because the buying committee changed.
Go deeper on two of the letters: read how to identify a real champion and how to forecast on buyer evidence, or see how to map the buying committee.