M – Metrics
In TA: Define the quantifiable impact expected from the hire—time-to-productivity, revenue acceleration, or coverage improvements.
Example: “This Solutions Architect must reduce onboarding time by 30% and accelerate pre-sales cycles.”
Footnote: Metrics-driven recruiting aligns with performance-based hiring models advocated by Lou Adler and others in modern talent strategy.¹
E – Economic Buyer
In TA: The true budget holder or final approver—often the hiring manager but may include senior leadership or HR executives.
Example: “The CRO needs final approval on all GTM hires this quarter.”
Footnote: Understanding the economic buyer prevents misalignment in final offer stages, as noted in enterprise sales guidance by John McMahon.²
D – Decision Criteria
In TA: The required competencies, cultural fit, and must-have skills for hire.
Example: “Must have experience with MEDDIC and have sold into data governance buyers.”
Footnote: Clarifying decision criteria up front reduces bias and ensures objective candidate evaluation.³
D – Decision Process
In TA: Map the full hiring journey—from intake to offer acceptance and onboarding.
Example: “Panel interviews by Friday, then exec screen and references.”
Footnote: Transparent hiring processes improve candidate experience and reduce time-to-fill.⁴
P – Paper Process
In TA: Offer logistics, background checks, relocation, equity agreements, and approval chains.
Example: “Need offer ready before competitor’s final round.”
Footnote: A streamlined paper process helps close top candidates, especially in competitive talent markets.⁵
I – Identify Pain
In TA: Diagnose the organizational pain point driving the hire—missed goals, lost deals, burned-out teams.
Example: “EMEA presales team is overextended, and we’re losing enterprise deals.”
Footnote: Like B2B sales, identifying a real business pain creates urgency and aligns recruiting with revenue.⁶
C – Champion
In TA: An internal advocate pushing for a specific candidate—could be a team lead or peer.
Example: “The regional manager knows the candidate from a previous company and wants them onboarded ASAP.”
Footnote: Champions are essential to move a candidate through internal hurdles and secure consensus.⁷
C – Competition
In TA: Internal applicants, competing offers, or promotions at a candidate’s current company.
Example: “They’re interviewing with two other vendors and have an internal offer coming.”
Footnote: Competitive awareness allows recruiters to position offers effectively and manage timelines.⁸
Conclusion
When Talent Acquisition professionals apply MEDDPICC, they shift from order-taking to strategic partnership. This framework supports better alignment, urgency, and outcome-driven hiring—especially in high-impact technical and sales roles.
Footnotes
Adler, Lou. Performance-Based Hiring: The Proven, Practical Guide to Hiring Top Talent, Wiley, 2007.
McMahon, John. The Qualified Sales Leader: Proven Lessons from a Five Time CRO, Page Two, 2021.
Harvard Business Review. “How to Take the Bias Out of Interviews.” HBR.org, 2016.
Greenhouse Software. “Structured Hiring 101.” Greenhouse.io, 2022.
LinkedIn Talent Solutions. “Why Speed Matters in Recruiting,” LinkedIn.com, 2021.
CEB (now Gartner). “Challenger Hiring: Matching Sales Talent to Customer Buying Behavior,” 2017.
HubSpot. “The Role of the Champion in Complex Deals,” HubSpot Blog, 2020.
Lever. “How to Win Competitive Talent Battles,” Lever.co, 2022.
