In today’s ultra-competitive tech sales environment, qualifying leads with precision isn’t optional — it’s mission-critical. Whether you’re a SaaS startup scaling fast or an enterprise sales leader targeting Fortune 500 clients, one framework consistently rises above the noise: MEDIC.
This definitive guide breaks down the MEDIC sales qualification methodology, with real-world examples and practical strategies tailored for B2B tech sales professionals. Learn how to uncover real buyer intent, align with key stakeholders, and accelerate your path to revenue.
🔑 What is the MEDIC Sales Framework?
MEDIC is a structured qualification model designed to identify high-quality sales opportunities. It stands for:
- Metrics
- Economic Buyer
- Decision Criteria
- Identification of Pain
- Champion
Originally developed at PTC and adopted widely in tech sales, the MEDIC framework helps sales teams drive predictable growth by focusing only on deals with true potential.
📊 M is for Metrics: Prove Business Impact with Hard Data
Metrics answer the fundamental question: “Why does this matter to the buyer in measurable terms?”
Ask:
- What KPIs is your prospect responsible for?
- How does their current process limit success?
- What ROI or cost savings are they targeting?
Example:
Instead of “they want better CRM tools,” go deeper:
- 15% increase in lead conversion by Q3
- 10% annual reduction in churn
- $20,000/year saved on disconnected legacy systems
💰 E is for Economic Buyer: Connect with the Budget Authority
The Economic Buyer controls the purse strings — ignore them at your peril.
Identify:
- Who approves budget?
- Who owns the P&L that this solution impacts?
- Who signs contracts or influences large purchases?
Example:
In ERP sales, the Economic Buyer is rarely the operations lead — it’s often the CFO or CEO.
Strategy: Build business cases aligned with their strategic goals (not just technical features).
🧩 D is for Decision Criteria: Match Their Evaluation Matrix
Understand how the customer will decide, and tailor your pitch accordingly.
Questions to ask:
- What are must-haves vs. nice-to-haves?
- What tech stack must it integrate with?
- What compliance/security standards are non-negotiable?
Example:
Cybersecurity buyer decision criteria might include:
- Real-time threat detection (must-have)
- HIPAA/GDPR compliance (must-have)
- User behavior analytics (nice-to-have)
Pro Tip: Document these early. Shape demos and proposals around them. Always tie back to these criteria.
😖 I is for Identification of Pain: Unearth Urgency
Pain creates urgency. No pain? No deal.
Questions to uncover real pain:
- What’s broken or inefficient today?
- How much is it costing in dollars or time?
- How does this impact morale or team productivity?
Example:
A marketing team says, “our lead pipeline is weak.” Dig deeper:
- Wasted ad spend due to poor lead quality
- Manual lead management wasting 15 hours/week
- Missed revenue targets due to campaign inefficiency
Pain should be quantified and emotionally resonant.
🦸 C is for Champion: Find Your Internal Sales Ally
The Champion sells your solution when you’re not in the room.
Traits of a true Champion:
- Directly impacted by the pain
- Sees clear personal or team benefit
- Has internal credibility and influence
- Will coach you through internal buying processes
Example:
Your Champion might be a VP of Sales who’s frustrated with a low-performing CRM and eager for a change — and ready to help get you in front of the CIO.
Avoid False Champions: They praise your product but don’t have real clout. Test commitment with small asks (e.g., intro to decision-makers).
🧠 How to Operationalize MEDIC in Tech Sales
MEDIC isn’t a checklist — it’s a dynamic process. Apply it continuously throughout the deal cycle:
| Stage | Focus |
|---|---|
| Discovery | Identify Pain & Metrics |
| Qualification | Confirm Economic Buyer & Decision Criteria |
| Proposal | Align with Champion, tie back to Metrics |
| Negotiation | Reinforce ROI, close with Buyer confidence |
CRM Tip: Create custom MEDIC fields to score opportunities. Use this data for forecasting accuracy and pipeline reviews.
🚀 SUMMARY: Sell Smarter, Not Harder with MEDIC
The MEDIC framework is your sales truth serum. It filters out noise, prioritizes winnable deals, and aligns your pitch with what buyers truly care about.
✔ Ask better questions
✔ Align with real buyer pain
✔ Leverage internal champions
✔ Deliver tailored, high-ROI proposals
When applied consistently, MEDIC drives higher close rates, better forecasting, and more efficient pipelines — the hallmarks of world-class tech sales organizations.
Ready to implement MEDIC at scale?
✅ MEDIC Framework Qualification Checklist
Use this checklist to ensure every opportunity in your pipeline is thoroughly qualified using the MEDIC framework. Mark each item as ✔️ Complete, ❌ Missing, or ❓ Unclear.
Here’s your MEDIC Framework Checklist for Tech Sales Teams — ideal for use in discovery calls, qualification stages, and internal deal reviews. It’s formatted for easy copy-paste into a CRM, sales playbook, or pipeline review template.
🔢 M — Metrics
Have you identified measurable business outcomes the buyer wants to achieve?
- Key performance indicators (KPIs) defined
- Desired ROI or cost savings specified
- Impact of current performance quantified
- Metrics tied to business or departmental goals
- Business case/value impact estimated
✔ Example: “15% increase in lead conversion by Q3”
💼 E — Economic Buyer
Do you know who controls the budget and has final buying authority?
- Name and role of Economic Buyer confirmed
- Buyer’s strategic priorities understood
- Direct engagement has occurred (or is scheduled)
- Buyer’s approval process mapped
- Economic Buyer supports project timeline and budget
✔ Example: “CFO confirmed as final approver for $150K deal”
🧾 D — Decision Criteria
Do you understand how the buyer will compare and choose vendors?
- Must-have requirements documented
- Nice-to-have features identified
- Technical/security requirements collected
- Evaluation or RFP process clarified
- Competitor comparisons known (if any)
✔ Example: “Needs GDPR compliance and real-time analytics”
😫 I — Identification of Pain
Have you uncovered specific pains or consequences the buyer is facing?
- Core problem or inefficiency articulated
- Business and emotional impacts discussed
- Costs of inaction quantified
- Current workaround limitations understood
- Buyer urgency validated
✔ Example: “Manual lead follow-ups cause 25% drop-off”
🦸 C — Champion
Do you have an internal advocate who is driving the deal?
- Champion is experiencing the pain directly
- Champion believes in the value of your solution
- Champion has internal influence and credibility
- Champion provides internal insights (process, politics)
- Champion actively supports next steps or introductions
✔ Example: “Marketing VP pushing for internal buy-in and demo”
🔁 Ongoing Validation
(Apply throughout the sales cycle)
- MEDIC fields updated regularly in CRM
- Deal reviewed against MEDIC at each stage
- Sales manager or team lead signs off on MEDIC score
- Missing elements are flagged early for resolution
- Forecasted deals align with complete MEDIC profiles
📋 Build your MEDIC CRM
Use this structure to create custom fields or sections in your CRM deal records:
1. Metrics
Field Type: Long Text / Number / Dropdown
Purpose: Capture quantifiable business outcomes the prospect expects.
- ✅ Primary KPI Impacted (e.g., CAC, LTV, Conversion Rate)
- ✅ Current KPI Baseline
- ✅ Target KPI Improvement
- ✅ Expected ROI / Cost Savings
2. Economic Buyer
Field Type: Contact Lookup + Short Text
Purpose: Identify who controls the budget and has final approval authority.
- ✅ Economic Buyer Name (Linked Contact)
- ✅ Title / Role (e.g., CFO, VP of Ops)
- ✅ Has Direct Budget Authority? (Yes/No)
- ✅ Access Level with Buyer (Not Engaged / Intro Call / Engaged / Supportive)
3. Decision Criteria
Field Type: Multi-select + Long Text
Purpose: Understand how the customer will evaluate solutions.
- ✅ Must-Have Features
- ✅ Nice-to-Have Features
- ✅ Integration Requirements
- ✅ Compliance/Security Standards
- ✅ Evaluation Scoring Method (e.g., RFP, scoring matrix)
- ✅ Budget Range and Terms
4. Identification of Pain
Field Type: Long Text + Dropdown
Purpose: Define the specific pain points and consequences.
- ✅ Primary Business Problem
- ✅ Impact Severity (Low / Medium / High)
- ✅ Business Impact (Lost Revenue, Inefficiency, Risk)
- ✅ Current Workaround
- ✅ Time Sensitivity (Urgent / Planned / No Timeline)
5. Champion
Field Type: Contact Lookup + Dropdown
Purpose: Identify and assess the strength of your internal advocate.
- ✅ Champion Name (Linked Contact)
- ✅ Champion Role & Influence
- ✅ Personal Win for Champion
- ✅ Champion Strength (Weak / Neutral / Strong)
- ✅ Willing to Facilitate Internal Access? (Yes/No)
🔄 Optional: MEDIC Health Score (Auto-Calculated)
Field Type: Formula or Score Field
Purpose: Provide a quick snapshot of deal qualification health.
- Scoring (1–5 per category) → Total out of 25
- Color Code:
- 🔴 0–10 = Poor Qualification
- 🟡 11–18 = Needs Work
- 🟢 19–25 = Strong Opportunity
💼 Reporting Filters for Managers
Use MEDIC fields to filter and segment pipeline views:
- ✅ Opportunities with no Economic Buyer engagement
- ✅ Deals missing Metrics or Pain
- ✅ Champions not yet identified
- ✅ MEDIC Score below 15 (At-Risk Deals)