What Is the Difference Between MEDDIC and MEDDPICC in 2027?
MEDDIC is the original six-part deal qualification framework: Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain and Champion. MEDDPICC is the same framework with two additions: a P for Paper Process (the steps from a verbal decision to a signature) and a second C for Competition (anything that competes for the same resources as your solution).
In short, MEDDIC asks whether you understand the buyer and have an advocate. MEDDPICC also asks whether the contract can actually close and who or what you are up against. A middle version, MEDDICC, adds only Competition.
No source we read publishes a verified win rate for either version, so this page makes no such claim. The history and definitions below come from the linked pages, several of which are sales-training vendors.
What each MEDDIC letter stands for
The six original elements are listed the same way by MEDDICC.com, Umbrex and DealHub.
- Metrics. Umbrex describes this as quantifying the potential impact or benefit of the solution to the customer.
- Economic Buyer. The individual with financial authority to make the buying decision. DealHub calls this the person with the most power in the deal.
- Decision Criteria. The requirements your product needs to meet for the prospect to sign off on a purchase, per DealHub.
- Decision Process. Mapping the customer's process for making and approving the purchase (Umbrex).
- Identify Pain. The challenges that drive the prospect to look for a solution in the first place (DealHub).
- Champion. A person inside the customer who feels the pain and supports and advocates for your solution.
What MEDDPICC adds: Paper Process and Competition
DealHub says MEDDPICC is an enhanced version of MEDDIC that adds a P for Paper Process and an additional C for Competition. The framework's vendor, MEDDICC.com, defines both.
- Paper ProcessThe series of steps that follow the Decision Process, in how you go from decision to signature. Think legal review, procurement, security review and contract redlines.
- CompetitionAnything that competes for the same resources as your solution. That includes rival vendors, but also internal projects and doing nothing.
The same vendor page says MEDDPICC also goes deeper on pain with what it calls Implicate the Pain. Publishers also spell the extra C differently: SoCo Selling writes it as Identify Competition. Check which definition your own team has adopted before you build fields around it.
MEDDIC vs MEDDICC vs MEDDPICC side by side
- MEDDIC. The original framework. MEDDICC.com says it suits simpler B2B sales with fewer stakeholders.
- MEDDICC. Adds Competition, and the vendor says it suits competitive markets.
- MEDDPICC. The fullest version, which the vendor aims at mid-market and enterprise deals where legal and procurement are involved.
Where MEDDIC came from
MEDDIC was created at PTC (Parametric Technology Corporation), a software company, by Dick Dunkel and Jack Napoli. DealHub says it was first introduced in 1996, and Umbrex says the mid-1990s. MEDDICC.com adds that Dunkel worked under SVP John McMahon with Napoli, and that the two were handed PTC's sales attrition problem when the team had roughly 300 reps.
Dates are not fully consistent: SoCo Selling says the 1990s in its article but the late 1980s in its FAQ. The MEDDICC.com page also claims PTC's sales organization grew from $0 to $1 billion in ten years. That is a vendor claim we could not verify independently, so we do not credit the framework with it.
When to use MEDDIC and when to use MEDDPICC
Umbrex says MEDDIC excels in complex B2B sales with several stakeholders and large investments, such as technology, healthcare and manufacturing. SoCo Selling says it is generally used for deals exceeding $50,000 to $100,000, that it is often overkill for deals around $5k-$10k, and that typical cycles run 3 to 18 months.
- Use MEDDIC when the main risk is not understanding the buyer: unclear pain, no access to the budget holder, no internal advocate.
- Add Competition (MEDDICC) when deals are lost to rival vendors, in-house builds or the status quo.
- Use MEDDPICC when deals stall after the verbal yes because of legal, procurement or security review. That is the gap Paper Process exists to close.
These three rules of thumb are our reading of the definitions above, not a published study. No source we read gives a verified win-rate comparison between the versions.
Example qualification questions
These questions are taken from DealHub and SoCo Selling. Neither the framework's vendor page nor Umbrex lists questions for the two added letters, so the last two are our own suggestions, marked as such.
- Metrics: "How do you measure success in this area now?"
- Economic Buyer: "Who decides if this project is worth investing in financially?"
- Decision Criteria: "What criteria will you be using to make a decision?"
- Decision Process: "How are these decisions typically made at your company?"
- Identify Pain: "What prompted you to start looking for this solution?"
- Champion: No question is published on the pages above. The signs DealHub lists include gathering documents, securing approvals and arranging demos.
- Paper Process (our suggestion): "After you decide, what steps do legal and procurement need to complete before signing?"
- Competition (our suggestion): "What else are you considering, including building it in-house or doing nothing?"
Questions people ask
What is the difference between MEDDIC and MEDDPICC?
MEDDPICC is MEDDIC plus a Paper Process (the steps from decision to signature) and Competition (anything competing for the same resources). Source: DealHub and MEDDICC.com.
What does MEDDPICC stand for?
Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Paper Process, Identify Pain, Champion and Competition.
Who created MEDDIC?
Dick Dunkel and Jack Napoli, at PTC, per DealHub, Umbrex and MEDDICC.com. That page says it was created in 1996 under SVP John McMahon.
Is MEDDPICC better than MEDDIC?
No source we read publishes a verified win-rate comparison. MEDDPICC covers more ground, which fits deals with legal and procurement steps; for simpler deals the vendor says MEDDIC is enough.
What is the difference between MEDDICC and MEDDPICC?
MEDDICC adds only Competition. MEDDPICC adds Competition and Paper Process, per MEDDICC.com.
Sources
- MEDDICC.com: Who Created MEDDIC · Origin at PTC, 1996, original six elements (vendor page)
- MEDDICC.com: MEDDPICC methodology · Definitions of Paper Process and Competition; MEDDIC vs MEDDICC vs MEDDPICC
- Umbrex: What is the MEDDIC · Letter definitions and when MEDDIC fits
- DealHub: MEDDIC sales methodology · MEDDPICC definition, origin, example questions
- SoCo Selling: Ultimate Guide to MEDDIC · Deal-size guidance, cycle length, example questions
Definitions and history were read from the linked pages on October 22, 2026. Most are sales-training vendors, dates differ between them, and no verified win-rate figure is published, so none is given here.
Top photo: Alan Cleaver from Whitehaven, United Kingdom / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons