A sales methodology is a key component of the sales process. It has benefits that go beyond just closing more deals — it gives a method to the sales madness.
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Quite often, the terms sales methodology and sales process are used interchangeably. And while one can agree that they are pretty intertwined, they are indeed two separate concepts with their own functions and objectives.
Unlike a sales process, which is properly defined and followed, a sales methodology is problem-centric and highly flexible to attune with the ongoing sales interactions. And while the sales process covers the entire sales cycle, a sales methodology focuses on one specific area of the sales process — moving the prospect from maybe to yes!
So, when it comes to sales methodology vs sales process, here are the main differences:
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Easily guide and coach your sales reps to succeed.
The Challenger sales model is all about approaching customers with unique insights on how to save or make money. Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson from Corporate Executive Board (CEB, now part of Gartner) introduced the concept in their book The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation, in 2011.
Their argument: Customers don’t always know what they want. So, assume that your customer’s single greatest need is figuring out what they need.
The Challenger sale is all about leading with insight and assuming the customer doesn't know everything. So, rather than asking customers to describe their problems, sales reps should tell them the answer, which we refer to as insight-led sales conversations.
Using the Challenger sales model means having enough insight to tell customers what they need. The approach won’t work for small businesses using their sales calls for research and development. This sales model shines in complex B2B sales environments but only with the right investment in one’s people and technology.
Jack Napoli (the godfather of MEDDIC and managing partner at SMG) defines the MEDDIC sales methodology best as “The MEDDIC sales qualification methodology flushes out where the buyer is in the sales process with evidence. It’s a GPS for your sales cycle — where the buyer is really at.”
The MEDDIC sales process rose to fame in the 90s. John McMahon, Richard Dunkel (the “biological father of MEDDIC”) and Jack Napoli (the “godfather of MEDDIC”) used it at Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) and grew their sales from $300 million to $1 billion in four years. That’s how MEDDIC was born — a list of all the best tips from the top sales folks on closing high-value sales deals without being in the “constantly putting out fires” mode.
Since then, it has been one of the go-to qualification methodologies for enterprise sales.
Let’s deconstruct the acronym and understand what MEDDIC means:
Metrics: The metrics that translate the value your solution will provide in terms of costs, revenue or efficiency
Economic buyer: The decision-maker(s) with authority to approve the purchase of your solution
Decision criteria: The conditions that determine whether the enterprise goes ahead with your solution
Decision process: The steps (from evaluation to contracting) that the enterprise must go through to decide on your solution
Implications of pain: The challenges that directly tie into the business objectives of the enterprise, their impact and how your solution can help
Champion: The person within the enterprise with the right influence, credibility and authority to sell your solution on your behalf
With MEDDIC, you can avoid filling your pipeline with unwinnable deals. Sales reps lose around 67% of their deals because they are unable to qualify their leads properly. But with MEDDIC, you’re always qualifying, weeding out the “unwinnables” and keeping your sales pipeline lean and clean.
Are you a B2B firm selling products that transform how an enterprise operates? Oh, and your offerings come at a higher-than-average sales price? Then you’ve struggled with the dilemmas of wasting time and effort with unwinnable deals, lengthy sales cycles, getting approvals from multiple stakeholders.
This sales qualification methodology will help you:
Introduced in 1985 by consultants Robert Heiman and Stephen Heiman, the Miller Heiman sales method is a proven framework for sales professionals to understand B2B selling and consistently close large accounts.
The Miller Heiman Strategic Selling method promotes the concept of selling as a strategic partnership between the buyer and seller, and the idea of creating a win-win for both parties. Further, the method teaches salespeople to look for "red flags" in a deal, and presents them with a base for controlling big accounts called the "Blue Sheet".
Thus, a sales framework such as Miller Heiman helps teams lay a strong foundation for closing deals, and guiding customers through the different stages of the buying process.
As any sales person will attest to, enterprise B2B deals are often difficult to crack and can quickly get scattered and disorganized. This is an area where the Miller Heiman sales methodology shines by helping your team create a repeatable, scalable process to engage with enterprise customers and close large sales deals.
The Sandler sales methodology focuses on qualification rather than closing. Designed by David Sandler, the founder of Sandler Training, the Sandler sales method is a highly effective sales strategy that brings customers and products closer to each other.
While ordinary sales strategies prefer selling products to more customers, the Sandler sales methodology matches customers with products before selling them.
This method moves around the word ‘qualification,’ as the sales representative acts as a consultant promoting the virtues of products rather than selling like a traditional salesperson.
Although the Sandler sales method has three stages, it is further broken down into seven steps to make it easy to understand and implement. The three main stages are:
The Sandler sales method is great for a variety of selling environments as it is a foundational methodology.
The SPIN sales methodology is a highly effective, research-backed framework focused on building and nurturing long-term relationships.
This sales technique was developed in 1988, when Neil Rackham, psychologist and founder of Huthwaite, reviewed about 35,000 sales calls and found that the best performers did something distinctly different. They utilized open-ended questions and active listening to discover customer frustrations, worries, struggles and desires.
In SPIN Selling, the goal is not to pitch your product as early in the sales process as possible. Instead, it asks salespersons to first build value as trusted advisors, to ask the right questions and get the conversation going.
As SPIN sales take time, effort and patience, it’s best suited for complex, high-value deals, long sales cycles, and a multi-platform buyer’s experience
A sales methodology is a key component of your overall sales process — and indeed your sales success. Therefore, you should consider a few important things while finalizing the right sales methodology for your team. Here’s a checklist for you to use:
Is it easy to understand, use and promote? Or do you — and your prospect — need to go through many hoops before you both can find a fit? You may accordingly choose a sales method that allows you to focus on discovering your prospect’s pains vs presenting your solution.
Most B2B deals have a large ticket size and are complex in nature. They may require multiple layers of approvals / meetings and maybe even a 3-month pilot. On the other hand, the sale and purchase of say consumer products like toothpaste is probably an easier sell as you only need to impress one person and the cost of experimentation is low.
Deals that take many months to close — such as most enterprise deals — may need a great deal of relationship building, time spent on follow-ups and even post-sale check-ins. The time it takes to close the deal will help you understand which sales method to pick.
While your product, sales process and sales methodology should dictate the demographics of your sales team, sometimes it’s the other way round to begin with. Certain sales methodologies require a more evolved, mature approach to selling, other sales methods can be picked up easily. Either way — make sure to train and upskill your sales team.
Wingman helps you understand if your sales playbook is being followed.
Easily guide and coach your sales reps to succeed.
Once you have selected the right sales methodology for your team, you need to invest time and resources in your people and technology.
What does investing in your people mean in this context? It means training your sales team to connect with, qualify and guide your prospects through the buying process.
How can you make this easier for your sales team? By investing in the right technology and tools like Wingman that can guide your reps to ask the right questions on sales calls.
Interested in learning more?
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