Masters of MEDDICC: Learn from Top Enterprise Sales Leaders in Tech! – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In this episode of Masters of MEDDICC, we have the first ever returning guest as friend of MEDDICC and CRO of Team Cymru, Richard Dufty, joins Andy in the studio. 

In the modern landscape of our industry, one of MEDDICC’s guiding principles has never been more true: prudent, not parsimonious. When running a business, being smart and using common sense when it comes to business spend is how you ensure longevity.

Richard believes that right now, GTM isn’t working as it should, and people need to acknowledge the problems that can create. That’s why it’s more important now than ever to beware the danger of siloes and focus on playing for the team, not the individual. When the whole team has a common language and pulls in the same direction, that’s where success comes from.

Check out this episode to hear about how MEDDPICC helps teams work together and keep the focus on value. 

More about Richard:

Richard moved with Symantec from Sydney Australia to Silicon Valley in 2007 after closing the biggest deal of the year globally. Rising through the ranks Richard helped grow various business units including Managed Security Services to $200M+.

Richard then joined AppDirect as their first VP and helped lead them from $1m to $100m in 4 years to unicorn status. He then became CRO of Australian founded, now San Francisco HQ cybersecurity company Arkose Labs and helped them grow 3X in 2 years.

He recently joined Team Cymru as CRO, and is excited about the opportunity ahead.

When not in SF or traveling around the globe, Richard spends his weekends at home in Southern California with his wife Aya, and kids Chloé, Riley and Noah.

In the latest episode of Masters of MEDDICC, MEDDICC CEO Andy Whyte is joined by Luke Rodgers, VP of EMEA at ComplyAdvantage. Together they cover a wide range of topics on the intersection of MEDDPICC and leadership, including what it takes to be a truly successful leader, and the top mistakes people make when they THINK they’re using MEDDPICC.

One thing that stands out: We need to re-analyze the way we think about success. Andy and Luke talk about the bad habits that can arise when leaders focus too much on revenue and not on the ‘how’ of winning. Is it about quantity, or is it about quality?

The vast majority of the time, if you ask your customer why they went with your solution, they will say it’s because of your team. Luckily, this episode is bursting with actionable tips to take you (and your team) to the next level. 

Luke is VP of EMEA at ComplyAdvantage. Having originally started his career working for Jeremy Duggan (a McMahon prodigy) as the 1st UK AE at AppDynamics in 2013, he claims the Playbook changed his life. While at AppDynamics, he has held numerous international senior leadership positions in AMER and EMEA, pre and post-the $3.7B Cisco acquisition. In 2020 he joined and founded worldwide sales at Instabase, growing ARR by 10x in 3 years. Now he is using the Playbook to help beat financial crime, a $3.5T per year problem for which ~$280B per year is spent fighting it. Unfortunately <1% of criminal proceeds are ever seized, the system is broken and they intend to fix it. Luke is a father of 2 girls and is passionate about using the ICCEE criteria together with a culture of coaching to solve the diversity crisis in SaaS sales. Luke supports multiple children's charities and is an avid mountain biker and lover of all things tech.

Today on Masters of MEDDICC, we welcome Lucy Williams-Jones to the show. 

Lucy has gained over 20 years of sales experience and is a regional director for Datadog, leading a team of enterprise reps in the UK and Ireland. 

In this episode, Lucy shares her strategy behind recruitment that leans heavily upon MEDDIC. We discuss desired traits in potential prospects and dissect what sets a good salesperson apart from a great one!

  “…I know that I am engineered as a salesperson deep down.” 

Timestamps:
[00:08] Introduction to Lucy Williams Jones 
[02:09] Background on Lucy
[07:24] Criteria for working in a new company
[08:33] Misconceptions in Meddicc
[09:30] Leaving BMC
[12:28] The recruiting process  
[13:42] Three traits to look for  
[18:43] Learned behavior 
[20:32] Being open vs being desperate 
[25:21] Measuring success 
[31:30] Covid diagnosis
[34:21] Personal connections and vested interests
[35:52] What have you learned going from individual contributor to leader?
[42:22] Underlying talent in addition to MEDDIC
[45:05] What is the most important part of MEDDIC
[54:54] Using your champion
[56:36] Overview of PRV process 

Key Points:
- Three traits to look for when recruiting potential salespeople
1. Coachability 
2, High EQ
3. Affinity for pipelines generation

- Remain open and embrace the sales process. Don’t try to cut corners and have confidence in your ability

- To become a great leader, one must put themselves in the salesperson shoes, set a scene early in the playbook, and be strong during the discovery stage 

- Those most elite salespersons are seen as consultants

The world's most elite sales teams use MEDDIC as a common language across their entire revenues in everything aspect of their engagements with their customers.

MEDDIC, or as it is more widely used today as MEDDICC or MEDDPICC is a qualification framework that helps revenue professionals to align their selling process in line with their customers buying process. Specifically, the Who, What, and How of the customer's buying process.

MEDDIC helps revenue teams to focus on the following key aspects and use one clear common language to communicate them across their revenue organization:
- The stakeholders: Who are they? What do they care about? What is their role?
- The challenges or goals that the customer is facing, how you propose to solve them, and the measurable impact of solving them
- The customer’s buying process. Right from how they make the decision to even enter into an evaluation process through to the processes they have to go through to move forward with your products or services, through to the subsequent upsells and renewals.

Referenced Free Extract from the MEDDPICC Masterclass:
How to use Metrics in your first meeting: https://youtu.be/lRwd1zbnENs

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This episode centers around the life and thinking behind Eric Marterella, Chief Revenue Officer at GTM Hub. 

In the episode, Marterella is asked a series of questions that helps the viewer gain insight into his character, viewpoints, and work ethic- further helping him come across as a very genuine and honest person. The podcast covers a wide range of topics such as: family life, current global events, the work of the company, and where Marterella feels he fits into this as well as his own personal views on what it means to be an “authentic” person.

(0:46-2:38) One of the first things that is easily noticed from the very beginning of the episode is the candid nature behind Eric Marterella. He speaks of being a family-driven man, being a father of four, and how this is the driving force behind his work ethic. Marterella also mentions starting his journey into the workforce from the early age of 15 and how this has helped him gain experience in his field. From the get-go, the viewer can observe Marterella as a very family-driven man who cares deeply about his career and home life equally.

(3:53-6:24) As the episode progresses, the viewer may see a change in the direction of conversation towards current events of the world and the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the trade. Marterella speaks of his change in work ethic and how he views his own adaptive mindset. The discussion moves on to talk about how much he values the interpersonal relationships between himself and the people that he works with, whether that is “shaking hands, giving hugs or simply meeting in backyards”. Marterella begins to mention how he feels that this is vital to helping him gain insight into making decisions. This helps the viewer see the importance he feels towards the relationships he has with his clients and how the lack of in-person communication affects his work.

(20:59-22:27) Furthermore, the episode begins to take a self-reflective turn with Marterella speaking of his desire to be “authentic” and what his definition of that term is. He outlines his change in perspective from having a very productive mindset that “is only contributing to the machine” towards a more outcome-focused, efficient one. He mentions to the viewer that he has become more conscious about how he is contributing to the discussion and ensuring that when he does speak on a matter that what he says will be something valuable. This helps the viewer to gain further insight into his personality and viewpoints, showing them that he is an individual with forward-thinking ideas who isn’t afraid to say that he has changed his perspective on a matter 

(37:40-38:50) As the viewer progresses further into the episode, the conversation drifts to discuss Marterella’s occupation- Three-time Chief Revenue Officer at GTM Hub. He denotes that measuring effectiveness is vital in a fully functioning company and it is more important for a team to remain outcome-focused than to get swept up in minor issues. He also speaks of the difficulties in his line of work with the example that often it is not the selling or managing product but instead the changing and adapting of management. This helps the viewer to see Marterella’s honesty due to how freely he talks of how he overcomes any troubles he faces in his line of work. Despite the difficulties, he speaks fondly of his time being able to give to non-profit organizations furthering the positive view on his character by the viewer.

(46:47- 50:24) To end the episode, there is discussion surrounding the theme of opportunity, namely excess of opportunity. Eric speaks of having to combat this over the lockdowns due to the pandemic and that it was a challenge to remain motivated, as well as keeping his teams motivated alongside him. However, he solved these issues by maintaining discipline within his teams to continue to move his deals forwards. 

https://meddicc.com

Andy talks with the EMEA founder of Snowflake, Thibaut Ceyrolle.

Andy picks Thibaut’s brain for advice concerning how to find and hire elite sellers. They discuss what made him and Snowflake successful, how to build effective Champion and how to use the Decision Criteria.
 
Key takeaways:

(01:02) Thibaut introduces himself and goes into his past in the software industry. While he is also discussing the need to acquire skills in entrepreneurship. Overall, being more hands-on and practical.

(08:53) Then Thibaut delves into how one progresses in one’s career and advancing oneself to the next level from the mentorship of a professional, and a change of work atmosphere. Thibaut adopted the mantra of, “words on what I think was right – but in a more structured way.”

(14:01) Here Thibaut talks about the importance of practicality and personalization – of adapting processes and frameworks to existing ground floor work being carried out. Being open to change and not just understanding what MEDDPICC is, but practically using it.

(17:35) The importance of the individual contributor and of the individual salesperson. Overall adopting an entrepreneurial mindset. Do not be afraid to go to Ikea to buy the furniture for your office. The HR department, business plans, and all the top-level aspects can come later.

(21:03) How Thibaut built up his team at Snowflake. The importance of trust within the organization and the motivational factor of trust towards the sales team/person. Thibaut stresses the value of getting Champion Builders and their importance in the sales process overall.

(27:08) Here Thibaut elaborates on the significance of trust. And how in many instances, people decide just as much with their heart as with their mind. To sell emotionally, as well as rationally. This segment also goes into hiring Champion Builders who have the right mindset of changing the world. In essence, a disruptor’s mindset is key to elite selling. The salespeople you hire are willing and able to take risks and shake things up.

(31:29) The motivational factors of the right mindset for salespeople and specifically Champion and Relationship Builders. Getting retentive business and consistent sales from the same clients is essential. You want disruptive/transformative people – thought leaders.

(38:33) How to adapt and reintroduce Decision Criteria to go through. How designing the Decision Criteria to the individual prospective buyer leads to positive outcomes. Here saying "no" to the client and then reworking the Decision Criteria needed to go through if the prospective client misunderstands the solution on offer. This is difficult and is why you need Champion Builders.

(41:39) Which Decision Criteria strategies that Snowflake and Thibaut carry out to experience the kind of Unicorn-growth that Snowflake has experienced. Thibaut talks about elite salespeople finding immense value in building a lasting – retentive - relationship with prospective buyers.

(46:33) The hiring process at Snowflake, and Thibaut's advice in regard to hiring salespeople. First, Thibaut suggests only utilizing a few recruiters, giving them exclusivity and trust in order to find the right people. Thibaut states, “I will recommend having limited head-hunters. Spend some time with them and ask questions about your business.” If the recruiters you hire do not know your business, company, and industry, then that is a big red flag.

(51:13) Thibaut goes into his interview process and what advice he can give here. Thibaut recommends delving into the prospective new salesperson's view on the sales process, and also the future. Meaning their future in the company, their wishes for their personal future, and where they think the company will go. Get people who, “speak with honesty, think with sincerity, and act with integrity.”

MEDDIC

John McMahon is the greatest sales leader of our time. Both as the CRO of 5x public companies (PTC, GeoTel, Ariba, BladeLogic, BMC) and as an executive board advisor to some of the greatest companies of the last decade, such as AppDynamics, Glassdoor, HubSpot, Fuze, Sumo Logic, Sprinklr, Cybereason, Thoughtspot, MongoDB, Lacework, and Snowflake.

In this session, we talk about John's new book 'The Qualified Sales Leader', and why of all the topics on which John is an expert he chose qualification to write a book upon.

We dig into John's mind to find out his creative process for creating insights and advice that is understandable and relatable to both the most experienced and elite sellers through to technical founders who are brand new to sales.

And the question you all want to know the answer to - What would it take to get John back on the tools leading a tech company.

LINKS AND RELATED SOURCES:

• MEDDICC.com, the number one resource for MEDDIC online
• Learn MEDDPICC with the MEDDPICC Masterclass 
• Watch more episodes and other MEDDIC related content on YouTube
• MEDDPICC Instagram
• MEDDPICC on Twitter
• MEDDICC on LinkedIn

Today on Masters of MEDDICC, I am joined Dick Dunkel, the creator of MEDDIC. 

Dick started his sales journey selling books door to door in college while studying civil engineering. His first professional sales job was with Xerox, followed by PTC. 

PTC would be where he came up with the six elements of MEDDIC. 

In this episode, Dick shares his experience from how he came up with MEDDIC through to how it has helped him shape his career, along with the tools he learned and carried onto future positions. 

One topic of particular interest is how Dick is using MEDDPICC at Celonis today to instill a qualification-focused sales process that helps sellers to remain on the right path and to get customer buy-in at every step. 

“When we lead as sellers, customers will follow”

TIMESTAMPS:

[00:30] Introduction to Dick Dunkel 

[02:53] Moving from Xerox to PTC         

[04:26] What created a higher accountability environment at PTC?

[09:31] The seller’s mindset

[09:48] A fair exchange of value

[14:32] The very first MEDDIC implementation  

[17:41] Developing an intermediate sales training class

[21:54] Powerbase selling

[22:55] MEDDIC as a wide concept

[23:51] The correlation between the fastest-growing companies and how MEDDICC is deployed

[28:10] The small wins 

[30:52] Managing the extra layers  

[34:54] Pessimistic salespeople, but not when qualifying out
 

KEY POINTS:

1.     Create a high accountability environment by starting at the top and allowing it to trickle down to the sales rep.

2.     Develop a fair exchange of value by, for example; singing an NDA in order to implement a free exchange of information

3.     Small victories lead to bigger victories; operate by taking small steps and implementing MEDDICC.

4.     The MEDDPICC checklist, a checklist you have to accomplish in that stage in order for you to advance.

LINKS AND RELATED SOURCES:

• MEDDICC.com, the number one resource for MEDDIC online
• Learn MEDDPICC with the MEDDPICC Masterclass 
• Watch more episodes and other MEDDIC related content on YouTube
• MEDDPICC Instagram
• MEDDPICC on Twitter
• MEDDICC on LinkedIn

2021 is the year of MEDDIC - Whether you are a veteran of the methodology from its earliest inception at PTC, right through to someone that is just learning about MEDDIC for the first time you can be more successful in 2021 by embracing MEDDIC.

But, there is an elephant in the room, right? Which variant of MEDDIC should you implement?

Well, as you will have noticed there are many variants. The most popular that are implemented today are MEDDICC and MEDDPICC, but which one is right for you?

Some MEDDIC purists will tell you that MEDDIC has everything you need, but, when the MEDDIC creator, Dick Dunkel himself uses alternative variants as do MEDDIC all-time greats like John McMahon, Jack Napoli, and John Kaplan there must be something in the more detailed variants, right?

This video aims to give me perspective as to why you should consider MEDDICC and MEDDPICC in your consideration for which MEDDIC variant to implement.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments section.
As always, thank you for your attention 🙏  .

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 Episode Summary 

In this episode of Masters of MEDDICC, Andy talks to Chief Revenue Officer at Imply, Travis Patterson, about hiring, sales, and recruiting. 

Travis has over 20 years of experience working in enterprise sales, having taken up roles at Opsware, Aviso, SignalFx, IronKey, PTC, BladeLogic, and Mesosphere. 

Today, we explore what makes a good seller, how Travis goes about finding these sellers, the importance of good leadership, and the emphasis on constantly learning. 

Key Takeaways 

• “Through the course of your career, you’re trying to over index for learning. I want to learn. I want to be in a situation where you’re not the smartest person in the room.” 
• “It only feels like it was a fun experience after it’s over and you get to read the book, but when you’re in it, it’s a lot of work, stress, and focus.” 
• “Bad people don’t tend to stick together; only good people.” 
• “Part of the pride of you getting to a certain point in your career is that you’ve worked with a lot of good people, and you’ve been able to help people further their career as well.” 
• “We can go recruit all we want, but the really great sales people that we want to hire have to want to work with us.” 
• “Intelligence allows you to be creative. It’s a really important thing that you can’t fix as a leader. If the person you hire doesn’t have it, there’s not much that you’re going to be able to impart.” 
• “If you’re smart and you work hard, but you don’t take feedback, it’s going to be hard to grow in the way that we need you to grow.” 
• “You want a competitive team. Everyone in your team wants to be number one, but they want whoever is in second place to be just $1 behind them.” 

Learn more about MEDDICC at https://www.meddicc.com .

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Podcast: MEDDICC Podcast Page

Masters of MEDDICC is a show where the world's best sales professionals are interviewed about all things enterprise sales and in particular relating to the MEDDIC framework, including MEDDICC and MEDDPICC.