Selling

Pipeline stages and MEDDPICC, in plain English

A stage tells you where a deal is. The MEDDPICC checklist tells you whether to believe it. Here is how to use both.

7 min readUpdated 14 October 2026

Two questions decide whether a pipeline is worth reading. Where is each deal? And how sure are we? Most teams answer the first and guess at the second, which is how a deal sits at "Contract Review" for two months while everyone quietly knows it is dead.

Stages answer the first question. A qualification checklist, MEDDPICC, answers the second. They are different tools, and a deal needs both.

Stages: where the deal is

A stage is a fact about the buyer, not a feeling about the deal. Each one has a clear test for moving on, so two people looking at the same deal would put it in the same place.

Stage	What is happening	Move on when
Discovery	The first real conversation. You are learning what they need, who decides and whether there is a problem worth solving.	You know the pain and who makes the decision.
Business Value Case	You have shown what the deal is worth to them, such as better margin, new products or better terms, and they agree it matters.	They accept the value and you know who approves the spend.
Solution Fit	They are testing the fit: samples, pricing, terms, logistics and other suppliers. The riskiest stage.	They say yes to the product and terms in principle.
Contract Review	The paperwork is with them: the agreement, supplier setup forms or a draft order.	Every term is agreed.
Contract Execution	Signed or being signed. The first order or onboarding is under way.	The first order is placed.
Closed Won	The first order is placed or the contract is signed.	Done.
Closed Lost	They said no, chose someone else or stopped replying.	Write down why. It is the most useful line in your pipeline.

Why Solution Fit is the risky one

Interest is cheap and paperwork is expensive. Solution Fit is where a buyer who liked the idea finds out what it really costs, compares you with someone else, and either commits or drifts. Most deals that die, die here.

MEDDPICC: how sure you are

MEDDPICC is a checklist of eight things you either know about a deal or do not. It is not a set of categories to sort deals into. You tick each one as you confirm it, and the more you have ticked, the more the stage can be trusted.

Letter	What to confirm	You have it when
M, Metrics	The measurable result they expect.	You can name the number, like a margin lift or a cost saved.
E, Economic Buyer	The person who signs off on the money.	You have met them, not just heard their name.
D, Decision Criteria	What they will judge suppliers on.	You know the list, such as price, minimums, delivery or quality.
D, Decision Process	The steps and people between now and a yes.	You could draw the path, including who else has to agree.
P, Paper Process	How the order or contract actually gets done.	You know the forms, approvals and how long they take.
I, Identify Pain	The problem they need solved.	You can say why it matters to them now, not someday.
C, Champion	Someone inside pushing for you.	They argue your case in meetings you are not in.
C, Competition	Who else they are considering.	You know the alternatives, including doing nothing.

How the two fit together

Each stage should come with certain boxes ticked. A deal that has moved further than its checklist is the deal most likely to surprise you.

Discovery: Identify Pain.
Business Value Case: Metrics and Economic Buyer.
Solution Fit: Decision Criteria, Competition and a Champion.
Contract Review and Contract Execution: Decision Process and Paper Process.

The deal to look at first

A deal in a late stage with few boxes ticked. It is counted as nearly certain in the forecast, and nothing on the checklist says it should be.

In LeadWise

When you create or edit a deal, the meaning of each stage shows in the stage picker and under the Stage field, and each MEDDPICC item explains itself on the checklist. Tick an item once you have confirmed it, and link the person who confirmed it so the next person on the deal knows who to ask.

Do

Move a deal when the buyer has done what the next stage needs, not when time has passed.
Tick a MEDDPICC item only when you could explain it to a colleague without guessing.
Link each ticked item to the person who confirmed it.
Write the reason on every lost deal.

Don't

Do not treat MEDDPICC as categories. A deal can, and should, tick several.
Do not move a deal forward to make the forecast look better.
Do not count a name you have heard as an Economic Buyer you have met.
Do not leave a deal in Solution Fit for months. Decide, or close it.

Do I need all eight boxes ticked to win?

No. Small deals close with three or four. The checklist tells you where the risk is, not whether you are allowed to win.

What if a deal goes backwards?

Move it back. A stage records what is true today. A buyer who reopens pricing in Contract Review is back in Solution Fit, and the forecast should say so.

Is MEDDPICC only for big enterprise deals?

It started there, but the questions are the same at any size. On a small deal you just answer them faster.

Try it in LeadWise

Open the part of the product this guide covers.

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