Sales Methodology
Sales Methodology is The structured approach a sales organization uses to move deals through the pipeline. Common methodologies include SPIN Selling, Challenger, Sandler, and MEDDIC. RevOps operationalizes the chosen methodology into CRM workflows and coaching frameworks.
A sales methodology is the "how" of selling. It's the repeatable framework that tells reps how to run discovery, position value, handle objections, negotiate, and close. Without one, every rep invents their own process and you can't coach, inspect, or scale what you can't define.
The methodology you choose depends on your deal complexity, buyer sophistication, and average deal size. Transactional sales need lightweight frameworks. Enterprise deals with long cycles and large buying committees need rigorous qualification and multi-threading approaches.
Common Methodologies
- SPIN Selling: Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff. Discovery-focused. Great for consultative, solution-selling environments.
- Challenger Sale: Teach, Tailor, Take Control. Reps lead with insight, challenge assumptions, and push the buyer toward a new perspective. Works best when buyers don't fully understand their own problem.
- Sandler: Pain-focused qualification with a strong emphasis on disqualifying bad fits early. "No" is a valid outcome, not a failure.
- MEDDIC: Qualification framework focused on six deal criteria. Often used alongside another methodology rather than replacing one entirely.
- Command of the Message: Value-based selling framework focused on aligning your solution to the buyer's required capabilities and positive business outcomes.
RevOps Role
RevOps doesn't choose the methodology (that's sales leadership), but RevOps makes it stick. This means building methodology-aligned fields into the CRM, creating stage-gate criteria that enforce methodology steps, configuring conversation intelligence tools to track methodology adoption, and providing analytics that show correlation between methodology adherence and win rates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which sales methodology is best?
There's no universal best. SPIN works well for consultative sales with complex problems. Challenger fits markets where buyers need to be educated on problems they don't know they have. Sandler is strong for teams that need better qualification discipline. MEDDIC excels at enterprise deal inspection. Most mature orgs blend elements from multiple methodologies. The worst choice is no methodology at all.
How does RevOps measure sales methodology adoption?
Track CRM field completion rates for methodology-specific fields (e.g., MEDDIC scores, identified pain statements, champion contacts). Use conversation intelligence tools like Gong to detect methodology language in calls. Correlate methodology adherence with win rates and deal velocity. If deals with complete MEDDIC fields close at 2x the rate of incomplete ones, that's the data point that drives adoption better than any training session.
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