Decision process

What is a decision process?

The decision process is the steps, people and approvals the buyer goes through to reach a decision. It covers who evaluates, who recommends, who approves and in what order. MEDDIC, the qualification method that came out of PTC's sales organization in the 1990s, treats it as the second D: the steps the client takes to reach a decision. It ends at the choice; the contracting that follows is the paper process.

Why it matters to a revenue leader

Most forecast dates are guesses about the buyer's decision process. If a capital purchase needs a budget committee that meets quarterly, no amount of seller effort moves the date. Gartner describes buyers looping back through buying jobs, so the process is rarely a straight line. In commercial services, budget season and capital planning cycles set the real calendar, and a revenue leader who knows them can forecast the year with fewer surprises.

A mechanical services company is selling a boiler replacement to a school district. The facilities director recommends, the business office confirms budget, and the school board approves at its monthly meeting. The March meeting is the last one that allows a summer installation. That meeting, and the agenda deadline before it, set the true close date.