Why It Matters Now: McMahon was CRO at five public enterprise software companies. This isn't theory from a business school professor—it's the field manual from someone who built and scaled sales organizations that competitors feared. While written for enterprise software sales, the principles translate directly to consultants selling high-value services. If you sell anything complex that requires multiple conversations and stakeholder buy-in, this is your playbook.
The Core Problem: Most sales leaders (and consultants acting as their own sales force) are "glorified scorekeepers." They track pipeline, update CRMs, and hope deals close. But they don't actually coach on the fundamentals that determine whether deals close or die. Result? 62% of sales reps fail—not because they can't sell, but because they're misaligned to account complexity. Most consultants have this backwards too.
The Brutal Statistics:
These aren't software problems. These are fundamental sales execution problems that plague consultants just as much.
The Central Framework: MEDDPICC
McMahon teaches a qualification methodology called MEDDPICC. This isn't about manipulating buyers—it's about having control of your sales process instead of being a passenger hoping things work out.
M - Metrics: Quantify the business pain. Not "our clients struggle with efficiency." Precise numbers: "This operational bottleneck costs you £2.4M annually in lost productivity." If you can't quantify the pain, you can't justify the price.
E - Economic Buyer: Who has budget authority? Stop selling to people who can't buy. Find the actual decision-maker who can sign the contract.
D - Decision Criteria: How will they evaluate options? What criteria matter? If you don't help define the criteria, your competitor will—and they'll weight it toward their strengths.