The “I” in MEDDPICC stands for Identify the Pain.
If you don’t uncover meaningful pain, your deal is at risk — not just to competitors, but to being deprioritized altogether.
The deeper the pain, the greater the urgency. That’s what drives decisions.
In today’s saturated market, buyers are bombarded with solutions. To break through, you must identify the pain that truly matters to them — and position your solution as the clearest path to relief.
Turning Pain Into Action
Understanding the customer’s pain is only the beginning. The full power of the Implicate the Pain process comes from taking the customer on a journey — from awareness to urgency.
We break this down into three progressive stages:
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🔹 I1 – Identify the Pain
Discover the critical problems affecting the customer’s business. These are the issues that cause friction, lost revenue, inefficiency, or risk — the ones that matter.
🔹 I2 – Indicate the Pain
Reflect the pain back to the customer in a clear, credible way. Use data, insights, or real-world consequences — often in the form of a report, benchmark, or business case — to make the pain measurable and visible.
🔹 I3 – Implicate the Pain
Take it further. Show the impact of not solving the problem — financially, operationally, or strategically. When done well, the customer doesn’t just see the pain — they feel it. And they want to act now.
The Three Types of Pain
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Financial Pain
When the business is losing money or missing out on revenue. This could be due to high costs, lost opportunities, or underperforming investments.
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Efficiency Pain
When processes, systems, or operations are slow, manual, or outdated—leading to wasted time, resources, or effort.
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People Pain
When individuals or teams are experiencing frustration, burnout, low morale, or productivity challenges—often due to lack of tools, training, or support.
Discovery Isn’t Optional—It’s Essential
Discovery is essential to uncovering pain points. While you can identify some issues externally—through public documentation or even by testing the organization's services if possible—the most critical insights will come directly from your customer during the discovery process.
Implicating the Pain: Why It’s Critical to Move Beyond Surface-Level Discovery
No Pain, No Gain – But uncovering pain is just the first step. Elite sellers don’t stop at identifying pain; they implicate it—forcing the customer to fully confront its consequences.
Where Does Your Deal Stand?
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i1 (Identified Pain): You’ve found an issue, but the customer isn’t urgently motivated.
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i2 (Indicated Cost): You’ve quantified the pain, but they still may not feel it.
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i3 (Implicated Pain): The customer viscerally understands the damage—and is compelled to act.
If you’re not at i3, your deal is at risk. True urgency only comes when the pain is felt, not just acknowledged.