The 'What Happened Last Time?' Discovery Question: A MEDDIC Hack for Deeper Deal Insight

This session explores a single, deceptively simple discovery question—'What happened the last time you bought something like my solution?'—and explains why it is one of the most underused yet highest-value tools in the MEDDIC methodology. The session walks through the two types of responses you are likely to receive, what each signals about your champion's qualification, and how the answers map directly onto MEDDIC elements including Decision Process, Decision Criteria, Economic Buyer engagement, and the Paper Process. You will also learn how to use the question to surface hidden legal, procurement, and timeline risks early enough to mitigate them, and how to apply the lessons of previous sellers who navigated the same account before you.

Learning objectives

• Articulate why the 'What happened last time?' question unlocks MEDDIC-relevant information that direct questions often miss
• Interpret the two common response patterns—no prior purchase experience versus prior purchase experience—and identify what each means for champion qualification
• Map the information gathered from this question onto specific MEDDIC elements: Decision Process, Decision Criteria, Economic Buyer, and Paper Process
• Use the question to proactively surface legal, procurement, and approval hurdles before they threaten forecast accuracy
• Apply insights from a champion's past buying experiences to shape your engagement strategy with the economic buyer and procurement team

Key takeaways

• A champion who has never bought a similar solution and dismisses the concern with 'don't worry' is rarely a qualified champion and represents a significant forecasting risk
• When a qualified champion recounts a previous purchase, they naturally surface decision timelines, approval bottlenecks, legal sticking points, and procurement preferences that they would not otherwise volunteer
• Customers typically give overly optimistic timelines because they do not understand the forecasting pressures sellers face; historical deal stories correct that optimism with real data
• Legal and contractual issues such as termination-for-convenience clauses and liability limitations existed in the account before your deal—asking about past purchases brings them to the surface early
• The question can be used at any stage of the sales process, from initial discovery through late-stage validation, making it a versatile and repeatable tool
• Lessons from sellers who previously worked the account—what worked with procurement, how the economic buyer prefers to engage—are accessible through this single question