How Training Providers Can Sharpen Their Employer Engagement Strategy
Growth in training provision doesn’t just come from great delivery—it comes from knowing how to connect that delivery to the right employers, in the right way, at the right time.
For many providers, this happens naturally at first. Referrals. Reputation. Relationships. But as provision scales, so does the complexity of employer engagement: multiple buyer types, longer cycles, tighter competition, and increased pressure to evidence ROI—not just quality.
This is where it helps to borrow from the playbooks of other industries. One of the most enduring frameworks in business-to-business sales—used by some of the world’s most effective growth teams—is called MEDDIC.
Originally designed for software sales, MEDDIC helps teams bring clarity, consistency, and strategic focus to employer conversations. Not through pressure, but by understanding each employer’s needs more deeply—and aligning your provision with what they care about most.
This blog unpacks how the MEDDIC framework can be adapted by training providers to support sustainable, scalable growth—whether you’re just starting to formalise your sales strategy, or refining what already works.
Why Traditional Employer Engagement Starts to Strain as You Grow
Many training providers build their employer base through strong relationships, great delivery, and word of mouth. It’s a model that works—until it doesn’t.
As your provision scales, the demands change. You move from reactive growth to forward planning. From a few employer champions to dozens of contracts, each with their own expectations. From relying on your delivery team’s network to needing a repeatable approach that can be handed off, expanded, and measured.
The challenge isn’t that providers aren’t selling. It’s that selling becomes more complex the further you grow. You’re now navigating:
- Multiple stakeholders within each employer (HR, Ops, Finance, L&D)
- Longer decision cycles that compete with other internal priorities
- Tougher procurement processes, especially for levy-funded or corporate partners
- And often, a higher expectation of ROI, evidence, and alignment with business objectives
But there’s a deeper shift happening too.
Putting learners on funded training isn’t just about “using the levy” anymore. Employers now have more choice than ever in how that levy is spent—and with whom. As government strategy continues to expand the routes and uses for funded learning, competition for those levy funds will only increase.
Which means that providers who can clearly communicate the value they deliver—not just to the learner, but to the business—will be the ones who win.
This isn’t about selling harder. It’s about selling with more precision and purpose. That’s where the MEDDIC methodology comes in.
What Is MEDDIC—and Why It Works for Providers
MEDDIC is a six-part sales qualification framework originally developed for complex, high-value B2B deals. While it comes from the world of SaaS and enterprise tech, its relevance to training providers is clear.
Training provision today isn’t transactional—it’s a long-term partnership. It requires multiple decision-makers, a compelling business case, and clear outcomes. MEDDIC helps you manage that complexity without losing sight of the employer’s core needs.
The acronym stands for:
- Metrics – What measurable outcomes matter to this employer?
- Economic Buyer – Who controls the budget or makes the final decision?
- Decision Criteria – What are they using to evaluate providers?
- Decision Process – How will the decision be made—and by whom?
- Identify Pain – What problem are they really trying to solve?
- Champion – Who internally wants this to succeed and can influence others?
Used well, MEDDIC helps you:
- Qualify interest early
- Focus on employer outcomes rather than internal selling points
- Build stronger business cases to support champions internally
- Improve deal quality, reduce ghosting, and stay aligned with client goals
Applying MEDDIC in Practice—A Framework for Employer Conversations
Metrics – Define the Business Case
Employers are looking for business impact, not just learning outcomes. Common metrics that matter to them include:
- Reduced new starter time-to-competency
- Closing leadership or technical skills gaps
- Improved retention through clearer development pathways
- Increased internal promotions
- Better engagement or “employer of choice” positioning
- Audit resilience and compliance clarity
- Reduced time off the job or operational disruption
- Clear cost saving or increased productivity
- Try asking:
“What would success look like from your side if we got this right? and “How would you measure that?”
When you align your proposal to these metrics, you stop being a training provider and start becoming a partner in performance.
Economic Buyer – Find the Person Who Can Say Yes
While your first conversation might be with a Head of HR, L&D lead, or People Manager, it’s critical to understand who holds the authority to approve and fund the work.
In many organisations, the final decision will rest with:
- A HR Director
- Or a CEO, especially in SME or owner-led businesses
Rather than assume, ask:
“What other key stakeholders—aside from yourself—do we need to include in the decision-making process?”
This keeps your contact empowered and shows you understand internal dynamics.
Decision Criteria – Understand What They’re Comparing
Employers are always comparing—even if they don’t say it out loud. They may be looking at other providers, considering internal delivery, or weighing whether to delay the project altogether.
Help them articulate what they value by asking:
- “What does a great training partnership look like to you?”
- “What would you want this programme to reflect about your culture or brand?”
- “What’s made you explore external support right now?”
Where appropriate, frame the value of curriculum tailoring—not in changing standards, but in aligning content, case studies, tone of voice, and delivery methods to the organisation’s language and sector reality. This enhances relevance without compromising rigour or compliance.
Decision Process – Map the Journey Before It Starts
Even enthusiastic buyers can get stuck without a clear path forward. Procurement gates, competing priorities, or unclear roles can all delay decisions.
Get clarity early by asking:
- “What’s the usual process for bringing in a new provider?”
- “Are there any internal approvals or timelines we should be aware of?”
- “Would you like me to provide a summary you can share with others involved?”
A good process map saves time, builds trust, and ensures you’re always one step ahead.
Identify Pain – Uncover the Problem They’re Really Trying to Solve
Training is the solution. Your job is to understand the problem.
Go beyond surface answers with thoughtful, non-confrontational prompts like:
- “What’s prompted the conversation around this now?”
- “Where are you seeing the biggest challenges or inconsistencies?”
- “If nothing changes over the next 6–12 months, what might the impact be?”
This lets you speak to what matters most—retention, morale, leadership gaps, missed contracts, or poor onboarding—not just qualification coverage.
Champion – Support the Person Who Wants This to Happen
Your internal contact—who booked the meeting, asked the right questions, and pushed the discussion forward—is your champion. They believe in your offer. They want this to work.
Equip them to succeed by:
- Giving them a concise proposal or one-pager they can circulate
- Offering support with board-level or exec conversations
- Helping them handle common objections (timing, funding, capacity)
Sometimes, you won’t find a clear champion right away. If that’s the case, step back and reassess whether the pain is strong enough—or whether a different internal entry point is needed. No champion often means no change.
Making MEDDIC Your Own – Moving from Conversations to Strategy
The value of MEDDIC isn’t in ticking boxes—it’s in how it reframes your approach.
It shifts the mindset from selling courses to solving problems. From pushing products to mapping decisions. From running discovery calls to building internal advocacy.
And it gives your whole team a shared way of thinking—so that regardless of who’s leading the conversation, the employer experience stays consistent, confident, and outcome-driven.
You don’t need to follow it like a script. Instead:
- Use it to brief your team before a new client call
- Embed it in your CRM or post-call summaries
- Build it into proposal templates or sales training sessions
- Use it to evaluate why deals slow down—or never convert
- Whether you’re looking to grow, stabilise, or differentiate—MEDDIC isn’t just a sales tool. It’s a clarity tool.
Because ultimately, selling isn’t about persuasion. It’s about helping the right people make the right decision, at the right time.
About the Author
Gary Norton is the Co-Founder and Sales & Marketing Director at EOS Learn. He grew the company from nothing to what it is today, using structured sales frameworks like MEDDIC to help training providers scale with purpose.
Before launching EOS, Gary led the Learning and Development function at TrustFord, the UK’s largest Ford dealership group. As Head of L&D, he managed all external training relationships and controlled the organisation’s apprenticeship levy spend—giving him first-hand experience of what it’s like to be on the employer side of the conversation.
Earlier in his career, Gary was a multi-award-winning financial advisor, with a background in high net worth sales. His unique experience bridging both sides of the buyer-seller dynamic makes him one of the most credible voices in training provider growth today.