What is Sandler Selling System?
The Sandler Selling System is a consultative sales methodology focused on uncovering the prospect's pain, establishing budget upfront, and qualifying deals through a structured 'submarine' framework.
Sandler is the second most adopted sales methodology after MEDDPICC, according to CRO Report analysis of sales leadership job postings. It flips traditional selling by having reps disqualify bad deals early rather than chasing every opportunity. The core philosophy: you can't lose a deal you were never going to win.
The Sandler Submarine
Sandler's framework follows a 7-step 'submarine' sequence: Bonding & Rapport, Up-Front Contracts, Pain, Budget, Decision, Fulfillment, and Post-Sell. The submarine metaphor means you complete each compartment before moving to the next. You don't present a solution (Fulfillment) until you've confirmed real Pain, verified Budget, and understood the Decision process. Skipping steps is how reps end up giving free consulting to prospects who were never going to buy.
Sandler vs MEDDPICC
MEDDPICC is a qualification framework. Sandler is a complete selling system that includes qualification, negotiation, and post-sale. MEDDPICC tells you what to qualify. Sandler tells you how to qualify it. Many organizations use both: Sandler for the overall sales approach and MEDDPICC as the deal qualification checklist. Our data shows 35%+ of enterprise roles mention MEDDPICC, while Sandler appears in about 12% of VP Sales postings, often alongside experience requirements at companies in the $10M-$100M ARR range.
When Sandler Works Best
Sandler excels in consultative selling environments where deals require deep pain discovery and budget conversations happen early. It's particularly popular in professional services, mid-market SaaS, and industries where the prospect doesn't fully understand their own problem yet. Companies with longer sales cycles and complex buying committees see the biggest impact from Sandler's structured approach to disqualification.
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