Expertise
Commercial Scaling
Most companies do not have a sales problem. They have an unresolved commercial model.
Adding salespeople to an undefined commercial model multiplies noise, not revenue. Scaling starts with deciding what is sold, to whom, at what price, and who inside the customer signs.
The industry challenge
- Technical founders sell features to engineers, then wonder why procurement stalls the deal.
- Pipelines are measured in opportunities instead of qualified, dated, owned commitments.
- Pricing is defended by discount instead of by value and risk allocation.
- The first commercial hires are asked to build the system and deliver the number at the same time.
My perspective
I build commercial functions in a fixed order: proposition, target segment, buying process, pricing logic, pipeline discipline, then people.
A pipeline number that no one can defend line by line is not a pipeline. It is a forecast of optimism.
In energy, the deal is usually won in the risk conversation — who carries performance, availability, permitting and price risk.
Partnerships scale faster than headcount, provided the commercial terms are decided before the enthusiasm.
What companies frequently underestimate
- How much senior time the first fifteen customer conversations require.
- That marketing cannot fix a proposition problem.
- The cost of hiring salespeople before the sales motion is proven.
- That reporting discipline is what makes a pipeline financeable.
Track record evidence
- Built and led the commercial organisation at Infener AG from scratch, including go-to-market strategy and a €50 million pipeline across 40+ sites.
- Led sales, marketing, business development and partnerships at Suncycle over ten years, from founding to exit.
- Responsible for sales, marketing and public relations at H2APEX through its growth phase and IPO.
Related insights
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The Energy Industry Has Enough Pilots.
A pilot proves technology. It does not prove a business. What energy companies should establish before treating a demonstration as commercial validation.
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Executive guides
Guide 01 · 8 min
Entering the German Energy Market
A complete guide for international energy companies.
Guide 02 · 8 min
Commercialising Hydrogen Projects
From technology and project development to bankable demand.
Guide 03 · 8 min
Building a B2B Energy Sales Organisation
How industrial energy sales differs from traditional SaaS sales.
Guide 04 · 8 min
Scaling an Energy Company in DACH
Organisation, commercial structure, partnerships and market credibility.
Guide 05 · 8 min
From Pilot Project to Scalable Energy Business
A practical framework for commercialisation.