Expertise
DACH Market Entry
Germany is not a difficult market. It is a slow market that punishes improvisation.
International companies usually arrive with a working product and a successful home market. What they underestimate is that in DACH the buying process, not the product, determines the speed of revenue.
The industry challenge
- Decision-making is distributed: technical, commercial, legal and works-council perspectives all carry weight.
- References from other markets count for less than a local reference.
- Regulation and permitting differ by federal state, not just by country.
- Hiring the first commercial people is done before anyone knows what the sales motion actually is.
My perspective
I start every market entry with the same question: what has to be true before we commit capital and organisation? Almost everything else follows from the honest answer.
The first hire is rarely a country manager. It is usually someone who can open doors and survive the first twenty conversations without a local reference.
Partnerships are the fastest route into DACH — and the fastest way to lose control of pricing. Both should be decided deliberately.
German buyers do not reward enthusiasm. They reward preparation, precision and people who show up again.
What companies frequently underestimate
- The length of the sales cycle, and therefore the cash required before the first revenue.
- That local presence means a German-speaking commercial counterpart, not a translated website.
- How much of the work is regulatory and stakeholder navigation, not selling.
- That a failed first entry makes the second attempt more expensive, not cheaper.
Track record evidence
- Country opening and market entry for DACH at BattMan Energy.
- Expanded Suncycle from Germany across Europe and into the United States as founder and CEO.
- Helped build sales structures for VIAG Interkom, the VIAG / British Telecom joint venture, during its entry into the German telecommunications market.
- Doctorate at the University of St. Gallen focused on internationalisation strategies.
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Executive guides
Guide 01 · 8 min
Entering the German Energy Market
A complete guide for international energy companies.
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.