Start-ups, Scale-ups and SPIN In this episode of Mastering Sales and Negotiations, we’re joined by Claus Klein‑Ipsen, Chairman of the Board at Peak Systems, board member, and long-time advisor to founder‑led start-ups and VC‑backed scale-ups. Claus lifts the lid on what really happens as companies move from “I can sell” to “we can sell” and why both start-ups and scale-ups keep making the same discovery mistakes. He explains how founder passion can quietly turn into a monologue, how VC pressure can create beautiful dashboards but weak conversations, and why treating sales as a craft (not a personality trait) changes everything. 

You’ll hear how SPIN Selling gives teams a shared commercial language that works at every stage of growth; from protecting customer discovery in early-stage chaos to creating consistent, coachable deal reviews in complex scale-ups. Whether you’re building something new, scaling fast, or trying to lift commercial capability across sales, CS and leadership, this conversation is packed with practical stories, tough lessons, and real-world ideas you can apply immediately.