13: No performance without transparency: Why successful sales management must be measurable

In top-class sport, it goes without saying: if you want to get better, you have to measure your performance. The same applies to sales at automotive suppliers - especially in a market that is more complex, faster and more demanding than ever before. However, in many places there is still a lack of one key success factor: transparency in sales performance.

The invisible weakness: lack of transparency in sales

Although automotive suppliers invest heavily in products, processes and quality, a decisive lever for growth and profitability often remains unused: a transparent and continuous evaluation of sales performance. The problem: many companies do not know exactly how well their sales department is really performing - either at an overall or individual level.

If this transparency is lacking, the question of who is contributing to the company's success, where there is potential and where countermeasures need to be taken remains unanswered. The result is not only a loss of control, but also a culture in which performance is neither visible nor rewarded. Top performers lose motivation or leave the company altogether. Average performance remains just that: average.

A performance culture needs facts - and real-time data

Transparent performance monitoring is the basis for an active performance culture. Those who recognize what works - and what doesn't - can steer, encourage and challenge in a targeted manner. Transparency is not control, but a prerequisite for development.

What does this mean in concrete terms for automotive suppliers?

1. Analyze incoming orders - who contributes how much to new business?

2. Measure claim performance - how efficiently are customer claims enforced?

3. Make change performance visible - how well is it possible to convert change efforts into economic success?

These key figures do not provide a retrospective view, but are the foundation for forward-looking decisions. The prerequisite for this is that they must be automated, available in real time and role-based - for managers, sales managers and employees alike.

From measurement to management: how sales performance becomes corporate management

Reporting alone is not enough. The results must also be integrated into management and incentives. Because only what is measured, made visible and addressed will have an impact on the company.

This is not just about bonus models or target agreements. It is about a new way of thinking in sales management:

• Top performers must be visible and promoted in a targeted manner.

• Potential must be identified and developed through coaching or targeted measures.

• Poor performance must not disappear under the radar.

This creates a genuine performance culture - not through pressure, but through transparency, fairness and recognition.

The solution: Digital Automotive makes sales performance visible

Digital Automotive, the leading platform for Strategic Sales Planning & Sales Management specifically for automotive suppliers, offers exactly that: fully automated real-time reports on sales performance - integrated into the relevant modules of the platform.

The advantages at a glance:

• Live data on incoming orders, claims and changes

• Role-based dashboards for all stakeholders

• Integrated control logic for management and incentives

• Scalability and adaptability to your company structure

Digital Automotive was developed by industry insiders - for the specific requirements of automotive suppliers. The platform connects sales, controlling and management on a common database.

Conclusion: If you want to win, you have to be able to measure

Performance is no coincidence - and sales success certainly isn't. Automotive suppliers who want to survive in an increasingly competitive environment not only need good products, but also an excellent sales organization. And that starts with transparency.

Without measurable sales performance, there is no leadership. Without leadership, there is no development. And without development, there is no top performance.

If you would like to find out more about the solution, you can find all the information and a live demo at

👉 www.digital-automotive-supplier.com