Pros
It's a great position if you're looking to learn something new. I learned quite a bit about effective sales strategies, underwriting, financial services and the automotive industry that will serve me well in future pursuits. Benefits are outstanding, but at the cost of work/life balance and relatively low overall compensation.
Kontras
Compensation is relatively low compared to the industry standard and the expectations/workload. Beyond the base salary, bonuses are tied to dealership performance on quotas, but don't expect the six-figure commissions you hear about in traditional dealerships. Your total sales bonus is not likely to approach $20K/yr, even if you're hitting all quotas and KPIs. DriveTime functions in the subprime market segment, so a good amount of the work in this position isn't sales as much as it is collecting documents for underwriting and solving problems for potential customers struggling with financing. Prepare to spend most of your time trying to collect paystubs and bank statements from people who struggle with technology or have unusual sources of income, explaining the basics of auto financing, and trying to set customers up with legally required insurance policies that they did not budget for. You'll be using a lot more of your patience, problem solving, and de-escalation skills rather than sales skills. A lot of sales will fall through because customers can't get qualified, can't afford down payments, or can't get insured. You'll often be staying well past close as customers struggle with validating documents, selecting a vehicle, or haggling with insurance agents. You'll also be the front line dealing with customer complaints--and lord, there will be a lot of them. DriveTime is not thorough in their reconditioning process, and it seems the guideline for vehicle quality is "it runs." Plenty of lot repairs, vehicle returns, and customers calling you a month after the sale with significant issues that the warranty won't cover. A thick skin is required for this job, as you're the face of a company that doesn't seem to care about their product quality or customer support. Management is the biggest issue I had with DriveTime. The structure is very top-heavy and dealership-level management is given a very short leash to effectively control their stores or support their staff. Understaffing is common, and salespeople are expected to fill roles typically performed by lot techs, receptionists, office managers, etc. atop their actual sales duties. Top-level management only sees the sales numbers and refuses to listen when a dealership staff is overworked or facing difficulty. Rather than listen to the store-level employees' concerns about staffing, product quality, or market issues, they'll often double down on negative feedback about not making enough calls, not using the right sales language on calls, and not hitting KPIs. The blame always falls on the salespeople and burnout is common. Expected performance is always placed just out of reach, and even when met, is rewarded with promises that never come. Top performers are systemically discouraged from performing while simultaneously threatened with punishment for not meeting these lofty expectations.
