Pros
Recommended for people just coming out of school to get industry experience. This job will make you realize what is good, and conversely, flat out nauseating about sales positions. The DSM position can be used as a good barometer to know what you need and want when looking for the correct career move. -Pretty good benefits / pay is OK for an initial sales position -Car allowance -Home based positon -My peers (DSM's) were a pretty good group, very genuine.
Cons
I can only speak for the field sales side of the business, as the other divisions of the company may be fantastic and I am not completely qualified to assess that. First, just know that in a nutshell you are selling high priced tours to the 55 and over crowd. This segment of our population are mostly on fixed incomes, in an economy that continues to struggle. You will be trying to convince these folks that spending anywhere from $2,500 to $20,000 on a trip is the right thing for them. The micro management of the DSM's is absolutely suffocating and is an absolute morale killer. Collette tracks the amount of cold calls you make, including the duration of each call with a call tracker that is attached from your phone the the company laptop. These results are visible to your regional manager and are always a point of discussion. RSM's will also do "phone days" with the DSM's which are ridiculous because the atmosphere feels forced and you really don't get to develop your own style to grow in to the role. The company likes to lean on the the fact that they are financially stable with no debt, as well as philanthropic. Very true! This has absolutely no bearing on the sales environment though, and it only flexes muscle and good feeling to the outside world, and those buying the product. They will also play on the fact that you get to attend two sales meetings per year in locations that most people can only dream of going. Again this is true... Don't get hooked on that one! Although the destinations are great you need to remember that you are on a sales meeting and not vacation. Your days are filled with presentations, training, marketing, and because of the sadistic nature of the sales director, you also get to make cold calls on speaker phone in front of close to 100 people. When you do have time to explore the destinations there are highlights for sure, but again you are time constrained, with people you barely know, and stressed from long days of meetings. Many of these sales meetings and "Familiarization trips" are 10-14 days at a time and are murder if you have a family! The sales director who has been with the company since the mid 80's is undoubtedly married to the company as well. He wants you to know how great of a salesman he is and does nothing but brag and try to intimidate. You will quickly realize that it is his show. It is no coincidence that there is unbelievably high turnover in the DSM role. Just be cautious when considering this company. The aspects of the position that sound really good, and are advertised as "perks of the job", along with the micro management are what will ultimately drive you to leave this company.