Sales Development Representative - Automotive

At Podium, we build an AI Workforce that helps local businesses turn every conversation into revenue. More than 60,000 businesses across Auto, Home Services, and Aesthetics trust Podium to drive growth 24/7, from capturing new leads to re-engaging past customers.

Two and a half years ago, we made a deliberate shift from building software for local businesses to building AI Employees that work for them. Every local business struggles to answer every call, lead, and follow-up. Our AI Operating System and AI Workforce fill that gap. We’ve crossed $150M in AI ARR, deployed more than 20,000 AI Employees, and helped customers generate over $13B in revenue.

Inc. Magazine named Podium the Best AI Implementation, OpenAI highlighted us for building AI Agents that drive revenue, and G2 ranked us the #1 AI Agent for Business Operations.

Podium is AI-native in every sense. We build AI for our customers, we build AI tools for ourselves, and we use AI in every role across the company.

We hire exceptional people, hold them to high standards, and give them room to make an impact. We look for people who are all-in on AI and eager to stay on the cutting edge, both in what we build for customers and in how they operate day to day. If you’re hungry for growth, aligned with our operating principles, and ready to get to work, you won’t find a better place to accelerate your career.

Sales Development Representative - Automotive

About Podium

At Podium, we build an AI Workforce that helps local businesses turn every conversation into revenue. More than 100,000 businesses across Auto, Auto Services, Home Services, Healthcare and Retail trust Podium to drive growth 24/7, from capturing new leads to re-engaging past customers.

Two and a half years ago, we made a deliberate shift from building software for local businesses to building AI Employees that work for them. Every local business struggles to answer every call, lead, and follow-up. Our AI Operating System and AI Workforce fill that gap. We’ve crossed $150M in AI ARR, deployed more than 20,000 AI Employees, and helped customers generate over $13B in revenue.

Inc. Magazine named Podium the Best AI Implementation, OpenAI highlighted us for building AI Agents that drive revenue, and G2 ranked us the #1 AI Agent for Business Operations.

Podium is AI-native in every sense. We build AI for our customers, we build AI tools for ourselves, and we use AI in every role across the company.

We hire exceptional people, hold them to high standards, and give them room to make an impact. We look for people who are all-in on AI and eager to stay on the cutting edge, both in what we build for customers and in how they operate day to day. If you’re hungry for growth, aligned with our operating principles, and ready to get to work, you won’t find a better place to accelerate your career.

About this opportunity:

This role sits in our Automotive team and is based in Melbourne.

As a Sales Development Representative (SDR) on the Auto team, you’ll be the first point of contact for new-car dealerships and dealer groups, and play a critical role in our growth within the automotive vertical. This is a research-driven function where you’ll map dealer group structures, identify the right accounts and the right timing, and open strategic, executive-level conversations that lead to qualified product demonstrations for our Account Executives.

You’ll work closely with AEs and CSMs to understand account context, existing integrations and dealership operations, so that every conversation you have is informed, credible and well-timed. If you have automotive industry experience, whether from a dealership, an automotive IT provider or a related automotive technology business, and you’re looking for a genuine pathway into a closing role, this is where it starts. Many of our top-performing Account Executives started as SDRs, including on the Auto team.

The role comes with a clear and transparent career pathway into an Account Executive role on the Auto team, with structured coaching and ongoing sales development. The compensation package includes a competitive base salary, superannuation and uncapped commission with accelerators for overachievement.

What you will be doing:

• Research dealer groups and their organisational structures to identify the right accounts, the right stakeholders and the right timing to engage.
• Prepare thoroughly before every call, understanding the dealership’s situation, existing systems and integrations, and likely pain points.
• Initiate and hold strategic, executive-level conversations with dealer principals, GMs and other decision-makers at OEM/new-car dealerships and dealer groups.
• Build interest by understanding prospect challenges and educating them on how Podium can help them grow.
• Qualify opportunities using a consultative sales approach and schedule high-quality product demonstrations for the Account Executive team.
• Partner closely with Account Executives and Customer Success Managers to understand account context and ensure a seamless, well-coordinated experience from first conversation through to handover.
• Maintain accurate records and pipeline activity within Salesforce.
• Consistently meet monthly targets for qualified meetings and pipeline generation, with an emphasis on quality and fit over volume.

What you should have:

• A strong understanding of the automotive industry, ideally gained at a dealership, an automotive IT provider or a related automotive technology business.
• A mature, professional and polished communication style, with a strong phone presence and the ability to hold a powerful, credible conversation within a short interaction.
• High autonomy, able to take ownership of a task or territory and drive it forward without constant direction.
• Coachability and initiative, with a demonstrated ability to apply feedback quickly.
• Comfort with doing the preparation and research required before making contact, and the patience to work through the coordination and internal checks this approach requires without becoming frustrated.
• Persistence balanced with patience, as this role rewards thoroughness over speed.
• A commitment to building expertise and growing with the role rather than moving on quickly.
• A growth mindset and ambition to progress into an Account Executive role over time.

What we hope you have:

• Experience selling into or working with dealerships.
• Previous SDR or outbound sales experience (a bonus, but not essential).

Why you’ll love working here:

• We’re still young in Australia, there are endless career growth opportunities
• Work on the bleeding edge of AI
• Be a part of a high performing team

Benefits

• Open and transparent culture
• Health and Wellbeing Benefits - $650/month allowance, spend it your way
• 4 weeks of annual leave
• Melbourne CBD Office - Located on the corner of Queen & Collins St, with end-of-trip facilities and bike storage
• Snacks and drinks always stocked
• Catered lunch the last week of every month