HAY RIVER - Kerry Setzer knows that, in the past, car dealerships may not have always been geared towards female buyers.

Setzer, a salesperson at Kingland Ford in Hay River, recalled her own first car-buying experience in Edmonton 10 years ago was awful.

Kerry Setzer is a salesperson at Kingland Ford in Hay River. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

"I felt like I was being treated like a dumb young woman."

However, Setzer, 38, said times have changed and the industry is now more geared towards the female buyer.

"Females are half of the decision-making team," she noted.

Overall, she said the car industry has changed its priority over the years to customer service from simply counting the number of vehicles sold.

Her goal as a salesperson is to listen to customers and put them into vehicles that suit their needs.

Setzer gauges her success by the number of repeat customers. In addition, if friends and relatives of former customers also come to see her, that is a good indication of satisfied buyers.

Setzer, who was born in Fort Simpson and grew up in Inuvik, has been a vehicle salesperson for about two years.

She sells Ford cars and trucks, Honda quads and dirt bikes, and occasionally boats and Ski-Doo snowmobiles.

A 10-year employee of Kingland Ford, she previously ran its Budget Rent-a-Car office and worked in administration.

Setzer said it was a little scary to change jobs and become a salesperson, but she likes the role.

"I enjoy dealing with people," she explained.

"When I get a customer that's absolutely thrilled to be driving away in a new car, that's what I get a kick out of."

Some people are very nervous and even fearful about buying a vehicle, she said.

However, she added, "I'm not the type of person that's going to put someone into a huge payment that they can't afford or sell them a vehicle they don't want."

As a salesperson, Setzer said she has to know the vehicles, and takes online training courses to learn about changing specifications and features

"But if I don't know something, I'm not afraid to say that," she said.

Some customers are mainly concerned about price, while others focus more on the vehicle itself without regard to cost, she said, noting gas mileage is also a growing factor for many people.

The majority of customers have a good idea of what they want, Setzer added, noting many do their own research on the Internet.