SOME say it’s a man’s world out there — and the car sales industry is no exception.

But despite being in the lowly seven per cent of car sales executives who are female, one hard-working young woman from Bolton sets the bar high for her male colleagues.

Kate Leach, who works at the Kia dealership at Middlebrook Retail Park, believes that the “woman’s touch” is often welcomed by her clients — especially females — who want less of the macho, pushy personalities who often work in the industry.

Her mum, brother, sister and grandfather all work or have worked in the car industry at some level so she is well versed in the knowledge of all the must-have mod-cons and, once she knows a little about her client, she knows exactly which car will suit them.

Kate said: “The most popular car that women buy is the Picanto, 1litre in red.

“I sold eight of the Picanto City version in one week all to women recently. Women love that car — alloys, reversing sensors, air con and Bluetooth, the lot.

“It’s about listening to the customer’s needs. If one plays golf then I’d recommend the estate car.

“Or if they were single with no children then I’d suggest the Rio which is a supermini. My first car was a Ford Fiesta, then I had a Vauxhall Tigra convertible and then a Mini Cooper, quite girly cars, but now I drive a Kia Sportage which has a built in sat nav, heated seats and 18-inch alloys.

“I love cars. I’ve always loved them since I can remember. That’s probably down to my granddad.

“He used to work on gearboxes and later worked as a driver for another showroom after he retired. I grew up in the Lakes and we used to regularly go out in the car and because I was always travel sick we all used to play the game where you have to make a sentence up out of the last three letters on different car registration plates. I can also remember every car and registration plate that my granddad has had since the E-reg in the 80s.

“I’ve never had a bad experience buying a car as such but there is nothing worse than going into any shop where the staff’s targets are high and they make a beeline for you and ask you if you want any help. Then when you say you’re just browsing they hover around you — it’s really intimidating.”

Kate’s career as a salesperson began when she was 20 years old after her mum got her a job working in the admin department at Gordons Ford.

She said: “I thought I’d give it a go after I’d worked in admin for a couple of years because by then I knew all the background about the cars so all I needed to do was sell them. I transferred to Kia eight years ago and I’m the only female sales executive there.

“For some reason there are hardly any women doing this role. I suppose it’s seen as a man’s job but I don’t know why because I think I have the upper hand a bit — it’s easier for a woman to speak to a woman isn’t it? Woman to woman. They don’t feel as intimidated somehow.

“We have a policy where we give the customer a moment to look around and let them know we’re there but give them space to breathe. Then there’s no pressure. A lot of women say that it’s really lovely to talk to a woman when they buy their car, I’ve had good feedback saying it was a nice experience. I moved to Kia in 2005 and haven’t looked back. The guys I work with are great, we’re like a little family really. I love interacting with people is what I enjoy doing.”