She Sells Sleds

Sledworthy is excited to bring you this feature and in the process, kick off our plan for 2020 to profile more females that are working in the industry.  This is Kristie Legge and she sells sleds.

Sledworthy: Kristie Legge…. tell us how a young lady from the Burin Peninsula ends up selling Powersports gear in Western Newfoundland?

Legge:  I was looking for a change of scenery and the west coast is the obvious choice when you love sledding like I do. I always said I would love to live on the west coast so I could ride sled all winter. A job opportunity came up at RPS in sales, so I thought “I could do that!” and here I am!

Sledworthy: Who first introduced you to the sport of snowmobiling?

Legge: My parents! My family always had snowmobiles and I can remember when I was a little kid, my mom and dad packing up the snowmobiles and taking myself, my brother and our dogs and heading into the country for the whole day. We would have a boil-up and watch dad cut wood. As we got older, my brother and I would spend every day we could out riding. We loved it!

Sledworthy: Prior to working at Rapid Power Sports (Steady Brook, NL), what were you up to?

Legge: I was working at the Ford dealership in Marystown.

Sledworthy: What does your typical day look like as a young professional selling sleds?

Legge:  A day in the life of Kristie is usually quite busy and typically consists of greeting and talking with customers about products, doing walk-arounds and showing customers the features of products, quoting customers on products, answering leads, phone calls and emails, working together with different departments at RPS to finalize deals and help customers, cleaning products and delivering to customers.

Sledworthy: What was your biggest obstacle when you first started and how did you overcome it?

Legge: I would say the biggest obstacle for me was being new to a place where no one knows who I am. I had to market myself and put my name and contact info everywhere on our Facebook page and social media, greet customers, introduce myself and talk with customers and really put myself out there to start to build up a customer base and let people know who I am.

Sledworthy: Did you experience any stereotyping when you started in this field?

Legge: Fortunately, I did not.

Sledworthy: So, what’s it like working with the Rapid Power Sports family?

Legge: It’s like one big family. We all work together and help each other out to ensure everything runs smoothly and customers are happy. It’s interesting to work around the products and I think working around that type of stuff makes it feel less like work. It’s also pretty cool to work with people who enjoy the same things!

Sledworthy: Is there anything that really makes you frustrated within this industry?

Legge: I don’t usually get flustered easily but sometimes people assume because you’re a female that you don’t know anything about the products or you can’t help them but that’s not true.

Sledworthy: What are some ways you can help grow the female rider community?

Legge: The Sledcore Ride Clinics are definitely a great way to get started. I attended a ladies ride clinic a couple years ago and it helped me meet other ladies that ride and it made me a more confident rider. You learn so many skills and improve the ones you already have.  I have also met a lot of lady riders through social media and ambassador programs. I think working in the snowmobile industry gives me an opportunity to help the female rider community grow because I get to talk with ladies who are interested in purchasing and help them make informed decisions on purchases. One of the first steps for any females wanting to ride is purchasing a snowmobile and I have the ability of getting them on the snow so that definitely helps the female rider community grow.

Sledworthy: Would you consider yourself a role-model for other females that would consider this profession?

Legge: Yes, I want other females to see me in my profession and say “I can do that too!”. Just because it’s a male dominated industry, doesn’t mean a female can’t do it. You can surprise yourself at what you really can do!

Sledworthy: What advice would you have for other females that would like to pursue this same route?

Legge: I would tell them to go for it! You never know what you can accomplish until you try. Get to know your products and how they work, because the more you know the more it will help you. If you have a passion for this industry and you feel this is something you could definitely enjoy working at, then do it! I love seeing more and more females becoming involved within this industry.

Sledworthy: What 2020 BRP Snowmobiles are you hoping to try this year?

Legge: I’m hoping to try the 2020 Summit SP 850 E-TEC. I really love backcountry riding and I think that one would be best suited for my style of riding.