Dealer Highlight: Ryan Ball Breaks Down Growing Up At The Dealership
Ryan Ball has lived and breathed the car business his entire life. From naming the cars in his dad’s lot when he was just three years old to becoming the General Manager of Rick Ball Ford Lincoln-Sedalia, Ryan has had a passion for helping customers with all their four-wheeled needs. Working with both his dad Rick and his brother Ross, Ryan is truly part of the family business, and he was kind enough to tell us all about it.
What’s your personal story about how you got into the automotive industry?
I got in the automotive industry because of my dad and grandpa. My grandpa passed away in 2001, but both he and Rick (my dad) have been my role models for my whole life. From day one I had an automatic love for cars. They didn’t have to push me at all because I knew at age 3 I wanted to sell cars my whole life. I could truly go down our car lot back then and tell you what each car was. My love for cars has never changed at any point in my life and remains really strong today.
I also wanted to be a part of my dad’s and grandpa’s car and business discussions. When I was little, I remember my dad and grandpa always sitting out on the deck at our lake house and talking car business with lots of cool car lingo. I would always go out there and just listen and try and pick up as much information as I could. As I got older, they started including me in those discussions and it really made me feel good to get a word in that they both agreed with or laughed at. Now my dad and I have those same talks that also include my brother (Ross) on that same deck. I still cherish those talks and try to absorb as much as I possibly can.
I also really cherish the way my dad brought me into the dealership. I started begging to work at the dealership when I was about 10. Finally, at 13 or 14, my dad finally let me start washing cars and doing lots of odds and ends for the dealerships. I did that for a few years, then worked in service, and then in parts. I learned very valuable lessons that I don’t know what I’d do without now, if I hadn’t had those years of experience working after school, during Christmas breaks and in the summer.
We had one summer where we were really short on salespeople when I was 17 at our Ford store, so I begged to get a chance to sell and got it. I ended up doing really well and was really hooked then. I also remember working when we would have a big sale on random weekends, and by the last one, I had sold quite a bit more than the second-place guy who was a 30-year sales veteran and was always the salesman of the month. I even used my middle name as my last name because I wanted to do well without it being because of being the owner’s son.
During this time and in the summers, I wouldn’t take an “up” off the lot unless everyone else was busy. My dad and grandpa told me I could sell all I wanted, but I couldn’t take money away from other salespeople. In the end when my deals were closing at a good rate, they started telling me where the “ups” were and to go grab them. I did hand my “sold” customers off to the different sales people we had and gave them the deal and commission. I really just cared about the experience and there wasn’t anything else I would have rather been doing than that.
My dad had me sell cars for five years after college, and that really gave me some great experience dealing with customers. I slowly started picking up additional job duties along the way. After five years, I worked up to the sales manager job and eventually became general manager in Boonville. I got be the general manager in Sedalia at our Ford store right from the start, and got to be a part of the rebuild which has been a lot of fun. We only had five new and five used cars on the lot when we took over. We really built a great team that has been so much fun to work with! I fell in love with the Sedalia store and have been running this store for over 11 years now. It’s been a fun ride!
How does your family support your automotive ambitions?
It is a very hard thing to be the wife of a car guy — my mom and my wife, Angie, are both amazing! We have to work lots of hours in the car business and there are lots of ups and downs so to have an awesome family like I do means everything. Angie motivates me and gives me the confidence I need to go out everyday and get better. She also works so hard to make sure all the kids are happy and taken to every practice. She is my rock and am so lucky to have her. My mom did all of those things too! I have been so lucky to be surrounded my such amazing women in my life with my mom and wife.
How does your dealership staff work together to tackle obstacles?
We are very fortunate to have a core staff that has been together a long time now. We work hard at being on the same page with each other, and I really think that helps when there are obstacles to tackle. We will address the issues and come up with a plan together that we think is going to work best. We are all very lucky to have a team with the same goals and same expectations of what the customer experience should be like.
What’s your favorite part about being part of the Missouri automotive industry?
The Missouri automotive industry is great. We really have a great group of dealers that almost all work really well together. I love that you can fight your hardest against another dealer on selling a car and then, win or lose, you can smile and can laugh about it because we really are all in the same boat and have all been on both sides. It’s also really easy to find common ground with other dealers, and that part is fun too.
We are all so lucky to have such a great association in MADA that will back us up through anything. I have had times when I didn’t think there was any solution to a problem I had, and when I called Doug, he would end up giving me great advice or knew exactly who I needed to call to get my answer. It is so great as a Missouri dealer to have so many people that work so hard with MADA to make doing business so much easier.
What is your dealership’s involvement with the local community?
We have worked really hard to be a big part of the local community and communities around us since we got to Sedalia 11 years ago. We support lots of youth activities, lots of sports, many agricultural activities and projects. There are truly lots, and we very rarely turn down a chance to help no matter what the community activity or charity is. We help with lots of school events and also many veteran causes as well. Rick is a Vietnam veteran and my grandpa was a WWII veteran so doing something that helps those who serve or have served always has a special spot in our hearts.
What advice do you have for someone looking to join the automotive industry?
The biggest things I would say is working hard, being determined and keeping yourself motivated. Those are the keys to success in selling cars. You also have to be willing to adapt to have long-term success. And treating customers right will make or break you.
What is your favorite car of all time?
My favorite car of all time is either a Corvette or a Mustang. The first car I bought new was after about six months selling after college. It was a red, 2002 Mustang GT. I also loved buying my first new Corvette in 2005. My dad let me buy the very first C6 we got in and was able to configure it exactly like I wanted. It was awesome! I always put loud exhaust on my rides and both of those cars sounded awesome.
Which vehicle service repair do you feel is most essential to your vehicle’s longevity?
Regular oil change and tire rotation will prevent lots of expense down the road.
