It was 1953 when Robert Smiley began selling insurance out his kitchen. Now, 62 years later, his grandson, Brett Roberts, is working hard to continue the family legacy of what he called “service on a personal level.”
Smiley moved his business from just south of Bouton to Minburn in the late 1950’s, where it remained until being shifted to Perry in 1969.
Ten years later he would be joined by Dennis Roberts, whose own son, Brett, would eventually become a partner with his father, as Dennis had been with his father-in-law, beginning in 1979. The passing on of a share of the business to a third generation in the family was not, Brett said, a sure thing.
“I had gone to college and earned a degree in broadcasting,” he said. “I was a sportscaster by trade and had no desire to do what I am doing now. I worked in radio and really enjoyed it, but the station was sold to corporate buyers and that changed things. At about the same time my dad was considering selling the agency and asked if I had any ambition along those lines.”
Roberts, a 1988 Perry High and 1992 Grandview College grad, took a chance and joined his father in 2000. His love of sports had not been entirely quieted, and he continued to work as a high school basketball and football official on the side. He eventually put down his basketball whistle, but will soon begin his 16th year as a football official and is proud of having worked the playoffs four of the last five seasons.
“My personal life had changed, too, and being a sportscaster just was not going to give me enough time with my kids, especially at that time, as they were still quite young,” he explained.
Roberts is an independent agent, offering Grinnell Mutual, United Fire and Casuality, North Star Mutual and Boone Farmer’s Mutual policies. He also provides crop insurance through Diversified Crop Insurance Services.
Selling insurance is, in his view, selling service, not a product.
“People want to be able to call someone if the unexpected happens and have things explained to them,” he said. “A lot of the time you will not see or speak with people until there is a problem, and you have to remember they are calling you because something has happened that they wish had not. Being able to answer their questions and having the information to tell them what they need to do in a difficult time is something I find very satisfying about my job.”
Roberts said he has never been a proponent of the “hard” sell.
“You come in to me I will give you a quote, give you the information you need to make a decision and let you decide,” he said. “If you want to buy it, you will.”
“I take pride that when a client walks in I know who they are,” Roberts said. “People will often stop by just to chat for a while and that is what I mean by ‘personal service.’ I want my clients to know I am someone they can talk to and trust when they need their insurance to help them.”
It is at the rough moments, Roberts said, that he finds the greatest rewards.
“It is pleasing that when someone has in issue — an accident, a broken water pipe, a lost diamond ring — that you are able to help that person regain some semblance of what they lost,” he said. “Insurance is something you need but never hope to use, and when you have to use it, it is a big help if that person is someone you have a relationship with and that is what I strive to provide.”
