Oregon band teacher and mother digs the insurance jam

Marla Kasdorf’s life as a music teacher, small business owner and mother apparently wasn’t busy enough when she decided to become licensed as an insurance agent

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Marla Kasdorf’s life as a music teacher, small business owner and vice president of the Grants Pass, Oregon Chamber of Commerce apparently wasn’t busy enough. Not very long ago, she became licensed as an insurance agent and two years ago joined Leavitt Group in their Redwoods-Leavitt office.

Insurance Business caught up with Kasdorf to see how a self-described “band teacher and mommy” came to love her work as a life and health insurance agent.

Learn the steps on how to become a health insurance agent here.
 

Q. You have a very eclectic background. What brought you to the insurance industry?

A.  I had been teaching and was unable to get a long-term position in southern Oregon. I was looking for something that would be long-term, without layoffs or budget cuts—unlike education—and somewhat portable.
 
My husband and I had a custom furniture business for 20 years and dealt with this particular agency and it just seemed to be an interesting, challenging type of industry with a lot of possibility. The market is huge, and not a day goes by that I don’t hear of a type of policy I never knew existed.

Q. What are three words you would use to describe the ideal insurance agent?

A. Enthusiasm—I truly believe in the products I’m working with. Disciplined—Being a musician, you get one shot and you’d better show up on time, prepared, or you’ll never work there again. I know that has helped me here. Teachable—Be willing to find out if there’s a better way to do something, or a better product or a better strategy.

Q. What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given in your career?

A. Talk to the people who have been in the industry for 40 years. Take a hint from what’s worked for them. If your strategy doesn’t work, you’ve got one or two more for backup.

Q. How would you change the industry, if you could?

A. Being able to sell any product across state lines. It’s frustrating for me, even as a customer. I was looking into buying health insurance a couple of years ago and was told they couldn’t sell to me in Oregon.

When I had a business, it didn’t matter if I sold you an office in Nebraska, California or Oregon.

Q. If you could invite any three people in the world to dinner, living or dead, who would they be and why?

A.  My dad—I lost him last year to cancer and not a day goes by that I don’t remember his little pearls of wisdom, whether it’s just how to treat people or to basically buck up.

Mother Teresa—She totally put herself aside, and it’s almost as if she doesn’t exist. Her purpose and her work exists, and that’s truly admirable.

Itzhak Perlman—He has overcome so many physical challenges in his life and now he’s in his 70s and is just having fun, doing what he wants to do. He’s like a little kid in a candy store. I want to look back on my life and feel the same way.

Q. If you weren’t in insurance, where would you be?

A. I always wanted to grow up and play in an orchestra—just get paid to play my horn seven hours a day.

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