Insurance agents don’t send their customers a bill for their services. I bet if we were allowed to do so it’d actually be better for consumers because then there’d be a metric for measuring and comparing value-for-cost between different agent options. The good ones would thrive and the bad ones would need to adapt.
But even though agents are required to accept revenue only as commissions from the insurance company, you can still choose an agency based on the value you get from their work. I feel that comparing that value should hinge on the following:
Knowledge They should have a deep combination of book smarts, experience, & street smarts. New people tend to fizzle out in this industry and long-experienced ones tend to have many fascinating stories that probably relate to what you need to consider. When they tell you X and recommend that you follow their suggestion, are they right? Is it the best possible answer for your situation?
Action Who does the work? Will it be the person who knows you best, or will they assign tasks to people who don’t know you? When the agent promises something will happen, does it? Will the agent be available when you want them to be, or will they only talk to you when they need to sell you something?
Growth relationships Will the agent be there for as long as you need them, or will you be training new agents on what’s important to you? Has the agent ever chosen what’s best for their client vs. what’s best for them? Can you see yourself being proud to recommend them to family and friends?
Darren McGraw & Mechelsen Private Client 
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