We see commercials for car insurance every day and the insurance business is booming, but if you are new to buying insurance or are looking to find a new company to work with the process of finding a good car insurance agent can be tough. You need to find someone who you can trust, will listen to your needs and understand what you are looking for, not someone who is trying to sell you on every bell and whistle a company offers. If you are intimidated by the process of finding a new agent, here are four tips on finding a new agent.

1. Ask Your Friends, Family and Co-workers

Anyone who drives (which is essentially all of us) has insurance and has dealt with an agent or agency in some way shape or form. Ask people you trust for recommendations and experiences with agents. You will get a variety of responses, but be sure to press a little on why someone likes the agent or does not like the agent, don't settle for answers like "he's nice." Certainly a nice agent would be preferred but you want a good agent who will give you the best rates, the best coverage and will listen to your needs before recommending a product. I would take a grumpy agent and a good rate any day!

2. Call Insurance Agents You Already Deal With

Maybe you have a life insurance or home owner's insurance agent that you already deal with and are already comfortable with. Give them a call and see if they deal in car insurance as well. Many insurance agencies span the entire insurance spectrum and often times insurance agencies will offer you a significant discount if you hold multiple policies with them. If you are not comfortable with your agent ask any perspective new agents if they deal in life insurance or home owner's insurance and transfer all of your policies to the new agency.

3. Interview Car Insurance Agents

If you still can't find an agent that you are comfortable with pick a few out of the phone book and give them a call. If you can't get through to them or if they don't call you back quickly cross them off the list immediately. For those agents that you do talk to ask them background questions like how long they have been in the industry, what types of insurance products they deal in and any kind of certifications or agency affiliations they have. This can be a good way to weed out any agents that are new to the game or not very well qualified. It's also a good way to see how responsive they will be in the future.

4. Contact an Independent Agent

In your search of a car insurance agent, one of the smartest things you can do is to seek out an independent agent. Independent agents will search a variety of company's rates and find you the best deal across many companies, rather than other agents who are tied to a specific agency. Put simply, independent agents work for you while other agents work for their company.