How Do I Know if I am Doing OK?

How do I know if my SEO is doing good work? (been paying $1500/month for over 3+ years). Are there any online audit tools available or services that only audit SEO and don't try to sell me the service? When I question the value I am getting from them, I always get the runaround answer (we're up in these key geographical areas with these search words, etc). I don't doubt they are doing good work but we haven't seem to be reaching the goals they themselves agreed would have been achieved a while ago. I even inquired if I should increase my budget with them and they told me 'not currently'. Are there any specific questions I should ask them and gauge their answers? Its a foreign language to me. Thanks for any tips!