Dear Realtor,

When I was growing up as a small boy in Connecticut, I often heard commercials from a local jeweler named William M. Savitt. Mr. Savitt had come to Connecticut and opened his business in 1919. He was just one of seven children of Russian-Jewish immigrant parents and he dropped out of school at age 14.

Back in the 1970′s and 80′s as I was growing up, it was not his jewelry business that caught my attention. It was the snazzy uniforms that he bought us to wear for our little league team. I did not know who he was but on my back I wore a simple slogan that became folklore back in Hartford, Ct.

P.O.M.G. Peace of Mind Guaranteed. That was it. A 4 letter acronym followed by a four word slogan. For decades he built his brand identity on a very simple catch phrase. And what a business this former dropout built.

Never doing business like most jewelers did then and as fewer do now, Mr. Savitt built his business by guaranteeing his clientele a lifetime guarantee. Customers were guaranteed complete peace of mind if you decided to do business with Savitt Jewelers.

Standing behind his famous guarantee, he actually walked the walk and talked the talk to the tune of over $10 Million dollars per year in annual sales. Let me remind you that were talking 1970′s US Dollar strength…Savitt knew that in a business based upon service, that his consumers had choices.

If they were not satisfied with his business there were many other jewelers available that would gladly take the business. So he knew he had to go above and beyond his product and be the man behind the business. It worked for generations that followed, and will for generations to follow, as the Savitt name lives on in the jewelry business nearly 90 years later.

That famous guarantee, dreamed and implemented by a high school dropout of immeasurable success lives on.

Savitt’s legacy is brought to memory as I recently had to deal with a couple of crappy real estate agents. One is going to ride her client’s right into foreclosure and the other who has no grasp of the complexities of today’s real estate market. Unfortuynately this type of incompetence is becoming more the rule than the exception. 

In my opinion the agents I refer to are completely opposite what Savitt stood for. People seem to forget nowadays that The customer is king. The customer is always right, and the customer DESERVES premium service and quality service.

Like Savitt, why don’t you stand up and exemplify excellence. I would be the first to  applaud you. As a Realtor, aren’t you tired of being associated with an industry known for lackluster service?

Don’t you realize that with all of the technology in the world, all of the branding promotions, it all means nothing if you are not prepared to show the consumer that you are a different breed of real estate agent.

That new breed being that agent who is bold enough and confident enough in their abilities to guarantee their clients service nonpareil.

So, my question, in this open letter, is to the rest of the country’s real estate agents. Are you prepared and willing to stand behind your abilities? Are you willing to excel in your field and challenge the consumer to find a better agent than you? Are you willing to allow your client to fire you with no questions asked if you do not deliver?

Are you prepared to offer your clients the feeling that Mr. Savitt afforded generations of his clients? Are you prepared to offer complete P.O.M.G.? Peace Of Mind Guaranteed. I think the American consumer deserves this from all Realtors and should demand it. In fact I encourage all consumers not to settle for anything less.

It’s time to see this business change and if it is by just one broker at a time, then at least it’s a start.

Imagine the revolution!