NamePros.Com - View Single Post - How to Find Potential End Users?

Originally Posted by nRnF

I basically only sell to the so called "end users" or at least I sell at the so called "end user prices"

Basically what hat I do is:

1) Look for simillar domains and extensions & Conduct searches in SEs for related websites.

2) With this I compile a Email list of potential interest buyers (based on website or WHOIS contacts).

3) Then I set the name on auction (no FSBO).

4) Right after setting up the domain auction I send out a mail to each identified potential buyer, and inform them about the auction.
(1 by 1 and personalized for each buyer)

Important in my experience is, that if you want to attend a decent sales price is to set up the auction BEFORE you mail the potential buyers. This has the effect, that it puts indirect pressue on buyers (bid now or you never have a chance again)
A FSBO mail to a potential buyer has not much effect, or you just receive a bunch of real low offers.

PS:
It is advisable, to evaluate trademark conflicts before you send mails

Another point of view. I adopted this exact same approach with a single-word dot com name I owned about 12 months ago. I did two months research until I had a shortlist of prospective buyers. I then emailed out to what I thought were several hundred highly relevant potential buyers, plus I did an actual worldwide postal mail-out that cost me about $700. I set the domain name on its own site and set out the terms and conditions for an auction on eBay. I published on the website what I consider to be an excellent presentation extolling the merits of why you would want to buy the domain name. I insisted on registration for the auction so I would only get qualified buyers. I set what I believed was a very modest starting price for the name. It was all done very professionally.

I did not get one bid.

I've also tried other approaches over the years and I have come to the conclusion that unless you have a very sought after name it is extremely difficult to sell a name at this point in time. There are just so many alternative names that people can buy and unless someone is fixated on your name it becomes quite hard.

I think you can usually gauge your chances by looking at how many approaches you have had over the past 3-5 years. I have had what I consider to be good names for in excess of 10 years and have not received one email re some of these names. That clearly suggests to me that this industry is just starting and has possibly 20-30 years to go before it matures to the point whereby you can quickly and easily sell a good two-word dot com for a significant amount. Leasing your names is also years away. That won't happen until name brokers become involved and we haven't really seen them established in the industry yet.

You are going to have a lot of luck to sell your names through your own initiatives. Your best chance at this point in time is through the auction and sales houses. The DDN system would have been great but it looks like the registrars have killed that by demanding huge commissions (it was initially proposed that 2% commissions would apply).

If anyone has a strategy that really works I'd love to know it.

:-)

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