discuss What do YOU do to keep motivated?

[DanBingham]

As the above question asks, what do you do to keep motivated when perhaps sales are slow or simply not happening?

You might use this as an opportunity to take a break from domaining or re-evaluate your existing strategy. I guess we've all been there at some point in our domaining career but we are all different afterall.

 

[Rob Monster]

This thread is not getting much engagement. For anyone looking for encouragement, I will share you a go-to teaching from an old Dutch lady:

https://us.tv/videos/watch/3ffa9288-9df6-4ee6-a8d5-ac4536112a0b

It is a sermon so heads up there. However I happen to believe very much in what she has to say as I have experienced it so many times that I no longer keep track!

 

[Samer]

I remember; those who “doubted most” Succeed!!
If “you’r crazy” doing something right!! Keep learning

Always try get positives, out of worst situations; learn from them, to make you better, moving forward.... Doesn't mean, u can't be own toughest critic. Try not lose sight and be content with status, if u do make it. Dont be, many in industry, who rely on past success.
Those will be the ones, who’ll be first, 2b forgotten in domaining, life, and beyond.

 

[Laguna]

What keeps me motivated hmmm, I look at the top 100 sales on namebio every day. When I see some of the absolute rubbish that sells on a daily basis I'm shocked. That is what keeps me motivated.
Peace
Gary

 

[Tia Wood]

Read and learn A LOT, network with others, write some articles, do some back burner projects.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

This is a great thread that deserves more attention. Did we discuss this before? I thought so but maybe I just dreamed that.

Anyway, my answer would be some combination of the following.

• Make sure your goals are realistic. I set mine very modest. Each year my goal is to be positive cash flow wise (not to make tons, just to not lose), to sell more volume than the year before, and to have what is in my mind a better portfolio at the end of the year than the year before. That might sound grand but it isn't at all. If you start slow, doubling or tripling it each year is not hard, for awhile. I am not aiming to sell $10k or even $2k. Simply double or so what I sold the year before.
• Be reflective. Ask yourself what you know or apply better this year than the year before. I bet it is more than you first realize. Like you might know how to make better landers, or list effectively at a new marketplace, or evaluate two word comparator sales better than last year.
• Help someone. We all have different skills. When nothing is happening for you sales wise, and you feel frustrated, think about your skills and search NamePros for someone looking for help you can offer. You will be surprised that it will help you at least as much as them.
• Go to the park. Seriously. If I am frustrated with something on NamePros I simply go for a nice long walk in a nice place. Make sure each day is balanced is good advice.
• Take a break. Someone wrote a post on this, I forget who , but he probably had something good to suggest.
• Evaluate your portfolio. I think the idea of identifying your best 5 or 10 and your worse 5 or 10, and why, not only makes you a better domainer, but the clarity helps you feel better that you know where you are going. And you have some decisions made about renewals.
• If you can't (yet) sell big, sell little. I know not all agree, but if it really has been a long time, why not try selling a domain for at least something. Maybe here, maybe on a registrar marketplace, maybe fixed or auction or responding to requests. You can't always sell at that level, but even when I sell a domain to a domainer for $18 I feel good (as long as I have less than $18 invested in it).
• Think about another way to use your domain skills. You have probably learned a lot without realizing it through domains. Can you make a little bit of money in some related way - e.g. consulting, writing, analyzing, teaching, etc.? Even many of the big names in domains make some of their money not directly in buying and selling.

Take care my friends and I hope that your week has some positives that you did not expect.

Bob

 

[lock]

Come here read up.. It is all you guys/girls if I didn't have some assurances on decisions I would be having more personal struggles.

 

[MTB]

@Bob Hawkes Another excellent post, thanks for sharing!

 

[BBQ Names]

What keeps me motivated hmmm, I look at the top 100 sales on namebio every day. When I see some of the absolute rubbish that sells on a daily basis I'm shocked. That is what keeps me motivated.
Peace
Gary

Yes! Yes! Yes! I agree wholeheartedly!!! The prices sometimes for names I NEVER would have given a second look! Motivating indeed.

 

[handpicked]

It's a dream world with so much goodies cum baddies and there's only one sad reality - Paying the Bills. Nothing motivates like money but then, it takes one to the dark doors of capitalism where, billionaires work 120 hours a week to become multi-billionaires at the least, because, cash is all that they have. Moderation (with due respect to @Bob Hawkes), Diversity (acceptance and tolerance), Nature (plant trees-do our bit), Spirituality (as said by @Rob Monster), Reading a lot (as said by @Tia Wood), Learn and Move forward ( as said by @Xabial), and some life style change might help, for example, I know a friend who is well placed, and when visiting a city for some work, he moves around walking asking people for direction, and does not take a cab or bus. Finishes all his work, and gets into a park, there, he spots a tree, and sleeps under it for 3 hrs peacefully, since obviously, he's tired, thereafter, he eats something famous in that place for a change, and comes back. 'The best sleep I have is under a tree, and not in star hotels he quips.' that's the way he motivates himself.

 

[Blitzpotz]

So many great posts and, once more, some complete guidance by @Bob Hawkes.

For me persistence and belief in the sense of what I do are motivation. This attitude is neither based on ratio nor religion but after all aware of the possibility that I could be lost in illusion.

 

[Reddstagg]

My favorite saying is this (sorry if I nicked it off someone):

"If you don't know where you're going, how do you know when you've got there."

This can be applied to many things in life, not just domain investing and it keeps me grounded.

 

[Rajuajoshi]

I try to keep on moving things which helps me to motivated.

 

[Dondomainer]

I escaped from a communist dictatorship at my 18-year-old , so I have a lot of motivation around here.

 

[karmaco]

I really like this one below @Bob Hawkes . It is motivating to always be reevaluating your portfolio. If you ignore your portfolio you will be overwhelmed come decision time.

I think just doing anything normal human beings do outside the domain bubble— just living— is very therapeutic. Shutting off all things domain at least part of your day or week (sleeping doesn’t really count) is a must.

Evaluate your portfolio. I think the idea of identifying your best 5 or 10 and your worse 5 or 10, and why, not only makes you a better domainer, but the clarity helps you feel better that you know where you are going. And you have some decisions made about renewals.

 

[.X.]

I do not worry about making sales, my focus is on my portfolio and websites, continuous work on those two things keeps me motivated, I guess self satisfaction keeps me more motivated than anything else within the domain name industry

 

[Jeffrey2002]

if i want to be a motivated than i just try to be positive....