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other A Social Experiment by a Domain Investor

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After playing the domain game since 2005 and seeing all different kinds of investors from different walks of life, I decided to conduct a social experiment following my recent transition in appearance to a metal head/rocker. The generalized data I provided may be slightly surprising to some of you, and expected by others.

To summarize, I’ll be showing the amount of successful deals closed based solely on appearance or first impressions. It’s no big secret that many people judge others based on how they look. Sadly, we all fall into some kind of social stereotype in one way or another; a label that identifies what kind of person others think we might be based on a movie, television show, or news release they saw at some point in their life.

In Person (The Meet & Greet):
This is where you look into each other’s eyes, shake hands, and introduce yourself with a smile.
  • 2005 to 2007 (White Collar/Suit/Tie): Closed 8 out of every 10 deals
  • 2007 to 2015 (Blue Collar/Trucker/Biker): Closed 4 out of every 10 deals
  • 2015 to Current (Metal Head/Rocker): Closed 6 out of every 10 deals
Note: This type of sales strategy really allows you to see the facial expressions and body language of those you do business with. It's truly amazing to see some of the reactions of people when you approach them. Most of them, not knowing how easily translatable their reactions are, could offer you a cue on when to close.

For instance, here are some expressions and emotions that the prospect may be presenting with the given attire:
  • (White Collar/Suit/Tie): Easy smile, a little nervous, lack some confidence, overall comfort within a few minutes of conversation, instant trust factor, and a hint of respect and a few want a picture with you
  • (Blue Collar/Trucker/Biker): Confusion, nervous, disbelief, uncomfortable at first but with a slight comfort level materializing after a few minutes of conversation, lack of trust, evident respect, and a couple want a picture with you
  • (Metal Head/Rocker): Shock, amazement, overall comfortable, confident, curiosity, uncertainty but trust develops over a few minutes of conversation, and a lot want a picture with you
Social Network (Meet & Greet):
This is where you have a full profile with pictures and reach out to potential buyers to digitally shake hands via chat or other messaging system.
  • 2005 to 2007 (White Collar/Suit/Tie): Closed 8 out of every 10 deals
  • 2007 to 2015 (Blue Collar/Trucker/Biker): Closed 2 out of every 10 deals
  • 2015 to Current (Metal Head/Rocker): Closed 3 out of every 10 deals
Note: Generally, I noticed that people would review my profile and picture before responding.

For example, most responses started like this:
  • (White Collar/Suit/Tie): "Thanks for contacting me" or "I appreciate you reaching out"
  • (Blue Collar/Trucker/Biker): "Not interested", "Do I know you?", "Blocked", "I like your rings" or no response at all.
  • (Metal Head/Rocker): "Love the hair! What's up dude?", "I'll look this over and let you know later" or "Did that piercing hurt?"
E-Mail (Meet & Greet):
This is where nobody sees a picture of each other and you shake hands digitally, trusting only information provided via e-mail.
  • 2005 to 2007 (White Collar/Suit/Tie): Closed 8 out of every 10 deals
  • 2007 to 2015 (Blue Collar/Trucker/Biker): Closed 6 out of every 10 deals
  • 2015 to Current (Metal Head/Rocker): Closed 8 out of every 10 deals
Note: Many times there is never really any identity information transferred in this form, other than the potential research a buyer does to try and establish your identity. The above stats are pretty cut and dry and any additional research a buyer does may result in the same numbers or responses as on a social network.

In conclusion:
It's only been about a week now since my transition to a Mohawk with a septum piercing, so the stats above may change substantially over the course of the next year. Regardless of the exact results though, it's pretty transparent that conducting business as a domain investor still has the same judgment passed and stereotypical encounters as one does with many other business dealings.

Though to be completely fair, if I were to compare domain investing to car sales, chances are the domainer has better results than the car salesman for both blue collar and rocker appearances. It's just a completely different beast altogether with more of an open mind to who you do business with. This reminds me why I love doing what I do so much these days.

This is just my experiences so far (to be continued). I would love to hear your experiences with domain investing and the prejudices that you face.

What are some of the obstacles you've encountered in similar situations?
Do you have any mind blowing experiences that just went over top and defied any logic?
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
Very interesting.

I have to see a picture of you in the White Collar/Suit/Tie.
 
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Fascinating stuff...
Are all the numbers from domain deals?
Or did you include design jobs?
 
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