Emailing potential buyers - What emailing system to use?

[dompro]

I had to send about 30 emails recently for a good single word domain name. All emails were hand edited to include the domain name of the potential buyer and how it is related to the domain being offered for sale. In the same time most part of the email body contained generic email pitch, common to all emails being sent.

Sightly after 20 individual emails sent my gmail account started to complaint that my sending seems like bulk messaging and basically refusing to continue to deliver those.

So my question is simple - what do you use to deliver the email messages about your domain for sale to hand picked similar domain/website owners.

Please do not consider this as "teach me to spam" request. The large number of the emails I needed to send in that particular domain case was due to nature 1-word domain name offered - I was trying to email anybody owning domain containing that word with a meaningful website on it, but gmail behavior have cut it short.

Looking forward for your replies.

Thank you

 

[biggie]

:talk:

why send emails to folks who already have similar domains or a website?


if they already have name, why do they need or want yours


you guys got this "end-user" thing all mixed up

 

[dompro]

so according to yours I am suppose to send it to random people instead?
The owner of developed say "FinePlates dot com" will have absolutely no interest in "Plates dot com"?

PS: not to mention that it was not the question...

 

[biggie]

so according to yours I am suppose to send it to random people instead?
The owner of developed say "FinePlates dot com" will have absolutely no interest in "Plates dot com"?

PS: not to mention that it was not the question...

:talk:


i know that was not the question


but, if you got this good "single word" domain, then how come none of the folks you want to send emails to, aren't contacting you to buy it?


also, imo, 30 emails, if sending in one day for the same domain is waaay too many.


if your target is domain owners and owners of live websites, then i'd say 87% of those emails will go directly to trash, no matter what email client you use.

lastly, if you owned "plates.com" then you wouldn't have to send out emails


imo...

 

[dompro]

but, if you got this good "single word" domain, then how come none of the folks you want to send emails to, aren't contacting you to buy it?

I have acquired it recently.

also, imo, 30 emails, if sending in one day for the same domain is waaay too many.


if your target is domain owners and owners of live websites, then i'd say 87% of those emails will go directly to trash, no matter what email client you use.

what is your point?
a) target not domain owners and not owners of live websites? Housewives who never bought a domain name before?
b) choose a different media (such as Christmas card)?
c) send emails to more than 30 contacts (knowing that 87% will never see it)?

lastly, if you owned "plates.com" then you wouldn't have to send out emails

that was an example. I know we are all millionaires here.

 

[biggie]

I have acquired it recently.

what is your point?
a) target not domain owners and not owners of live websites? Housewives who never bought a domain name before?
b) choose a different media (such as Christmas card)?
c) send emails to more than 30 contacts (knowing that 87% will never see it)?

that was an example. I know we are all millionaires here.

a) target businesses that currently don't have websites


b) reduce emails sent and wait for responses from them, before sending more

c) if you recently acquired the name, then wait a while to see if any offers come in. you'll have more leverage from that perspective, versus being the solicitor.


all imo of course and feel free to ignore anything i say

 

[Kate]

a) target businesses that currently don't have websites

Makes sense, but a business that doesn't have at least a basic website in 2013 may not see the point of paying more than $8 for a domain name. For self-employed people like plumbers or taxi drivers I can understand they don't bother about having a full website.
But that means you are going to have to educate them, frankly it's a lost cause I think.

 

[dompro]

a) target businesses that currently don't have websites

Could you expand on this? This is completely new idea and sounds like "mission impossible" to me? Business that don't have websites = local businesses that don't sale online - you want me not only convince them that online presence is required, but to buy my $xxx-$xxxx domain when they could buy one at godaddy for $7-$8 (and they still have not because they don't care)?

b) reduce emails sent and wait for responses from them, before sending more

sounds like waste of time waiting for response to few emails that will never be received with 87% probability

c) if you recently acquired the name, then wait a while to see if any offers come in. you'll have more leverage from that perspective, versus being the solicitor.

good point, completely agree

 

[SPDouglas]

Well, you have to try your best, whoever you feel they are related to your domain name, send emails to all, but your email should look personalized...

 

[nielsencl]

I am a domainer with about 500 domains. I get messages like yours all the time and while I used to warn people about spamming, I now just report them. If I reported you I apologize, but you were spamming and your email provider, web site host, and perhaps your domain registrar don't allow this. No unsolicited commercial email - That's SPAM.

If you want to keep doing this, you will have to be ready to have your accounts suspended or closed over and over again as time goes on because you are violating your provider's TOS. Everyone can spare me any arguments because I have heard them all. You have a right to your opinion, but as long as the TOS backs up what I think, it doesn't matter what you think.

If you are going to spam your best option is to write a personal message to each person you want to contact, or give them a call on the phone which would be even better. Put more effort into your sales process and I think you will get more sales and have a better reputation for your company.

Spamming is lazy. Be professional and considerate and I think you will have better success.

Oh yeah, make sure you have a good domain to start with. If the Estibot appraisal is less than $1,000 you should sell it here on NP and try to get back your reg fee. Good Luck!

 

[Havela]

unsolicited commercial email - That's SPAM.

No, actually it's not. Among other things such emails also have to be untargeted to qualify as spam. It is a widely held misconception that all unsolicited commercial emails are spam. That is not the case. On the contrary, the legal starting point is that a business is permitted to send out unsolicited emails - they just have to be careful how they go about it and adhere to certain rules and regulations.

If you are going to spam your best option is to write a personal message to each person you want to contact

Did you read his opening post? "All emails were hand edited to include the domain name of the potential buyer and how it is related to the domain being offered for sale." That is personalisation y'know.

or give them a call on the phone which would be even better.

I am a business owner myself (not related to domaining) and personally I dislike unsolicited phonecalls much more than unsolicited emails. The latter I can just ignore - the former interrupt my workday and require my immediate hands-on attention. I also experience phone calls as much more intrusive. And I know a lot of other people my age who feel the same. I believe there is a generation change happening in this area. The younger generation prefer to use social media, sms, etc to make arrangements, not actually calling.

:talk: <- THIS may soon become old-fashioned

@ OP: I use gmail for my enduser emails and have no problems. But I personalise the emails by hand, so it takes at least 5 minutes between each email. Could timing be the issue? If you merge lists beforehand so your gmail account sends out several emails per second, that could be what triggers it. Just a thought.

Edit: I found this relevant quote on Elliot's blog today:

"When you receive an inquiry over the phone, it might not be an opportune time for you to speak. I hate chatting when I am busy with other things, and if I want to have a conversation about a domain name I own, it should be at a time that is convenient for me."

"I hate" was the expression I used initially, too (before I changed it to "dislike"), because that is how strongly I feel about unsolicited sales calls. On principle, I never buy anything from sales people over the phone, since they obviously lack the decency to consider my time.

 

[nielsencl]

No, actually it's not. Among other things such emails also have to be untargeted to qualify as spam. It is a widely held misconception that all unsolicited commercial emails are spam. That is not the case. On the contrary, the legal starting point is that a business is permitted to send out unsolicited emails - they just have to be careful how they go about it and adhere to certain rules and regulations.

Did you read his opening post? "All emails were hand edited to include the domain name of the potential buyer and how it is related to the domain being offered for sale." That is personalisation y'know.

I am a business owner myself (not related to domaining) and personally I dislike unsolicited phonecalls much more than unsolicited emails. The latter I can just ignore - the former interrupt my workday and require my immediate hands-on attention. I also experience phone calls as much more intrusive. And I know a lot of other people my age who feel the same. I believe there is a generation change happening in this area. The younger generation prefer to use social media, sms, etc to make arrangements, not actually calling.
[...]

- Actually, it IS spam. There may be no law that identifies it as such, but that doesn't matter. The designation of spam at the service provider level is what allows me to report it and have accounts closed and often, domains suspended. Check with your own service provider and I think you will find they agree if they are not spam-friendly.

- Sending a message where there is only sales copy is not a "personal message". As you describe, it is a "personalized" message. Custom ads with information about the recipient are not the same as a message from a person that has something other than just commercial intent. But you can agree or not. Again, it is up to the rules and TOS of the service providers that matter. They have the final word on the matter.

- Calls are hard to ignore? Sounds like that would be better for getting sales doesn't it? I have no respect for someone that sends me spam, even if I may be interested in it. It's still spam and you either like it or you don't. At least with a call I know someone is willing to put some effort into making the contact and risking facing my displeasure at the call. I am on the federal and MN Do-Not-Call list and I report telemarketers all the time. But if someone is nice and professional I have no problem informing of their "violation" and will not report them if they seem to regret their mistake.

 

[Havela]

The designation of spam at the service provider level is what allows me to report it and have accounts closed and often, domains suspended.

I do not doubt that you get spammers' accounts suspended, but that does not mean that the OP's emails are spam. You do not have sufficient information to classify them as such.

I am on the federal and MN Do-Not-Call list and I report telemarketers all the time. But if someone is nice and professional I have no problem informing of their "violation" and will not report them if they seem to regret their mistake.

And still you encourage the OP to make unsolicited phone calls? Does not sound as if he would be able to sell anything to you, but rather get a mild admonishment if he is nice and professional and seems to regret his mistake?

 

[nielsencl]

I do not doubt that you get spammers' accounts suspended, but that does not mean that the OP's emails are spam. You do not have sufficient information to classify them as such.

[I certainly do, but it doesn't matter what I think. If the service provider agrees then there will be problems.]

And still you encourage the OP to make unsolicited phone calls? Does not sound as if he would be able to sell anything to you, but rather get a mild admonishment if he is nice and professional and seems to regret his mistake?

[Hmmm, you may be right. Using telemarketing is not a good idea either. The OP should find another way to sell domains.]

I have stated the facts which cannot be argued: If your service provider feels you are spamming after they get a report, then you will have to deal with that.

All our opinions won't change that. And with that I think I will unsubscribe from this thread.

 

[dompro]

I have stated the facts which cannot be argued: If your service provider feels you are spamming after they get a report, then you will have to deal with that.

All our opinions won't change that. And with that I think I will unsubscribe from this thread.

basically you saying if for example I am blowing <keyword>.com on this site for $0.01 starting bid, i should NEVER, EVER, EVER contact the owner of the developed <keyword>.net because there is a chance that my assumption of their interest of exact same .com might be wrong and your rules say they would find my for sale thread by themselves if they wanted it?

 

[Havela]

I have stated the facts which cannot be argued: If your service provider feels you are spamming after they get a report, then you will have to deal with that.

Actually, you claimed that the OP's emails were spam (and recommended him to call instead), which was what I tried to discuss with you.

I do not disagree that if the service provider considers your emails as spam, then you have a problem.

 

[Kate]

The problem is that even domainers receive tons of spam that is domain related, end users often have already been spammed to death too. There is a likelihood that your message will be seen as spam, regardless of your personal definition.
It all has to do with volume.

 

[Havela]

The problem is that even domainers receive tons of spam that is domain related, end users often have already been spammed to death too. There is a likelihood that your message will be seen as spam, regardless of your personal definition.

I know there are persons on here who do not approve of emailing endusers no matter what, which is fine. That is a personal opinion, and everyone is entitled to have one.

But there is a difference between disliking enduser emails and claiming that they are illegal or in violation of service providers' TOS, which was the point I was trying to make. They might be in violation and then they might not be, all depending on the email in question.

The OP clearly stated that he did not send emails to domainers (only targeted endusers with meaningful websites), that the quantity was limited to approx 30 and that each email was personalised to the extent of explaining how the website was related to the domain being offered for sale. That is not spam as per the legal definition.

The rest is personal opinion. :imho:

 

[dompro]

nevertheless, the question was Gmail refusing to send customized email to highly relevant end users after 20-25 message because of commonality in the message body, for those who don't consider it spam and emails end users - is there a better mailer to use (yahoo, hotmail?) or just stretch it over few days - how do you deal with it?

 

[Havela]

As mentioned above, I use gmail and have absolutely no problems, so this must be related to the manner in which you send your emails. If you dispatch with a very high frequency (e.g. several emails per second), that could be what triggers it. If so, all you have to do is wait a while between each email.