question Follow-up to a "no thanks" email response?

[AlphaToday]

Hello everybody,

I'm trying to find an effective way to respond when receiving a "no thanks" email. This is after I initiated first contact and gave an asking price.

I was thinking to respond with something like:

--------------------
Good Day,

I understand that you are not interested in purchasing (domain). It's unfortunate as we would be willing to sell (domain) to you for around ($$$).

Your time is much appreciated. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance in the future.

Best regards,

-------------------

My aim is to be respectful, not be annoying, but also drop a not so hidden hint that they could get the domain for cheaper in case they were scared away by the initial price offer.

What do you guys think?

 

[todaygold]

Just to make sure I understand correctly...you are saying that YOU sent the 1st email out of the blue, correct? They then responded and said they were not interested in buying the domain, correct?
At that point I think an email like this, saying 'that's unfortunate because I was willing to sell it to you for $XXX' would get me annoyed. They already told you they aren't interested in buying it.
If you feel you need to respond at all, maybe say something like 'Thank you for replying back. If you change your mind in the future, feel free to get in touch.'
That way they know you heard them and aren't again trying to sell them something they already told you no to.

 

[Sulabh Sharma]

If some one has replied by clearly mentioning that they are not interested then please stop emailing them back. Better to search new end buyers and start contacting them.

 

[johname]

Best follow up to a "no thanks" is to stop emailing them.

 

[Joe N]

Yep. What those guys said.

 

[infosec3]

Once they say, "No, thank you", it should stop there. No follow up, no attempt to convince them, unless they return showing interest.

 

[hxp]

I've followed up to a "No thanks." plenty of times. I go with something along the lines of "I understand/Thank you for your time/Get in touch if you change your mind/Rental available/Financing possible/etc.". I don't go in with any expectations, except to "ping" their mind, and evoke some afterthought.

Your response is messed up though. Understanding that they don't want to purchase, but then pushing some more, is going to annoy them right off the bat. Then, you say it's unfortunate because you would've sold for less. That begs the question "why didn't you offer that in the first place?". It also makes you look weaker. If you manage to get a response, it's going to be $xx (IMO).

I say, if you really want to follow up, ask something like "What price range might you be comfortable with? My offer is negotiable.". If they respond, and you're willing to take it, just take it. Or, provide some reasoning (as to why the name is valuable), and counter. If they don't respond, call it a day.

Edit: It's my understanding that so far there have been 4 emails in total. Your outbound, followed by their request for a price, followed by your price, followed by "No thanks". If that's not the case, and it's just your outbound, followed by their "No thanks.", I'd agree with the others and I'd advise against a follow up. If they asked for a price, it shows interest, which you might be able to turn into something. If they said no without asking for a price, it shows absolute disinterest, and it's not likely to lead anywhere.

 

[equity78]

It's best to stop emailing them, get rid of the unfortunate line, it comes off as arrogant, that you know their business better than they do. It might invoke a nasty reply back, people don't like strangers telling them a choice they made is unfortunate.

When you contact someone first you need to understand you are in the weaker negotiation position, you can only come down. It's natural that people want to find out why someone rejected them ? You might ask was price the reason why you are passing on this name ? Like I said that puts you in a real weak position, especially if the name is less than premium. They might think they can just wait you out, he offered me $1,500 but then came down to $999, if I wait a few month maybe it's $500.

This is why you want to own non infringing names that have a multitude of potential end users, because when you contact someone rather than them contacting you, you are in the weaker bargaining position.

 

[AlphaToday]

Thanks to everyone for the responses.


To make things clear, in this scenario the "no thanks" response is the potential buyer's first response. They have not asked for a quote or counter-offered. I included the price in my first outbound email to them.

--------------------------------
I have a few lingering thoughts on which I would appreciate your expertise:

1) Since I am contacting them out of the blue, this is likely the only interaction I will have with this potential buyer. It seems more effective to exploit as many opportunities as possible and mention a lower price in the off chance they had some interest but were put off by my initial price offer. I have my lowest acceptable price in mind and am focused on moving the domain.

2) My email (see original post) is a final email. It states my understanding that the person is not interested in purchasing the domain. It provides some extra information regarding the flexibility of the domain price. The contact chooses whether or not to respond. There will not be any follow-up from me if no response is received.

3) It seems to me that most people, including myself, often default to a “no thanks” response when we are approached out of the blue because a) it’s an unknown and unproven source contacting us, b) it’s more comfortable to just say “no thanks” instead of engaging, and c) we’re busy and focused on something else at the moment. I think it might be worth it to respectfully nudge just a bit more to increase the likelihood of finding the not so obvious buyer.

4) The response scenarios I imagine are: a) I get no response and all contact stops, b) I get a low-ball offer I’m not willing to accept, c) they get mildly upset and tell me to go take a long walk off a short pier, d) they get really pissed off, wage an all out media and internet war campaign against me, and seek to destroy all ambition I ever had for becoming a successful domainer.

Hopefully, this thread can assist others as well. Your constructive feedback is appreciated.

 

[todaygold]

I don't understand why you don't just heed what everyone here has advised you? What you are talking about is borderline harassment. You emailed them out of the blue, they were actually nice enough to take the time to reply back and to tell you that they are not interested in purchasing it...that's it. End of story, it stops there. 95% of end-users you contact out of the blue are not going to be interested in buying another domain name...if they are nice enough to reply back to your first email, respect them and what they said and leave them alone.
If you are worried about 'scarring' them off with the price, then do what I do and don't mention price at all in the first email. Just tell them you own it and ask if they are interested in buying it. Let THEM be the one to mention price if they are interested in buying it.

 

[aramyus]

While I globally agree with the recommendation 'no more contact', I wonder if there may not be a few exceptions depending on the context.

May be you've got your answer from a non decision maker who has routine instructions to say 'no thanks' and the refusal does not make sense. It may happen during a vacation leave for example.

May be you've got an answer from a decision maker who does not realize the benefits of owning your domains whether he is too busy, not savvy or whatever.

Very often the success of internet marketing relies on being at the limit of harrasment. So why domaining should be an exception ?

Conclusion: A 'thank you mail' will not hurt, and in a few cases, you should search for an other way to contact your end user.

 

[frank-germany]

It's unfortunate as we would be willing to sell (domain) to you for around ($$$).

if I don't wont it
I couldn't care less

 

[frank-germany]

I've followed up to a "No thanks." plenty of times. I go with something along the lines of "I understand/Thank you for your time/Get in touch if you change your mind/Rental available/Financing possible/etc.". I don't go in with any expectations, except to "ping" their mind, and evoke some afterthought. .

for me it s not a general rule to stop

start with a "no"

but the low price is a very poor argument in the follow up email

I would more point out why a NO is not the best decision for them

 

[wayne wooldridge]

While I globally agree with the recommendation 'no more contact', I wonder if there may not be a few exceptions depending on the context.

May be you've got your answer from a non decision maker who has routine instructions to say 'no thanks' and the refusal does not make sense. It may happen during a vacation leave for example.

May be you've got an answer from a decision maker who does not realize the benefits of owning your domains whether he is too busy, not savvy or whatever.

Very often the success of internet marketing relies on being at the limit of harrasment. So why domaining should be an exception ?

Conclusion: A 'thank you mail' will not hurt, and in a few cases, you should search for an other way to contact your end user.

I am wondering why you asked the question in the first place. It sounds like you are determined to send your follow up email no matter what anyone else says.

Sending them a second offer is likely going to garner a negative response, be it a really lowball counter, or whatever. You are setting the precedent for any future negotiating if they happen to change their mind. It's best to just just let that alone imo

 

[Manik]

If someone sneezes and you offer them a tissue paper and they "no thanks", do you say, "The tissue paper will be here whenever you need it"?

No. You just just put the tissue paper back in your pocket without saying a word.

 

[frank-germany]

If someone sneezes and you offer them a tissue paper and they "no thanks", do you say, "The tissue paper will be here whenever you need it"?

No. You just just put the tissue paper back in your pocket without saying a word.

yes but selling may work differently

 

[biggie]

some solicitors, just don't know when to quit!


imo...

 

[frank-germany]

some solicitors, just don't know when to quit!
imo...

as soon as you quit

you quit

 

[tomcarl]

A general rule in outbound sales from some of the most successful salespeople in the world, "No Thanks" = "I'm not convinced".

We all hate spam and receive emails from amateurs trying to peddle worthless offers and domains and the last thing we want to do is be a nuisance to someone or risk having complaints made, but I can say that I always follow-up to "No Thanks." emails and have converted them into sales, but I always keep responses brief, polite, and only when I know I'm offering a quality domain.

The way that I look at it, If someone is going to take the time to reply, even with two words "No Thanks.", instead of just ignoring you completely or marking it as spam, they are giving you respect, which means they are a very polite person or they see some type of value in what you're offering but something is holding them back and they didn't say what it was. It could be the price, it could be that they don't see the benefit, they think it would be a hassle not worth the time and effort, or they don't trust you.

I try to find out what the objection could be and state an obvious benefit. If you can't give specific examples based on numbers or prove demand, then your domain isn't worth trying to sell outbound IMO.

"MarbleTiIes.com" as an example:

Bob,

Thank you for taking the time to respond, I'm sure you receive a lot of offers by email.

I tallied over two dozen of your competitors optimizing their websites to rank for the exact keywords "Marble Tiles" on the first few pages of search engines and I still believe securing "MarbleTiIes.com" as property of BobsTiles.com would work toward your advantage in a number of ways.

My pricing is negotiable. Should you reconsider in the future and if I still have this domain available, we can use a secure exchange service like Escrow.com to complete the purchase.

My number is xxx-xxx-xxxx if you would prefer to talk over the phone. I have a few ideas on how utilizing this domain can bring you new business.

Thanks again for your time,

Full Name
Owner

Now after that, I won't ever email them again.

Notice how I mention thanking them for their time to respond (building rapport), competitors (possible demand and danger if they don't buy), Pricing negotiable (if price was too high), Escrow.com (security), repeated phone number (legitimacy), having ideas (I'm a competent person worthy of doing business with.). Basically trying to cover every objection there could have been if there was one.

I've used similar emails to the quick draft above and I've had people respond with an offer or questions which ultimately lead to a sale, all after an initial "No Thanks." email.

Keep in mind that I was selling good domains that had different examples to give: they or competitors were using adsense for the exact keywords in the domain, high competition, or they were using a similar yet inferior domain.

But, at the end of the day, none of these emails will work if your domain is crap and you'll be bothering someone, period.

 

[matrigaldo]

Keep in mind that I was selling good domains that had different examples to give: they or competitors were using adsense for the exact keywords in the domain, high competition, or they were using a similar yet inferior domain.

But, at the end of the day, none of these emails will work if your domain is crap and you'll be bothering someone, period.

I think this is an important point.

If i own the domain name "Potatoes.com" and after my initial mail to the company leader of the potatoes market ( ) they reply with "No thanks", then a follow-up email would be OK, and if i write it in a polite, brief and kind way (like @tomcarl example), they might even answer me.
However, if i own the domain "AlwaysSellingPotatoesInUS.com", i'd be just very lucky to even receive a "No thanks" reply and, in this case, the follow-up email is just merely spam.