discuss How much would you pay for a better domain to promote your domain portfolio?

[garptrader]

Most forum members acquire domain names primarily for the purpose of reselling them. Many discussions revolve around aftermarket sales, the prospects of a domain selling with certain characteristics - short, one-word, high-search volume, new tld vs .com etc. Occasionally we see threads where someone has recently registered several reg fee domains and inquire about which is best. Or they may post a thread on the domains wanted section with a $50-$100 budget. Yet this forum is about domain names, right? Recently the domain DomainNames.com sold for $370k so at least Schilling believes in paying up for great domains. Yet sadly it seems like most of us place as much a priority on acquiring an aftermarket domain as the typical end user with a Facebook profile or reg fee domain. I suspect the typical domainer portfolio resides on a reg fee domain. If you don't believe in paying up for a domain to promote your domain business, why should you expect end users to act any differently?

I have several portfolio-type domains. One was a made-up name (Dominericos.com), another I won in a forum auction (Dominero.com) two were backordered (PremiumDomains.tv, DominiosenEspanol.com), another was acquired via a Namejet auction (GenericDomains.net) and another was acquired from someone who acquired it in a Namejet auction (ComprarDominio.com). So while I have never spent $xXxX on an individual domain acquisition, I have invested in acquiring above average domains to promote my portfolio.

 

[Josh R]

Paid a lot for PremiumBrands.com and paid a decent amount for BrandConsultants.com.

If you're not willing to spend on domains as an end-user then don't expect others to IMO.

 

[HotKey]

I guess in way, but I would suggest some may be more adept at finding creative solutions to building a storefront, and finding ways to draw customers. For those who aren't, well, time to go shopping. Its a big circle, really.

 

[BaileyUK]

I guess all my sales come from 'illogical' buyers then. long may they continue.

I'm not against having a premium portfolio name.. I just don't think for the vast majority of part-time domainers (which most are) it's necessary at all. And indeed could work against you If your portfolio name doesn't live up to any hype or promotion you attempt to give it . There are some prime examples on Namepros that would probably be best served listing under just a users name.

Keep the expectation low - then over deliver has always been a repeat (and satisfaction) business motto

 

[NameBuyer.com]

I think it is important to keep in mind that everything in your sales process gives an impression.

My foremost reason for creating a marketplace/portfolio site was for cost savings. At the point where I put together a marketplace, I had 1-2 sales per month and I felt it was really dumb to give away a percentage of my sales to commission, when the traffic originated from my domain in the first place. I still don't mind spending 20% on commission when the traffic comes from elsewhere because they are adding a lot of value, but if the sale comes from my own traffic, it makes no sense.

At this point, with 1-2 sales per month you are at about 18 sales per year, around $25k in revenue, and $5,000 per year in commissions @ 20% (ouch).

I started off cheap with nameimprove.com as the domain and a simple website where I listed my portfolio. What I noticed over time is that the offers I received via the site, and negotiations, seemed to be low-ball more often than not compared to what I previously received on sedo/afternic/parking sites. So then you need to wonder, how much are you really saving when your overall offer amounts go down because of the impression you are giving? So I bought BetterNames//com soon after for $1,700 and paid a designer to come up with a better site design for about $500.

Before I upgraded the site, I started looking into marketing ideas much more and found that there are some small things you can do to give yourself a stronger position in negotiation and establish your authority in your industry with very little effort. By establishing a sense of Authority in the industry, you are much less likely to receive random low ball push-back from serious buyers. For me, the basics of doing so were the following:

• Domain Name - to sell premium domains, you at minimum need a domain that is not "bad". Mine (NameImprove.com) wasn't horrible, but I knew it wasn't great, and to sell higher end names I think you are far better off with a good or great name.

• Web Site Design - Whether using a template, a service, or doing it yourself just make sure it looks like a good professional website. As a developer, I've learned I'm not a designer and avoid coming up with designs from scratch even after 20 years of development and design editing.

• Logo - similar to your domain, the logo matters. Unless you are a real designer, I would avoid doing it yourself. Hire a designer, or you can generate some good ones via logoshuffle.com or logojoy.com. At $30-$50 it makes no sense to use a bad logo.

• Email Address - (myname@betternames//com) gives a much better impression than [email protected] did, and much better than a personal email address.

• Email Signature - come up with an email signature that makes sense and give yourself a title. I would avoid "Owner" or "CEO" unless it is obvious that your business has multiple employees.

It is much harder to recover negotiations that have started with the customer trying to cut away at the value of the domain. If you establish your authority early in the customer engagement process, I've found that it is less likely that a knowledgeable buyer will take this path.

The items above are some simple ways you can start establishing authority and help you negotiate from a stronger position.

As a side note, if you are not going to have an end result that is "great" for the items above, you should probably just keep your 20% commission landing pages as your end result will likely be better, or use one of the landing page services that keep you anonymous. For me, the process was going to save me a few thousand dollars a year in commission to start, so investing $2-3k was an easy choice.

 

[BaileyUK]

Great post Namebuyer. And certainly an authoritative Name you have there,

That said some of the portfolio names offered at Namepros aren't even on the same planet, let alone recognition status as "Namebuyer"

 

[johnnie018]

These won’t help sales, for you own ego only. People want specie names, not portfolio site.

 

[Name Trader]

I think all buyers expect to see solidity of the seller. Not a fly-by-night kind of operation. it helps a lot. IMHO.

 

[Name Trader]

Of course there is prestige in saying you own Domain.com, and actually use it for selling domains. But the price of that domain is out of reach, or not even for sale, for most of us. Of course there are a multitude of levels of domains between a79b.com to Domain.com. I'd rather own Domain.com rather than a79b.com. I think you would make more domain sales from domain.com than from a79b.com. OK. It could be argued that Prestige=Ego. They probably travel along a similar trajectory from poor to excellent. But they are different. Prestige is something awarded by others (to the domain), Ego is something awarded to yourself (by others) But they often travel a similar path.

So I'm perfectly ok with, and not at all insulted by, somebody saying I have a big ego because of my better quality domain name. I take it as a compliment As a recognition I have done something right

 

[BrandableDomain]

Not getting a great brand for yourself until you are successful is the same as not buying yourself a decent suit and shoes until you get a decent job.

You need such a brand from the beginning and you build the brand slowly from ground up.

That’s a beautiful metaphor about the paradox of buying a new suit AFTER you’ve just got a new job!

I don’t know how to measure it, but having a powerful name gives you exactly the same advantage factors we ourselves use to market our domains - instant credibility and trust and so on.

So I am quite certain that by having an authoritative domain for my business (which is BrandableDomain.com) I believe I get fewer lowball offers, I get “instant implied trust”, I get a high response to my emails, I have a stronger negotiating position and hence more sales at higher prices etc etc than if I operated out of a gmail address.

(I actually have all my domains with BIN pricing, but customers still often want to negotiate.)

 

[BrandableDomain]

The website has to compete with the likes of Afternic, Sedo, GoDaddy for trustability. Which I think no other domain seller can compete with. Even Uniregistry.

Except that Uniregistry has just acquired DomainNames.com.

Back in November, Frank Schilling tweeted:

“we are launching the greatest piece of sales infrastructure ever launched to sell a domain name.”

The schedule for this is sometime around August. Stay tuned.

 

[johnnie018]

Of course there is prestige in saying you own Domain.com, and actually use it for selling domains. But the price of that domain is out of reach, or not even for sale, for most of us. Of course there are a multitude of levels of domains between a79b.com to Domain.com. I'd rather own Domain.com rather than a79b.com. I think you would make more domain sales from domain.com than from a79b.com. OK. It could be argued that Prestige=Ego. They probably travel along a similar trajectory from poor to excellent. But they are different. Prestige is something awarded by others (to the domain), Ego is something awarded to yourself (by others) But they often travel a similar path.

So I'm perfectly ok with, and not at all insulted by, somebody saying I have a big ego because of my better quality domain name. I take it as a compliment As a recognition I have done something right

Buyers come after spefic name, the buy the names through GoDaddy or type in the address, “portfolio site” isn’t going to help.

 

[Name Trader]

Except that Uniregistry has just acquired DomainNames.com.

Back in November, Frank Schilling tweeted:

“we are launching the greatest piece of sales infrastructure ever launched to sell a domain name.”

The schedule for this is sometime around August. Stay tuned.

That's still a long wait away, to see if anything useful comes out of the purchase. Didn't Frank say something similar about his DomainNameSales.com/Uniregistry sales operations? Is he combining his DomainNames.com operations with his old DomainNameSales.com/Uniregistry sales operations? Or will they be competing. Although we need several large jumps in the spent ranges to cope with something that big. Which I'm not sure was the original intention of this thread. It was targeting a more mundane audience. Like you and me, I think

 

[biggie]

Not getting a great brand for yourself until you are successful is the same as not buying yourself a decent suit and shoes until you get a decent job.

everybody don't wear suits to work

suppose you are a tradesman, in construction, uber driver, work in manufacturing,etc
every time I saw steve jobs, he was in a turtle neck and jeans


such comparisons really don't apply to selling quality domain names

Not surprised <$50 has almost the most votes. No wonder most of you fail.
You want end users to spend thousands for your names, but wouldn't even spend $30 for your own name.

the asking price of a domain that a buyer is interested in, has nothing to do with the name of your website

If you're not willing to spend on domains as an end-user then don't expect others to IMO.

again, one thing has nothing to do with the other.
your website names are nice, but that doesn't guarantee the visitors will buy anything when they get there.

names like Sedo and Afternic Undeveloped, etc, don't even contain the words "domain or name", yet they produce sales because of recognition and publicity that grew over time.
AND..... most who list there, set the nameservers for their domains, to those respective platforms.

so, all that traffic is what helps sales and if your website name isn't bringing in any traffic, then who's going to see your lists?

I may be good to spend money for a domain related name to have in the footer of your emails, if you're sending spam solicitations.
but again it doesn't guarantee that impression will be favorable...when you're spamming in the first place.

such debates are really irrelevant, when it comes down to the quality of any individual domain, that a buyer is interested in purchasing.

cuz nobody ever said or mentioned to me, that they weren't going to buy this name, or that they weren't going to pay my asking price, because my portfolio site uses a crappy domain name.

imo

 

[Josh R]

everybody don't wear suits to work

suppose you are a tradesman, in construction, uber driver, work in manufacturing,etc
every time I saw steve jobs, he was in a turtle neck and jeans


such comparisons really don't apply to selling quality domain names


the asking price of a domain that a buyer is interested in, has nothing to do with the name of your website



again, one thing has nothing to do with the other.
your website names are nice, but that doesn't guarantee the visitors will buy anything when they get there.

names like Sedo and Afternic Undeveloped, etc, don't even contain the words "domain or name", yet they produce sales because of recognition and publicity that grew over time.
AND..... most who list there, set the nameservers for their domains, to those respective platforms.

so, all that traffic is what helps sales and if your website name isn't bringing in any traffic, then who's going to see your lists?

I may be good to spend money for a domain related name to have in the footer of your emails, if you're sending spam solicitations.
but again it doesn't guarantee that impression will be favorable...when you're spamming in the first place.

such debates are really irrelevant, when it comes down to the quality of any individual domain, that a buyer is interested in purchasing.

cuz nobody ever said or mentioned to me, that they weren't going to buy this name, or that they weren't going to pay my asking price, because my portfolio site uses a crappy domain name.

imo

I don’t have millions of dollars to pour into building a brand for a part-time job... Sedo, and Afternic are big brands that have spent millions of dollars.

For your average small business owner, you need a leg up. You need a competitive advantage.

If I reach out to prospects as Joshua Reason from MagicalBrandNames.com I’m not getting the same engagement as I would get when reaching out as Joshua Reason from PremiumBrands.com or BrandConsultants.com....

And because I’m not spending millions on building a brand, It’s also not much good reaching out as Joshua Reason from Zobo.com or a nice made up brandable like that.

I get more responses from end-users on both buys and sells because of domain/brand authority.

Sedo, Afternic and platforms like that are a different story.

 

[eurorealtor]

If you offer your inventory on a good domain, buyers may take you more seriously, or have more respect IMHO. But I believe most of domainers don't even have own website.

 

[BaileyUK]

I wouldn't doubt for one minute that many of those (Not all) that profess the advantage of a Portfolio name do indeed list their names on Sedo and the like. Knowing full well that's the only way to get eye-balls on their names outside of the domain circle.

Aside from a few successful full time domainers, most like to think they are running some kind of business enterprise when in fact its little more than a time and money consuming hobby. I say hobby because I've no-doubt they work at it but have yet to break even.

Like many a thread this is mainly about NOT being able to sell their Sellers names, why they thought they would make good investments in the first place is beyond me. Probably got hooked by the true Key-word sales hitting the big bucks

 

[hookbox]

I think having a good portfolio name would definitely help with sales and trust factor. Some crappydomain.com will hinder sales more then it will help. Same goes for putting bad logos on the domains in your portfolio. A shitty logo that looks like it was made on some free logo software on a mediocre domain will surely hinder sales. You are better off having no logo on all of your domains then to have 200 domains all with logos that look like a 5 year old made them. Every single aspect helps with sales. One thing may not contribute to a sale but multiple things all designed to create one cohesive experience will definitely help not hinder.

 

[Name Trader]

I wouldn't doubt for one minute that many of those (Not all) that profess the advantage of a Portfolio name do indeed list their names on Sedo and the like. Knowing full well that's the only way to get eye-balls on their names outside of the domain circle.

I see nothing at all wrong with that. It's called MARKETING. But I prefer to redirect all traffic to my website in the hope, that some would appreciate an opportunity to buy the domain at a cheaper price. It's just a fact, which we all have to deal with, that many buyers prefer to buy from a name brand website, like Afternic, because of the trust issue. We, as relative small boys in the game, don't have the budget for promotion that these big boys have. It's a fact of life. There are also a number of factors at play here. Some buyers like to search on these big players, because they only need to go to 1 website, to see what is available for sale. We as small players cannot compete with these behemoths. We have to work around them. That's just being realistic.

Aside from a few successful full time domainers, most like to think they are running some kind of business enterprise when in fact its little more than a time and money consuming hobby. I say hobby because I've no-doubt they work at it but have yet to break even.

I treat this comment with the contempt it deserves. How dare you belittle our efforts to try to make a living out of this business. Most of us are working hard as we can to turn around the corner into a sustainable profitability. Most won't succeed. I agree with you. But don't bunch me in with the losers. Cash flow is negative at times because we are trying hard to grow our business.

Like many a thread this is mainly about NOT being able to sell their Sellers names, why they thought they would make good investments in the first place is beyond me. Probably got hooked by the true Key-word sales hitting the big bucks

To be honest. I don't get your point here. This thread is NOT about trying to sell "Sellers names". Whatever that means. We are discussing how much people have invested in their domain portfolio website domain name. OK. I get your point that you don't see the point of having a portfolio website altogether. But there are others in this thread, who have a different opinion to you. If all you can do is throw stones, and refuse to acknowledge that this is a serious thread discussing this subject. Maybe you could go post all these negative comments in your own thread.

I happen to subscribe to the thinking that a quality domain name enhances your business strategy. I don't get the thinking that using a cheap domain is good enough. Maybe I'm right. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[BaileyUK]

Stub, You seem to be over-sensitive to criticisms, Which are an honest opinion

How much would you pay for a domain to promote your portfolio?

Perhaps you need to reread the thread question and the various sarky remarks made about those not willing to spend unnecessary dollars on little more than an ego boost. I think previous comments have set the tone and I'm happy to counter likewise. At least I didn't call them losers. I'm sure any domainer even with a small portfolio could pick something non-generic from their own collection If they want a heading for their listing. It's also very clear 95%+ of domainers (Yes , guesswork) don't host webpages

I made it clear the I wasn't referring to everyone - Now grow-up

 

[NameLlama]

Not surprised <$50 has almost the most votes. No wonder most of you fail.
You want end users to spend thousands for your names, but wouldn't even spend $30 for your own name.

The whole request section is a sh*thole.

excuse my language.

What relevance is this domain website name to end users spending thousands
Unless you are "outbounding", bothering business people because they don't care enough to come find your domain Lol
Even then, aren't there the people who sell top names with simple email addresses
If they like the domain, and you are firm in price,not making that big of a difference to have your own "domain marketplace" or "domain brand name"
You can also be a domainer by buying and listing them all at afternic and sedo with Buy Now prices. If you use WHOIS privacy, no one could ever know about you, and you could still succeed fine....

 

[creataweb]

Paid a lot for PremiumBrands.com and paid a decent amount for BrandConsultants.com.

If you're not willing to spend on domains as an end-user then don't expect others to IMO.

Excellent names sir!

 

[barman]

I think "business website" and "marketplace website" are two different things. Most of the time they're one and the same, but sometimes not.

Yes, you need a "business website" on a good, if not great, domain if you want buyers (especially other businesses) to take you seriously. BrandConsultants . com will obviously come off as more professional than Joes-Domain-Shack.net. This site is what shows up when people Google you and your business, so you want to put your best face forward.

If I really wanted to brand myself as something specific then yeah I would pay several $K for the name.

On the other hand, I would never throw up a "marketplace" that has all of my names. For that, my answer is $0.

I just don't see anyone landing on a marketplace, perusing around, then buying some random name. If this actually happens, then please let me know. I'm talking about big-boy names, not names that domainers trade amongst themselves for $25 back and forth. I feel like 99.99% of end user sales are people going to the name directly, through the registry path (ala Afternic), or brokered outright.

 

[NameBuyer.com]

I don’t have millions of dollars to pour into building a brand for a part-time job... Sedo, and Afternic are big brands that have spent millions of dollars.

For your average small business owner, you need a leg up. You need a competitive advantage.

If I reach out to prospects as Joshua Reason from MagicalBrandNames.com I’m not getting the same engagement as I would get when reaching out as Joshua Reason from PremiumBrands.com or BrandConsultants.com....

And because I’m not spending millions on building a brand, It’s also not much good reaching out as Joshua Reason from Zobo.com or a nice made up brandable like that.

I get more responses from end-users on both buys and sells because of domain/brand authority.

Sedo, Afternic and platforms like that are a different story.

Nice domains

 

[Mister Funsky]

I went the under 50 route. The names I acquire/register are intended to sell for full value to end users. If I decide to discount names I will use a forum like this one to give another domainer a chance to make some money or I let them drop if they are bad (I still have too many of these!).

 

[garptrader]

I can understand the reason for not spending five figures or more on a portfolio name. Domain investing may merely be a side venture and yes ultimately potential buyers are looking to buy a specific domain related to their business not yours. But many investors have done some outbound marketing at times and have been asked 'how much? " So think for a moment - we are contacting end users which already have an acceptable domain or online presence via a social media profile page. They had no urgent need for your domain. But what price do you quote them? They might have been willing to pay $50-$100 but would never consider paying four figures or more for a domain. We wonder why there is so much resistance to paying for an effective means of promoting a business - a short and/or memorable domain. Yet many domain investors have effectively stated that spending money on a domain name is a waste of money. So why are we in this business?

Other responses do discuss the domain as part of a marketing strategy ( though visually-appealing landing pages and content marketing possibly being other components of that strategy). Few can afford a mega-premium name like Domains.com or DN.com. I would not insist on my personal trainer being a recent Olympic medalist. But an overweight, out of shape personal trainer in my view would be an indication he/she is not competent in their field. So no I would not be willing to pay them $75/hour for their services.