strategy How to Find Potential End Users?

[shilmy]

Hi,

Do any of you has regularly sell your domain to end users? If so, do you mind share with me in this thread on how find potential end users for your domain?

Regards,
Sjarief

 

[Archangel]

Good point/analogy there

Depends on the domain, but yes, in many cases I do include a price in the very first email. Less negotiation, faster sales and more transparency. I don't like to waste time negotiating and responding to "How much?" inquiries all day when I can have a deal reached within minutes or hours with a fixed price. I also don't want to risk the end user assuming I'm another scammer asking $5,000 or $500,000 for a domain that I'd sell for $750, for example.

If an advertiser conveniently fails to mention the price of a product, what assumptions could one draw from that?

If I'm in the grocery store and there's a jar of maple syrup without a price tag, I'm going to assume it's probably about double the price of the other options and that the store simply doesn't want to turn me off with a high price tag. They want me to throw it in the cart without comparing.

My point is, NOT giving a price is more shady than being straight up from the get-go... imho.

Again, it depends on the domain. If I expect a high level of interest, I may be more likely to simply open it up to offers... but if it's a <$1000 name, for example, why piss around?

 

[jideofor]

Hmmm... Thanks, dubstep. I am getting somewhere and this will really help me in my new strategy. My new strategy has more chances of boosting sales but with less end users, mostly 1,2 or 3 end users.

In case where you know you have very few end users as I stated above, which would you do? Create scarcity by saying u give them certain time frame to respond and if they dont, you will contact other interested party? Or do you simply leave that part out since there are possibly no other end user for the domain other that the person you have contacted, in this case 1 sure end user?

Thanks.

 

[momentum]

I have a problem with one of my domains now and hopefully, I just wish it does not happen with the second one that just started last week wherein I email them and they asked how much... I replied with a $1000 asking price but made it known to them that I am open to negotiation.

In the first domain, we had talked back and forth since November. The end user said they will only consider buying my domain name if the price was really low. so I told him to make an offer and that if his price was fair enough, I will sell the domain to him. He later replied me to thank me and said he will get in touch with his company directors and will contact me as soon as a decision is made. This was in November and the company is a realestate company that was established in the 80s. My domain is the a .com version of theirs. Funny thing is that the man is the founder of the company and I wonder what is the need to contact company directors for when he could just do it. Though I asked them for a $1700 but after some weeks of not hearing from them, I reduced it to $1200 and that was before he said he would contact his company directors.

But uptill now, I have not heard from them and I also emailed the man last week.

Last week, I got another email from a big laundry company in the UK where a woman asked me how much I want for my domain name, I told her $1000 but also said she should let me know what she has in mind. I stated that if I her price is fair enought, I will sell the domain name to her.

I will like to know what tactics could be used to make this people take action and buy the domain name ASAP. I hate waiting long on a domain someone has already showed interest and is this norm with big corporate bodies? I mean delaying when they should have just grab the domain once and for all after showing interest, especailly when the seller creates a negotiation window.

OK this stuff happens all the time. This will be a good learning experience for what works and doesnt work in negotiation. You have to understand human nature and get into the mind of your buyer.

As an example, if someone tells me that their price is negotiable then right away in my mind as a buyer, I am cutting their original price in half. So as a seller don't do that. If they ask for a price, say this is the price.

Before you send the price, think of what a fair market value is. And then think about what you would be happy with. Then find out as much as you can about the buyer. How motivated are they? If you have the exact company name.com then you are in the drivers seat my friend.

You dont want to scare away a potential buyer with too high of a price that will make them walk away but in this case you should have asked for 40-50% more than you originally wanted. Then they come back and say they want it cheaper, of course. Tell them that you will reduce the price by 20% in the spirit of making a deal, but that you can only honor this reduced price for the next 7 days due to the ever changing market.

If they ask for a bigger discount, you go down maybe an additional 10% if you are so inclined. But it is very important that this second reduction is much less than your first. And of course you provide a time for how long this new price is good for. Open ended negotiations generally go nowhere.

You dont have to hold them to the time, but it may provide some level of urgency. Because it is the norm that people will drag their feet waiting for a better deal. But in this case there is no better deal because you are the sole owner of a unique domain name.

Your offer to the UK company sounds a little wishy-washy too unfortunately. When business people hear that there is wiggle room in the price for a product, well they are going to try to get the best price. And with domain names, people really dont know how much wiggle room there is. This is normally a very new thing for them. If the domain name is not worth $1000, well thats ok. If these are just mom and pop companies that is ok. Not everything is a big sale. Determine a reasonable price given the size of the company and say this is your asking price.

You need to show confidence and give the impression that this is a one-of-a-kind product that is available now, but it may never be available again EVER once it is sold. Because that is the truth. Once it is sold to a company, it will become a huge part of the identity, branding and marketing of that company. Remember that.

Anyway, things are still looking good now that you have received interest from another party, you have extra leverage. Contact the original interested party and tell them that you are in discussions with a company in the UK (dont private too many details in the interest of confidentiality) and that the time for them to make an offer is now. Otherwise this one time opportunity is going to be sailing across the pond.

If they provide a serious offer, then contact the UK company and let them know about it. Dont give them the name of the company but just enough to let them know that it is a real company not just something you made up. This is the urgency you need to get this thing sold sooner rather than later.

Once you do a few of these, it will become a process that you will actually enjoy. Not stress over. If you give them 7 days, well guess what, they probably wont contact you until the 6th day. Or if they really want it badly, they will contact you the next day. Dont sit by your computer waiting for your email to chime. That will just mess with your head and make you want to lower your price arbitrarily. If your price is fair then stick with it. Have a little faith!

Best of luck

---------- Post added at 05:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:54 AM ----------

Yeah, you are right.

Well I called the lady for the recent domain and intorduced myself. I first greeted her good afternoon ( it seem she didnt care much about that, well that is how we do here in Nigeria lol)... and then went on to explain who I am as the owner of the domain. I made her understand that I had replied her email as well as waiting for her reply.

She just said she cant reply me now... and hung up.

But she didnt say they are no longer interested.


I immediately sent her a text to apologize if I had call at the wrong time and also said I would like to know what she has to say. I checked my email and nothing yet.

I deleted the number from my phone thereafter and do not wish to call ever again.

2 domains and all acting like some sh*t. Strange but both end-user are from the UK. I do not wish to experience this kind of people in my next domain sale.

I still will write to them and keep at it.

Don't take things personal. This is business.

You may have given the wrong impression that you are hounding them for a sale. Put yourself in their shoes. I know when someone calls me that I dont know then yeah I generally assume someones trying to sell me something. Something overpriced at that.

You have done everything you can do at this point. Park the domain name and give it some time and move on to other projects for a while.

 

[Theydon]

Its a complex business selling domain names because there are so many variables, you're dealing with different personalities and often cultures. The most important area for me is knowing as much as possible about your potential end user - how can you sell to someone you know very little about?

On the name a price/don't name a price debate, there is no correct answer, its a personal decision. I like to name a price if I am selling under the $500 region.

 

[jideofor]

OK this stuff happens all the time. This will be a good learning experience for what works and doesnt work in negotiation. You have to understand human nature and get into the mind of your buyer.

As an example, if someone tells me that their price is negotiable then right away in my mind as a buyer, I am cutting their original price in half. So as a seller don't do that. If they ask for a price, say this is the price.

Before you send the price, think of what a fair market value is. And then think about what you would be happy with. Then find out as much as you can about the buyer. How motivated are they? If you have the exact company name.com then you are in the drivers seat my friend.

You dont want to scare away a potential buyer with too high of a price that will make them walk away but in this case you should have asked for 40-50% more than you originally wanted. Then they come back and say they want it cheaper, of course. Tell them that you will reduce the price by 20% in the spirit of making a deal, but that you can only honor this reduced price for the next 7 days due to the ever changing market.

If they ask for a bigger discount, you go down maybe an additional 10% if you are so inclined. But it is very important that this second reduction is much less than your first. And of course you provide a time for how long this new price is good for. Open ended negotiations generally go nowhere.

You dont have to hold them to the time, but it may provide some level of urgency. Because it is the norm that people will drag their feet waiting for a better deal. But in this case there is no better deal because you are the sole owner of a unique domain name.

Your offer to the UK company sounds a little wishy-washy too unfortunately. When business people hear that there is wiggle room in the price for a product, well they are going to try to get the best price. And with domain names, people really dont know how much wiggle room there is. This is normally a very new thing for them. If the domain name is not worth $1000, well thats ok. If these are just mom and pop companies that is ok. Not everything is a big sale. Determine a reasonable price given the size of the company and say this is your asking price.

You need to show confidence and give the impression that this is a one-of-a-kind product that is available now, but it may never be available again EVER once it is sold. Because that is the truth. Once it is sold to a company, it will become a huge part of the identity, branding and marketing of that company. Remember that.

Anyway, things are still looking good now that you have received interest from another party, you have extra leverage. Contact the original interested party and tell them that you are in discussions with a company in the UK (dont private too many details in the interest of confidentiality) and that the time for them to make an offer is now. Otherwise this one time opportunity is going to be sailing across the pond.

If they provide a serious offer, then contact the UK company and let them know about it. Dont give them the name of the company but just enough to let them know that it is a real company not just something you made up. This is the urgency you need to get this thing sold sooner rather than later.

Once you do a few of these, it will become a process that you will actually enjoy. Not stress over. If you give them 7 days, well guess what, they probably wont contact you until the 6th day. Or if they really want it badly, they will contact you the next day. Dont sit by your computer waiting for your email to chime. That will just mess with your head and make you want to lower your price arbitrarily. If your price is fair then stick with it. Have a little faith!

Best of luck

---------- Post added at 05:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:54 AM ----------



Don't take things personal. This is business.

You may have given the wrong impression that you are hounding them for a sale. Put yourself in their shoes. I know when someone calls me that I dont know then yeah I generally assume someones trying to sell me something. Something overpriced at that.

You have done everything you can do at this point. Park the domain name and give it some time and move on to other projects for a while.

WOW!... You really took your time to explain a lot. I am really grateful.

I would like to point out that I am dealing with 2 different domains for 2 different companies and in 2 different niches.

Thanks so much for your time...

I will keep pushing... I will register 3 good domains this week using the same model. I wont try to price them high, but in the range of $300--$600 is fine by me if it will make it sell fast.
I think my pricing is what is killing me and considering that they hand reg.

Experience is the best teacher...
Thanks...

---------- Post added at 11:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:50 AM ----------

Hello Domainers,

I have also found deliverymaker.com to be an awesome place to find information relating to the problem which I am currently facing and there an article there which further stress that same tactics used by dubstep.

Regards!

 

[latenightdomainer]

I would like to add to this thread some lines that I think will help many sellers. It a little insight on the thought of end users.

- End user does not like to receive emails with offers and will most of the time ignore them.

- If interested, they will hope it will just drop some day soon and probably will place a back order if the expiry date is less than a year

- End users don´t feel comfortable paying more than 250 USD for a domain but I have clients that would pay 10.000 for the .com that matches the keyword of their business, short, no more than 7 letters.

- End users are patient so if they feel there is no hurry they just wait. So tell them is for sale at Godaddy, for example, and fix the BIN to your desire price so they feel somehow pushed.

- End users usually contact you. I have a couple of domains I´m receiving mails all the time but they always say they don´t have masses of money or that they are students... so my reply of course is that those domains are not for sale.

- I usually check the whois visits to my domains through the exportable lists of godaddy and helps me to know which domains are desirable... you will be surprised... if there are hundreds of visits everyday it means someone is checking but don´t get too excited, sometimes bots checking for similar keywords to send offering mails for "similar" domains...

- The key is to really know if your domain is worth something... but be honest with yourself, if you have LL.com or CC.com it has value, LLL.com as well nut less, CCC.com no more that 500 USD, keywords no more than 9 letters more than 7000 USD

This being said, I truly think that there is no market for long names to end users, all the market is between "traders" and the domains some end users want have unreasonable astronomical prices...

When prices will adjust there will be some chances but when someone is placen a BIN for a NLN.com more than 9000 is just the same than not selling it.

Good luck to all,

 

[serryjw]

Depends on the domain, but yes, in many cases I do include a price in the very first email. Less negotiation, faster sales and more transparency. I don't like to waste time negotiating and responding to "How much?" inquiries all day when I can have a deal reached within minutes or hours with a fixed price. I also don't want to risk the end user assuming I'm another scammer asking $5,000 or $500,000 for a domain that I'd sell for $750, for example.

If an advertiser conveniently fails to mention the price of a product, what assumptions could one draw from that?

If I'm in the grocery store and there's a jar of maple syrup without a price tag, I'm going to assume it's probably about double the price of the other options and that the store simply doesn't want to turn me off with a high price tag. They want me to throw it in the cart without comparing.

My point is, NOT giving a price is more shady than being straight up from the get-go... imho.

Again, it depends on the domain. If I expect a high level of interest, I may be more likely to simply open it up to offers... but if it's a <$1000 name, for example, why piss around?

RFLOL! The cheap ones are NOT maple syrup.

---------- Post added at 11:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:01 PM ----------

sometimes bots checking for similar keywords to send offering mails for "similar" domains...

How do you know?

 

[Archangel]

Bots do it all the time, just as spammers do. Again, your understanding of business means very little in domaining. There is more to it than 'just that'

How do you know?

 

[shika]

I would like to add to this thread some lines that I think will help many sellers. It a little insight on the thought of end users.

- End user does not like to receive emails with offers and will most of the time ignore them.

- If interested, they will hope it will just drop some day soon and probably will place a back order if the expiry date is less than a year

- End users don´t feel comfortable paying more than 250 USD for a domain but I have clients that would pay 10.000 for the .com that matches the keyword of their business, short, no more than 7 letters.

- End users are patient so if they feel there is no hurry they just wait. So tell them is for sale at Godaddy, for example, and fix the BIN to your desire price so they feel somehow pushed.

- End users usually contact you. I have a couple of domains I´m receiving mails all the time but they always say they don´t have masses of money or that they are students... so my reply of course is that those domains are not for sale.

- I usually check the whois visits to my domains through the exportable lists of godaddy and helps me to know which domains are desirable... you will be surprised... if there are hundreds of visits everyday it means someone is checking but don´t get too excited, sometimes bots checking for similar keywords to send offering mails for "similar" domains...

- The key is to really know if your domain is worth something... but be honest with yourself, if you have LL.com or CC.com it has value, LLL.com as well nut less, CCC.com no more that 500 USD, keywords no more than 9 letters more than 7000 USD

This being said, I truly think that there is no market for long names to end users, all the market is between "traders" and the domains some end users want have unreasonable astronomical prices...

When prices will adjust there will be some chances but when someone is placen a BIN for a NLN.com more than 9000 is just the same than not selling it.

Good luck to all,

What are 'exportable lists of godaddy'?

 

[Zonqor]

How about not mentioning any price and ask for their offer?

Hi, we are the owner’s of express.com, and we have decided to auction the domain, or sell it outright.
Would you or your company be interested in owning this domain?
Whilst thanking you for your attention, I remain.
Best regards,

 

[Theydon]

Here is an email example I will use.


Good afternoon,

I will keep this initial email brief, I own the domain ************* and I am contacting you to see if you would be interested in acquiring it? Please be assured this is a genuine opportunity where I believe the ************ domain can benefit your business.

I see you currently pay for the Adwords ******* *********** so it made sense that I make contact with you to gauge your interest. As you probably know these keywords receive over 9,000 ‘exact’ searches per month so the domain is certainly worthy of consideration.

For transparency its only fair to advise that I am sending an email to other parties I believe will be interested in acquiring ************* so my email to you is not exclusive. I am looking to reach an agreement on a first come first served basis, thank you for your time and I look forward to receiving any feedback you may have.

Best Regards,

Name:
Company/Domain:
Tel:

 

[jideofor]

Here is an email example I will use.


Good afternoon,

I will keep this initial email brief, I own the domain ************* and I am contacting you to see if you would be interested in acquiring it? Please be assured this is a genuine opportunity where I believe the ************ domain can benefit your business.

I see you currently pay for the Adwords ******* *********** so it made sense that I make contact with you to gauge your interest. As you probably know these keywords receive over 9,000 ‘exact’ searches per month so the domain is certainly worthy of consideration.

For transparency its only fair to advise that I am sending an email to other parties I believe will be interested in acquiring ************* so my email to you is not exclusive. I am looking to reach an agreement on a first come first served basis, thank you for your time and I look forward to receiving any feedback you may have.

Best Regards,

Name:
Company/Domain:
Tel:

As for the exact match thing, this will only work if you are selling a google keyword base domain name.

What if I want to selling brandable dropped domain with an existing version as like mine?

 

[Theydon]

If I am understanding you correctly you are saying the example would be, you have the .com and you want to sell to the .net or the .org then in that instance I would edit the email and include something like this:

"Today you own *********.net and you will be aware (Company ABC Ltd) uses the .org. Given the .com domain is globally recognised as the number one domain to own I am contacting both you and Company ABC Ltd and will sell **********.com on a first come first served basis.

The opportunity to own *********.com may not come around again so please contact me if you have any questions".

 

[Archangel]

I'm not too keen on your opening paragraph but the other 2 are very well-said.

Here is an email example I will use.


Good afternoon,

I will keep this initial email brief, I own the domain ************* and I am contacting you to see if you would be interested in acquiring it? Please be assured this is a genuine opportunity where I believe the ************ domain can benefit your business.

I see you currently pay for the Adwords ******* *********** so it made sense that I make contact with you to gauge your interest. As you probably know these keywords receive over 9,000 ‘exact’ searches per month so the domain is certainly worthy of consideration.

For transparency its only fair to advise that I am sending an email to other parties I believe will be interested in acquiring ************* so my email to you is not exclusive. I am looking to reach an agreement on a first come first served basis, thank you for your time and I look forward to receiving any feedback you may have.

Best Regards,

Name:
Company/Domain:
Tel:

 

[Theydon]

Thanks Archangel. How would you open the email? What is your preference?

 

[Greg]

I always include a price if the name is in the $xxx range.

I have sold many domains without a single negotiation at a price that both parties felt was fair. Win/win.

 

[lennco]

I always include a price if the name is in the $xxx range.

I have sold many domains without a single negotiation at a price that both parties felt was fair. Win/win.

I have been doing that with some of my domains that I want to get rid of at $xxx
Sold a few of them so far but I still had to negotiate on a few them.
Also I would not put a price on any of the ones I want more then $xxx
Let them make an offer.

 

[Greg]

I have been doing that with some of my domains that I want to get rid of at $xxx
Sold a few of them so far but I still had to negotiate on a few them.
Also I would not put a price on any of the ones I want more then $xxx
Let them make an offer.

Exactly. There are a couple of names that I want more then $xxx and so I send a similar (but not priced) email.

It also allows me to gauge interest in the name because I will get that text book "How Much" response. If I price the name then I never get a feeling of interest unless they email back :sold: It's a double-edged sword.

 

[jideofor]

Do UK people like .com as much as .co.uk?

If I have the possibility of selling their .com version to them( .co.uk version), do I stand a chance and what is the success rate?

How often had anyone here had success in this model?

 

[Theydon]

They like both, but when people in the UK are given a choice to buy something either from ABC(dot)com or ABC(dot)co.uk I believe approx. 70% prefer to buy from a .co.uk site. The .com will always be king but people in the UK like and trust their .co.uk option.

 

[jideofor]

They like both, but when people in the UK are given a choice to buy something either from ABC(dot)com or ABC(dot)co.uk I believe approx. 70% prefer to buy from a .co.uk site. The .com will always be king but people in the UK like and trust their .co.uk option.

my thought exactly... Just needed to confirm and clarify it. Thanks man.

 

[Theydon]

domainlore(dot)co.uk is useful to see market price info

 

[jideofor]

Thanks man. I got medical billing software dot co dot uk.

Will try it out if I can get a buyer there.

 

[Theydon]

paid advertisers which is nice - good luck

 

[jideofor]

How much does it cost for advert and what's the duration?