Forbes - by Richard Harroch
Read more: Forbes
A great or catchy domain name for your company or product can make a huge difference in your potential success. But getting a great domain name isn’t easy, as the majority of quality domain names are already owned by someone else. In this article, I provide some strategic advice on how to choose and obtain a desirable and brandable domain name.
How you should approach a domain name holder
Once you have the name and contact information of the registered domain name holder, you will want to approach the owner in the appropriate way. As the owner of a number of high-quality premium domain names, I have been clumsily approached many times from someone wanting to buy one of my domain names. Here is what not to do:
How much should you pay for a domain name?
Read more: Forbes
Read more: Forbes
A great or catchy domain name for your company or product can make a huge difference in your potential success. But getting a great domain name isn’t easy, as the majority of quality domain names are already owned by someone else. In this article, I provide some strategic advice on how to choose and obtain a desirable and brandable domain name.
How you should approach a domain name holder
Once you have the name and contact information of the registered domain name holder, you will want to approach the owner in the appropriate way. As the owner of a number of high-quality premium domain names, I have been clumsily approached many times from someone wanting to buy one of my domain names. Here is what not to do:
- Don’t ask the person if they are the owner of the domain name (you can be certain they are if you found them through the Whois lookup).
- Don’t ask them if their domain name is for sale (you can assume it is and if it isn’t, they will simply ignore your email).
- Don’t ask them what price they want for the domain name (you are the one interested in buying the name so the obligation is on you to make them a reasonable offer).
- Don’t make a lowball offer for the name, especially if it’s a premium name (the owner may simply ignore you and think you aren’t worth negotiating with).
- Don’t tell them you are a struggling startup that can’t afford to pay much for the name (they probably won’t believe you, nor is it their problem if you can’t afford to pay fair market value).
- Don’t try to make the argument that because the name is not currently being used as a website, that they should sell it to you at a low price (it’s the owner’s business how they decide to use their domain name).
- Don’t tell them that you are considering other domain names to buy and that the owner must get back to you quickly on your offer (this is a poor negotiating tactic).
- Don’t ask them what other offers they have gotten for the name (it’s their personal business, and you would never ask the seller of a home this type of question).
- Don’t use a fake name or fake email address for your inquiry (the owner will likely check to see if you are real and will want to review your LinkedIn profile).
How much should you pay for a domain name?
Read more: Forbes