Hi all,
I thought I'd share my thoughts on my first 10-or-so days as a domainer. Why? Because I thought it would be fun and because I like to share and write. It's a long read, so I hope some of you enjoy it.
So I started around 10 days ago after seeing a video on domainsherpa with Ali Zandi. No idea how I got there in the first place, I think because I was looking for a domain for my new blog. Anyway, I loved the idea and decided to step in.
As always, I got in with some preparation, but thinking I would be informed enough to start buying domains after reading a few things. Then, GoDaddy let everyone register domains for around $ 1,50 for extensions like .ninja, .online, .tech etc. I thought: this is my chance to build a nice portfolio without spending too much. Rather 50 domains with a weaker extension than 3 domains with a good extension. This way, I could see what works and what doesnt work.
Well, that's what I thought. I started to realize what doesnt work is getting a lot of domains with these extensions. I just went overboard and had more than 100. Well, I decided to call GoDaddy and cancel a lot of them and keep the ones that made some sense. When the guy from customer service heard I only started 7 days ago, he literally laughed out loud for around 10 seconds. He apologized, but said he never saw a guy that registered 133 domains in 7 days. Well, at least I made someone happy with that behaviour, so not all was lost.
I was able to cancel a lot and kept a bunch I felt comfortable finding end users for. Not all are very strong, but hey, I'm not unhappy.
Now, I regged a lot of domains and am tempted to reg more every day, but I haven't made a sale. This means I have to start selling. I tried it with a few auctions, but no success yet. My flippa auctions did not attract much attention. More money down the drain...
Well, I needed an action plan. So I asked around how to use ZFBot and made a list for a few domains I owed. I made a professional email address, as my gmail address would not encourage sales. I had the following plan in place:
- Every day, I have to send out emails to try and sell at least 1 domain
- Every domain I try to sell to end users, should at least be offered to 5 companies
- This means I have to email 5 companies every day
- Look for sales, not the jackpot. A sale of $ 50,- for a regged domain is great, I don't want to wait for 1 super sale.
- Don't buy or reg any more domains unless your invested budget is less than $ 100,- (I am currently over $ 100,- so I have to sell first)
- Be honest about yourself and your purpose. Be open about the price. Honesty will pay off.
With these rules, I emailed several companies. I can type very long emails (proven with this story) so I thought it would be good to name the price right after the introduction. If they are still interested, they will read on. This would prevent me losing a potential lead because my email was too long.
I haven't had many replies yet, but I can say I have 1 positive reaction. He countered me a price half my asking price, but it would still mean a nice profit for me and it would be my first sale. Things are looking more positive. The countered price is in the mid $ xx range. The sale isn't final yet, but it is a signal that my method might work.
After that good news, it looks like I might have an interesting buyer for one of my flippa auctions after all. He asked if he could pay tomorrow since he had to charge his credit card, so I am not expecting anything, but this is also a good signal. If these deals fall through, I just have to continue doing what I do and wait a bit longer for my sale.
What is my thought on Namepros?
First of all, a lot of you are great in welcoming me and providing advice for me. This made me learn my lessons quicker. A lot of you guys are really genuine in helping us in the Beginner section and are very open to what they do and why they do it. It is a great community, which I hope to be a part of for a long time (and get rid of my newbie status).
However, I do feel a few things could be improved. For example, the domain appraisal section. A lot of starter domains are offered for appraisal (I believe I did this as well). However, most reactions go to the more expensive domains, owned by more experienced domainers. Of course I understand the more expensive ones are the more interesting ones. However, new guys like me need your guidance like crazy. I would like to see more people take the time to help them along the way. Appraise the domains, say why the domain is crap and provide tips to make the next domain less crappy. Every beginner thinks he has found a great domain nobody ever thought about. I did too. The truth is: there is a reason nobody thought of it. You can still make profit off regged domains, but it won't be the jackpot.
Well, that was my analysis of my first days. I made a GoDaddy guy laugh, I have leads for a first sale, I have some new guys who I enjoy talking to on skype (I don't know if it's mutual
) and I really like spending my spare time on this. I could have done a lot worse. And even if it turns out to cost me some money, what hobby doesn't cost money? It will never be my full time job, so I am happy with every little extra I can make doing something I like
Thanks for the warm welcome guys.
I thought I'd share my thoughts on my first 10-or-so days as a domainer. Why? Because I thought it would be fun and because I like to share and write. It's a long read, so I hope some of you enjoy it.
So I started around 10 days ago after seeing a video on domainsherpa with Ali Zandi. No idea how I got there in the first place, I think because I was looking for a domain for my new blog. Anyway, I loved the idea and decided to step in.
As always, I got in with some preparation, but thinking I would be informed enough to start buying domains after reading a few things. Then, GoDaddy let everyone register domains for around $ 1,50 for extensions like .ninja, .online, .tech etc. I thought: this is my chance to build a nice portfolio without spending too much. Rather 50 domains with a weaker extension than 3 domains with a good extension. This way, I could see what works and what doesnt work.
Well, that's what I thought. I started to realize what doesnt work is getting a lot of domains with these extensions. I just went overboard and had more than 100. Well, I decided to call GoDaddy and cancel a lot of them and keep the ones that made some sense. When the guy from customer service heard I only started 7 days ago, he literally laughed out loud for around 10 seconds. He apologized, but said he never saw a guy that registered 133 domains in 7 days. Well, at least I made someone happy with that behaviour, so not all was lost.
I was able to cancel a lot and kept a bunch I felt comfortable finding end users for. Not all are very strong, but hey, I'm not unhappy.
Now, I regged a lot of domains and am tempted to reg more every day, but I haven't made a sale. This means I have to start selling. I tried it with a few auctions, but no success yet. My flippa auctions did not attract much attention. More money down the drain...
Well, I needed an action plan. So I asked around how to use ZFBot and made a list for a few domains I owed. I made a professional email address, as my gmail address would not encourage sales. I had the following plan in place:
- Every day, I have to send out emails to try and sell at least 1 domain
- Every domain I try to sell to end users, should at least be offered to 5 companies
- This means I have to email 5 companies every day
- Look for sales, not the jackpot. A sale of $ 50,- for a regged domain is great, I don't want to wait for 1 super sale.
- Don't buy or reg any more domains unless your invested budget is less than $ 100,- (I am currently over $ 100,- so I have to sell first)
- Be honest about yourself and your purpose. Be open about the price. Honesty will pay off.
With these rules, I emailed several companies. I can type very long emails (proven with this story) so I thought it would be good to name the price right after the introduction. If they are still interested, they will read on. This would prevent me losing a potential lead because my email was too long.
I haven't had many replies yet, but I can say I have 1 positive reaction. He countered me a price half my asking price, but it would still mean a nice profit for me and it would be my first sale. Things are looking more positive. The countered price is in the mid $ xx range. The sale isn't final yet, but it is a signal that my method might work.
After that good news, it looks like I might have an interesting buyer for one of my flippa auctions after all. He asked if he could pay tomorrow since he had to charge his credit card, so I am not expecting anything, but this is also a good signal. If these deals fall through, I just have to continue doing what I do and wait a bit longer for my sale.
What is my thought on Namepros?
First of all, a lot of you are great in welcoming me and providing advice for me. This made me learn my lessons quicker. A lot of you guys are really genuine in helping us in the Beginner section and are very open to what they do and why they do it. It is a great community, which I hope to be a part of for a long time (and get rid of my newbie status).
However, I do feel a few things could be improved. For example, the domain appraisal section. A lot of starter domains are offered for appraisal (I believe I did this as well). However, most reactions go to the more expensive domains, owned by more experienced domainers. Of course I understand the more expensive ones are the more interesting ones. However, new guys like me need your guidance like crazy. I would like to see more people take the time to help them along the way. Appraise the domains, say why the domain is crap and provide tips to make the next domain less crappy. Every beginner thinks he has found a great domain nobody ever thought about. I did too. The truth is: there is a reason nobody thought of it. You can still make profit off regged domains, but it won't be the jackpot.
Well, that was my analysis of my first days. I made a GoDaddy guy laugh, I have leads for a first sale, I have some new guys who I enjoy talking to on skype (I don't know if it's mutual
) and I really like spending my spare time on this. I could have done a lot worse. And even if it turns out to cost me some money, what hobby doesn't cost money? It will never be my full time job, so I am happy with every little extra I can make doing something I like Thanks for the warm welcome guys.
