Respond, or make them wait?

[hwgriffi]

When you have an inbound inquiry on your domain name do you respond promptly or do you let the interested party wait a few days as they maintain their interest through the silence?

I would like to hear feedback from the community.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

I would respond promptly. I think it is more professional to do that. Of course most of us do this part-time, and work and family responsibilities may necessitate a delay, but I would not deliberately delay.

 

[cooljub]

Make sure you respond when you are:

• Fully awake
• Sober

That's a pretty narrow timeframe.

 

[MasterOfMyDomains]

While they wait, they have time to think about options. Maybe they made several inquiries.

I hate waiting, and don’t like making others wait. Reply immediately if not sooner

 

[Josytal]

As a rule, response within 24hrs. I need the time to do some research on the domain in question.

 

[golan]

I think, and many colleagues wrote the same in different threads here, that replying immediately shows your desperation to sell the domain.

But it's good to reply in a couple/few hours, the latest on the next working day. It's polite and it's a good style.

 

[Acroplex]

Make sure you respond when you are:

• Fully awake
• Sober

 

[SheikhOvais]

I would respond promptly. I think it is more professional to do that. Of course most of us do this part-time, and work and family responsibilities may necessitate a delay, but I would not deliberately delay.

Totally agree. And replying between business hours (8-6 P.M.) may also be taken as professionalism. Or you can reply early in the morning so your email can be found on the top of buyer's inbox.

 

[BrandableDomain]

This question is also addressed in a video presented by NamesCon 2018 about Godaddy’s NameFind domain portfolio. It’s delivered by Paul Nicks and covers the way Godaddy prices and sells inventory from what is probably the world’s most valuable portfolio.

First, he describes how phone contact by a skilled broker results in a remarkable 46% higher close rate compared to email. Sure, most of us are probably not skilled brokers or even want to use the phone.

Then, he says that Godaddy discovered they have a 20% higher chance of closing a sale if discussed within 24 hours, compared to the second day. While he seems to be referring to lead response on the phone, the principle would surely also apply to a high degree to email discussion.

It’s really the same principle as the “24 Hour Sale” you often see at the shopping center. Marketers try to capture a shopper’s initial enthusiasm before it begins to fade away.

So if you haven’t replied within a day or two (unless your domain is a “must have”) they might just go and look for another option. Replying within 24 hours is also courteous and professional which is a good way to start positively.

Godaddy leverages big data analytics to develop their strategies and they are very successful. Much can be learned by observing this.

The entire 43 minute video is full of information and the relevant footage occurs from about 17:00, but the entire video is a must see.

You can view it at:

youtube (DOT) com/watch?v=cXPQzDRYMmY

 

[Kate]

It depends, is there an offer attached ? If it's good, engage. If it's low, take your time.
Do not reply within 5 minutes though, that would look like you're eager to sell. Why not stick to the business hours relevant to your time zone.

 

[karmaco]

It just depends on what they have said, who they are and the offer. Lately been responding to obviously fake id’s with very high prices. If you can’t give your real name you won’t get a real price.

More important than exact timing is sensing when an offer is legit and keeping your cool. I always speak/write as though I do not care if they buy or not. Very neutral. So far it has worked for me.

 

[golan]

business hours (8-6 P.M.)

My business hours? His business hours? What if i have no slightest idea, whether he is from Singapore, India, UK, US?

 

[Smiles76]

Don't play games. They are probably considering other names as well. You are always one-click away from missing out on a sale.

 

[LucidDomains]

I guess this depends on you really. If you're eager to make sales then answer quickly i.e. within 24 hours but the sooner the better. If the buyer has different domain options, you want to keep them on your hook and interested about your name as quickly as possible. If you delay they could spend their budget on another name.

 

[frank-germany]

I always respond to an incoming offer as soon as I see it.

But responding to a reply to that response
that's a different story.

If the reply has a reasonable offer, then wait until tomorrow
( after one night of sleep )
if it's a real negotiation with great offers that's mandantory to me.
And I read my intended reply as often as possible.

if the offer is low ball
I answer with my template for low balls
as soon as I get the reply - and don't care for the outcome

I think that any time you add "this domain is for sale" to your page it dilutes the strength of the leads and you get tire kickers and other domain investors instead of an end user who was self motivated to contact you because they wanted to domain name.

it doesn't make a difference
just be aware not to sell to soon to cheap

 

[imadoer]

At first I normally respond right away and thank them for their offer.Then hit them with a counter depending on the response. I may go silent or counter back again. Sometimes silence pays. Majority of the time if we can't reach an agreement on the price. I hit them with the payment plan and let them know that they could use the domain today with x amount down x amount each month until the balance is paid. I do it my own words it works for me

 

[creataweb]

I just answer when I have the time.

 

[DOMAIN ILLUMINATI]

They will see when I respond.
It will be at the right time.
Exactlyyy

 

[Acroplex]

You can use automatic responders at Uniregistry Market if you want to do so. I prefer to respond to inquiries after I've examined the offer, and performed research on whoever makes it. That, might take 24 hours, or more.

Ignoring inquiries that are garbage/lowball is part of the game as well.

 

[SheikhOvais]

It depends, is there an offer attached ? If it's good, engage. If it's low, take your time.
Do not reply within 5 minutes though, that would look like you're eager to sell. Why not stick to the business hours relevant to your time zone.

It shouldn't be based on the 'attached offer'. There's always that 'negotiation' part we have to go through and we have seen members here who were able to successfully negotiate an initial offer of $150 to $1500. Replying in a timely manner just shows your professionalism and business ethics, no matter how small or huge the initial offer is.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[MapleDots]

A lot of domainers don't respond..... period

I always thought that was flawed until.....

I have a domain that is so popular I get about 10 inquiries a week and I do tire of responding. I have made a canned response on my gmail specifically for that domain.

 

[hwgriffi]

It depends, is there an offer attached ? If it's good, engage. If it's low, take your time.

Typically I get a "How much" or "Is xxx for sale".

I've done both waiting and responding promptly. Waiting seems to work the best, but I also did not consistently respond promptly to inquiries. So waiting 2-3 days to respond was just my preference that got results.

I am testing out the 'prompt' response right now.

When someone inquires I get back to them within 2-3 hours with a firm price. So far results are not good, but also it could be that the leads are weaker because I have also added "for sale" to my pages where before I just had the standard "GoDaddy Parked" page. Now that GDPR is in effect I wanted to change my landers to reflect that the domain is for sale and not just parked.

I think that any time you add "this domain is for sale" to your page it dilutes the strength of the leads and you get tire kickers and other domain investors instead of an end user who was self motivated to contact you because they wanted to domain name.

Trying new things, always learning.

Thanks for your feedback all!

 

[DubDubDubDot]

If someone is reaching out to see if a domain is for sale, their interest is climaxing at that very moment.

 

[branding]

Depends where the inquiry comes from. When contacted from our own Landers they will be sent an automated message with a thank you etc and that we will contact them within 24 hours to discuss further.

Direct mails are always awnsered within a couple of hours.

 

[Andrew Knox]

ASAP