Tip number 4 of my 5 Tips For Selling Domain Names article was to reach out to alternative extension owners. Meaning, if I own a domain name, I reach out to the owners of the same name with the different extensions.
This morning I did just that. I called a domain owner who was using .us because the .com version was not available when he registered his name five years ago.
Normally the call goes, “I’d love to own the .com, how much?” Instead it went, “I’m fine without the .com.” I’ll admit, I was thrown back for a second. If anything I’m used to someone arguing about the value or price, not the extension.
I used the usual and told him the .com version is getting some of your traffic. His response was basically that if his potential clients are ignorant enough to type in the wrong extension then he doesn’t want their business.
I then gave the analogy of toll free numbers. For years people have used 800 for toll free dialing. With the introduction of 877 and 866 these same people are still dialing 800 because of habit. I got the same response.
Oh and I also mentioned it’s better he owns the domain name instead of his competition. That didn’t go anywhere. The conversation was lead somewhere else.
I didn’t pressure the potential buyer, because that’s not my style. Plus, he admitted they need a website redesign which I believe I will be hired for.
So, I’ll leave you with a statement and a question.
Don’t pressure potential buyers and don’t burn your bridges. I did not sell a domain name but may have earned his business for website redesign, marketing and possibly social media consulting.
My question is…
What would you have done in this scenario? Do you have a better comeback without forcing the issue?
No better comeback Chef! – you “goed with the flow” and that’s the way it should be :} no sense stirring the pot – you asked him in essence “what’s cooking” and he told you. No boil, no simmer ……..you just made him a very nice “warm” contact……..good show Patrick!
I would see it from another angle – I would say “smart businessman”, since he has understood that it is possible to build traffic with a good keyword name, whatever the extension. And it opens nice prospects to domainers for selling domain names with extensions other than .com – provided there are more and more such people. So I would rather rejoice!
And, yes, you had the right attitude: like most of us probably, I hate to be pressured by somebody who wants to sell a product or a service by attemtping to convince me that I am not bright enough to understand where my best interest is. Definitely, your approach was a sensitive one.
“What would you have done in this scenario?”
- given the buyer david costello’s cell phone number ;0)
LMAO David does have a passion for .com’s.
I think you handled this well Chef. You explained to him why he might want to buy the domain and he declined so you backed of. Now, if you did the opposite and just pestered him then he would have more then likely never done business with you in the future and tell everyone he knows not to do business with you.
He’s fine without the dotCom because he doesn’t know the difference and nothing you tell him will change that (and if his webmaster is breathing in his other ear you don’t stand a chance). Furthermore, his arrogance about not wanting any clients who would be ignorant enough to default to dotCom flies in the face of reason and reeks more of insecurity than knowledge.
What most businesses don’t understand is that some of the most money to be made with a domain name is not on the Internet.
“his arrogance about not wanting any clients who would be ignorant enough to default to dotCom flies in the face of reason and reeks more of insecurity than knowledge”…
Well, he might have not meant it too seriously: I remember once using that very same argument just in order to cut short a discussion with somebody who attempted to sell me advertisement I didn’t want… Don’t forget he was not speaking to a customer!
You handled it fine Patrick, and it says alot that you focused on your overall business rather than losing everything based on the name transaction. Having multiple products to offer is always a smart move.
I affirm that the issue was handled very appropriately. Not everyone will agree but he’s using his ccTLD (.US) and not a third-tier extension like .ws or .cc…!!
One question to a hardcore .commer would be: If the guy has a website on PalmSprings.us would you suggest that he try buying PalmSprings.com from his current owner ….guess not…:)
Thanks Riq.
Yes .US is our countries ccTLD, but .COM still rules here. And yes, if he owned PalmSprings.us I’d suggest he buy PalmSprings.com.
I agree that .com is not only the most popular extension in this country as of now but also that its likely to remain so for the foreseeable future….but what does that really mean? Does it mean that there is no room for anything else? That anyone who uses another TLD is necessarily a looser? What one is to do when the .com is either unavailable at any cost (as is many times the case) or the asking price is totally prohibitive? This last one was the point I was indirectly trying to make by citing the Palm Springs example; i.e. I’ve heard that the current owner has a fully developed site and very profitable business based on PalmSprings.com. If so, what would likely be the asking price if he’s willing to sell? $1M, $2M, $5M, more..?? Even if one could afford to pay this type of money, would it always be a better business decision to do so rather than buy the .US or .info version for less than $10K and develop it from ground zero? No one in his right mind is going to argue against the superiority of .com but there are numerous other relevant factors when it comes to deciding on using an extension and these need reasonable and intelligent discussion if the industry is to flourish and thrive, rather than keep repeating the mantra of “.com is the king” and only game in town; obviously this is just my personal opinion on this subject.
Great way of defusing a prospect who knew how to stand their ground! I’ve ran into a few end users who really don’t want to touch anything, and the only way to get through to them if by becoming their number one competitor. If you own the .com of their .net you invest in building it out and show them what happens when you practice what you preach.
At least that’s what I do =D
Dan
To get at them I usually just put a landing page that states in HUGE letters. “We have gone out of business” All items for auction soon. Please check back for date and time. OK maybe I just thought of it.
Are you not utilizing the domain whois system to solicit business which is a violation of the whois system?
Correct me if im wrong, even if you had good intentions of just giving the domain to the person it’s an unsolicited use of the whois system and it’s a growing reason why people are switching to privacy protection on domains.
I also don’t see how he was a potential buyer, he didn’t call you, you called him without invitation.
Actually his contact information was directly on his website. I did not use the owners whois information for this instance.
If I did use whois to lookup the individuals information I am not aware of any whois regulations that would prevent me from contacting the domain owner. If there is can you please provide that information for me. That would make a great blog post.
What made him a potential buyer? Me saying so. Calling him about a domain name is no different than calling him to solicit the sale of a vacuum cleaner. As long as I call within the hours of 8am to 9pm and do not continue to call after receiving a negative response or request to not to call again I am breaking no laws.
My question is why were you calling Bruce to try and sell him a domain?
You can lead a horse to water. . .
LMAO…he just won’t invest in dot com’s!
LOL, now that is funny:)
Why would I develop an alternative extension like dotCOM:)
I have been selling ads for 12 years and the objection he was throwing at you is not common, but I heard it several times when I was selling print. David is right…it wouldn’t have mattered what you told him…8.5 times out of 10 he wasn’t going to buy.
Many times, it is just pride. Certain personality types don’t want to admit that you have a valid point…because it would mean they would have to admit their plan wasn’t the best way to do it to begin with. That domain purchase and sitebuild just may have been his “baby.”
To get around that and, again, it is a tough row to hoe, you could talk about how it is a testament to how great his vision was that he could even build such a great business and presense on a nondotcom. “I know I couldn’t have done it,” you would say to him.
“Have you ever considered how it might supplement the impressive success you have already achieved by having the extra traffic from the dotcom?”
Selling is a game…take away what he is defensive about by showing that the dotcom could never replace what he has done…BUT it could help make it even better.
Well, you got your foot in the door. The saga ain’t over yet. If he does use you for his website redesign, you may eventually get him to buy the dot com from you.
It all depends on how you handle him during the course of the redesign.
All in all, you made the best of the situation. You didn’t sell him the fridge, but you sold him the ice cubes. Now you have all the time in the world to show him why he’s better off owning the fridge.
You did the right thing by not pressuring him, and since I assume you didn’t know him before, you must have seemed like a good enough guy to him that he would want to hire you for something else.
If you keep the relationship up in the future, he may change his mind, especially if you have statistics to back up how much traffic he is losing. Then again, he may never want the name no matter what. Some people are stubborn like that.
.US is a very good space for development. If you can get the .com for a reasonable price, go for it. But as Riq said above (excellent comments by the way), there are many considerations and having the .com is often unrealistic. So you turn to the next most viable alterantives. Can’t afford the Ferrari, but I can afford the navy blue vintage Corvette with the leather interior. That’s a nice ride as well.
The .com mantra is a narrow view and an old argument that’s weaker day by day. It fails to recognize the rest of the internet world developing alongside .com.
Anyway, as far as pressing the issue to “convince” someone to buy something they don’t want, Patrick was absolutely right to let it go. The prospect made his preferences crystal clear. To press on would have burned a bridge.