One gripe I seem to read quite a bit is that more successful (and generally the wealthy) domain investors get all the breaks and special deals from companies with whom they do business. If you look at this objectively, it makes sense, because these people are bringing more business and spending more money, so special deals are expected to ensure the business stays and grows. Some people get frustrated seeing the rich get richer with special offers and deals though.
That being said, I think deals can be made by everyone if you ask for them (and do it in a nice way). It may take some time to find the right person to offer a concession, and they will not likely be given all (or maybe most) of the time, but if you work out one or two deals, you can save a lot of money.
Here are some things you might be able to get concessions/deals on in the domain space, depending on the company, length of time you’ve been a customer, and the amount of business you do:
- Domain registrations
- Domain renewals
- Sales commissions
- Exclusivity periods on sales
- Account representation or VIP service phone number
- Hosting
When it comes to special rates, coupons, or offers, many companies don’t openly offer them, and some companies don’t even offer them at all. However, in almost all cases, you need to be your own advocate to make an unadvertised deal happen.
There are a couple of tips I recommend when seeking a special / unadvertised deal. Try to speak with a company decision maker. It doesn’t have to be Bob Parsons when dealing with Go Daddy, but some of the account management supervisors may be able to put you in touch with the right person/people. In addition, when seeking concessions, make your own concession to the company to try and work something out.
Here are a couple of examples to illustrate how you might get a concession.
- Let’s say you own 500 domain names at three domain registrars, and you pay $11.00/year for .com domain names. Contact the smallest registrar with whom you do business and ask to speak with an account manager. Let the person know you own 500 domain names and would be willing to transfer them all if you can get a discount rate of $8.25/name for renewals and registrations from now until the next Verisign price increase. If this company says no, call another company.
- Let’s say you own a valuable domain name that you and an auction company agree is worth $100,000. Instead of agreeing to pay 15% sales commission and giving exclusivity for 6 months, you might offer 12.5% commission and exclusivity for 4 months. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but if the name sells, that’s $2,500 more in your pocket. Always negotiate before you sign any deals.
Getting good deals isn’t entirely related to how much business you do with the company. If you can find the appropriate person at the company and advocate on your behalf, you can make better deals for yourself and save some money, while building a relationship. Be nice when you ask and don’t expect to get everything you want. Some companies have flexibility and others don’t.
Maybe some people can state the deals they get and we can all join in.
Like a little known fact godaddy actually has a 1-800# yet many do not know this.
@ Ron
I don’t think anyone is going to be willing to risk their deals by publishing them. I think many deals are made on a case by case basis, so even if I am paying $8.00/year at a registrar, they may not extend that deal to someone else who just signed up for an account and hasn’t shown any loyalty.
“Let the person know you own 500 domain names and would be willing to transfer them all if you can get a discount rate of $8.25/name for renewals and registrations from now until the next Verisign price increase.”
I realized that’s an arbitrary number that you have picked.
But assuming .com names, the current registrar price is $8.03 + cc fees. So with cc fees (say 2% plus a transaction fee) the cost is close to 8.25 Even if the registrar made .25 per registration that means they’re going to make $125 for this transaction.
Now of course this doesn’t include making money if the name isn’t paid for (and they auction) or redemption fees (if you fail to pay) or any other things you might buy (hosting etc.) or the business of the person you sell a particular domain to. So probably the way this should be angled is to pay a certain amount for the registration and then guarantee another amount of additional purchases to make it attractive.
After all 500 retail customers at $8.25 should theoretically yield more income then 500 domain name owners. Even though with the domain name owner you have 1 point of contact vs. 500 (but once again each time one of those 500 customers calls or writes you can always sell them something).
@ Larry
It is arbitrary, and I used it because I own around 500 domain names. That said, I buy and re-sell names, so while I may have 500+/- at any one time, I pay for more than 500 domain renewals and registrations. I also occasionally pay for privacy and other add-value services.
@Elliot,
Why would sharing risk a deal, if others meet the same criteria why wouldn’t that merchant value their business in the same manner, what is the point of this article then. Most people have no clue of what special offers are available, there is simply to much information out there to absorb.
ie) cable packages, cell phones, even domain registars.. that is why deal forums have explosive traffic. I don’t think someone would be doing anything wrong by sharing this… you make it seem almost illegal.
“Why would sharing risk a deal”
@ Ron
Because I may get a special rate on registrations that aren’t offered elsewhere because I’ve been a customer for 5+ years, and I don’t want to risk having the company take my rate away because they are angry that I publicized a special price. I also don’t think it’s fair to companies with whom I do business if I advertise a special deal they are giving when it’s not given to new customers or problem customers. It could make people angry if they aren’t getting as good of a deal.
“what special offers are available”
If you buy a new house, the home owner might not tell you that he will include the huge flatscreen tv in the living room (and he may not want to do that), but if you ask him to throw it in and he thinks you’re going to walk away if he doesn’t, he may just give you the tv.
I mentioned several things that may be negotiated, and some people may not know they can negotiate, so at least now they know.
Good advice. Especially about the registrar transfer.