Rob from Snagged shared an acquisition story that should get the attention of domain investors who share too much insight online. When he was helping a company acquire Plateful.com, the owner of the domain name used some insights Rob himself had shared in order to get a better price for the domain name.
There are many domain investors who spend time on social media and in domain investor forums. Many use their full names or other details that identify them personally. A smart domain name owner or counterparty can easily find someone’s posting history and use some of that information against them in a negotiation.
Over the years I have shared quite a bit online with this blog, on social media, and elsewhere. There have been quite a few times people have used what I posted or shared in a way that benefitted them when we faced off in a negotiation. For instance, I’ve had people cite a 10x multiple as a means of trying to get a better deal on a domain name acquisition.
Something that is a bit less easy to control is the understanding that I am a domain investor and a domain name must be worth substantially more than I am willing to pay because I am buying it as an investment. People who use their real information online should understand these things may be used against them, particularly in a high leverage negotiation.
There’s a lot of good information available to domain investors. Non-domain investors on the other end of a domain name negotiation will frequently search the name of their counterparty on Google. These days, they are likely to plug it into their favorite AI tool and ask for some background information as well as some negotiating tips. If you use your real identity to share information, you should understand that the information you share could be used by someone you’re negotiating against.
