Advice

I appreciate being able to discuss the sale of a domain name with a domain broker representing a third party. Not only does this give me some insight into who the prospective buyer is, but it also reduces some of the friction in a negotiation.

The best part of working with a broker as a counterparty to a negotiation is the buyer has already been educated. A broker isn’t going to take on a buyer with unrealistic price expectations. The buyer is essentially prequalified to discuss a deal. The buyer may not have the full budget, but there will be much less tire kicking.

One of my favorite aspects of the business of domain investing is negotiating my own deals with prospective buyers. In order to generate some of my inbound leads, I operate a variety of my own landing pages and inquiry forms, supplemented by Efty landing pages.

There is a downside to operating my own landing pages and inquiry forms. I am fully responsible for all technical aspects of the landing pages – from their design to their resolution and functionality. This is something I do with the help of a developer, but a great deal of the management is on me.

A number of years ago, I tried to buy a one word .com domain name from its original registrant. I did some diligence on the owner, and I learned he founded a well-known brand that was acquired by the second largest company in its field. He became a philanthropist, and money did not seem to be much of a factor for him.

While I increased my offer to buy the domain name over the years, we didn’t reach a deal. In fact, I don’t think he ever even provided a counteroffer to me. After several attempts over 5 years, I stopped inquiring about that domain name.

One thing I had noticed over the course of several email exchanges was his email address. The domain name he used for email was also exceptional, although he did not have a website. I believe it was the name of his new business or holding company that wasn’t consumer facing.

Whether you manage your own leads on an inquiry form or you utilize a service like Afternic or Efty, chances are good that you’ve received a message from someone who is confused. The visitor doesn’t understand that they’re visiting a domain name that is for sale, but they’ve filled out the inquiry form like a genuine prospective buyer would.

People often mistype domain names in error. They may be intent on visiting a website and typed in the wrong domain name. They may have clicked a link to or visited a website that no longer exists. They’re not looking to buy the domain name, but they filled out the form because they are looking for something that doesn’t exist.