When I think of a domain broker, my first thought is that these people represent the owners of domain names who are looking to sell them. There are also brokers  that specialize in representing companies and people who need to acquire a domain name. These domain name buyer brokers serve an important role in the facilitation of domain name deals.

Over the course of a year, I receive quite a few requests from people to help them acquire a domain name. I almost always recommend that these people work with a domain broker to purchase their domain name. I want to share some of the reasons why I suggest this, and I asked three domain name buyer brokers to offer their thoughts. Adam Strong of Evergreen, Bill Sweetman of Name Ninja, and Alan Dunn of NameCorp all shared their insight about using a domain name buyer broker.

Setting expectations – Many people have no idea what a domain name in the aftermarket will cost, and a broker can help set expectations. “A Buyer Broker can help a client understand what sort of budget is realistic for their domain acquisition,” Bill Sweetman told me. “Buyer Brokers should have an extensive understanding (and access to data) of what comparable domain names have sold for and are currently selling for,” he continued. This can ensure that the buyer has the budget for the domain name that is desired. Setting expectations at the outset is important, otherwise it could waste everyone’s time.

Pricing – I would imagine most domain owners’ prices are dynamic. If they

What is the first thing you do when you receive an unsolicited spam email? In general, I mark it as spam in Gmail or simply hit delete. My guess is that most domain owners do the same thing when they receive a purchase inquiry. My advice is to do some basic research before sending an inquiry email.

I want to share a few things I research before sending an offer or an inquiry:

The owner’s name or a good company contact – When I am inquiring about a domain name that is owned by an individual or a small company, I try to find out the owner’s name. A personalized email “Hi Elliot” looks more professional than something else like “Dear sir.” I will simply delete many of the later assuming the person is blindly spamming.

Prior sales prices or domain broker listings – It’s a good idea to

Coming up with a list of great domain names you want to buy can be an endless process. I am always reading things and thinking about domain names, and I don’t think it would be possible to come up with a comprehensive list of good names I would buy (endless.com, process.com, always.com, thinking.com, possible.com, comprehensive.com to name a few from the first two sentences!).

Inquiring about domain names is also a time consuming process. You need to do Whois searches to find the owner, investigate to get good contact information, craft emails, and for the best results, you will likely need to come up with a reasonable offer to start the conversation. Being good at this takes time and it may be difficult to do this effectively.

I thought of a way to generate acquisition leads that I want to share with you.

Most branding professionals would recommend that a brand name must pass the “radio test.” This means that someone who hears the name of the company on the radio would know how to spell it in order to find it online or to recommend the brand to someone else who could easily find the website.

Even with the advances of Google and spell check, I think it is very important for a company’s domain name to pass the radio test. A website may never actually advertise on the radio, but there are plenty of reasons for why a domain name should be easy to recall and share with others.

George Kirikos shared some great advice on Domain Boardroom about how you can tell if a domain name passes the “radio test,” and he allowed me to share it with you. Simply take out your iPhone and ask “Siri.” If Siri can locate the website you are seeking, you’re likely in the clear. If Siri can’t find the website or doesn’t understand what you are looking to find, even with the assistance of its AI engine, you might want to rethink your brand and domain name.

If you want to