When you’re negotiating to purchase something in person, and you’re just a bit away from reaching an agreed upon price, some buyers will show the seller a pile of cash as a means of closing a deal. For instance, if the owner of a collectible wants $15,000 and you’re only willing to pay $10,000, you may pull the neat stack of $100 bills and put it on the table in front of him, telling him to “take it or leave it.”
The owner will look at the pile of cash and realize that it’s the most you (the buyer) will pay, and he needs to decide whether or not he’d rather have his collectible or the money. Once you’ve set your final offer down, you need to hold firm and walk away if you’re rejected, otherwise it will seem like you have a weak constitution and the buyer will get the better deal if you keep upping your offer.
When you are negotiating to purchase a domain name, you can’t really pull out a stack of hundreds and say “take it or leave it.” You can say it’s your final offer, but for the seller, there isn’t the lure of seeing a pile of money in front of his or her face to contemplate. However, you can use Escrow.com (or another escrow service if you prefer) to encourage the seller to make the deal.
If you think you’re very close to a deal in a negotiation, but you’re just percentage points away from making the deal, you might want to try this sales closing tactic. Tell the seller it’s your final offer and let him or her know that you’re not going any higher. Set up the deal at Escrow.com and let them know you’re doing that. You should also be clear about the fees (I like to cover them in this situation).
The seller will receive an email from Escrow.com letting them know about the transaction, and this tends to get them to realize you’ve made your final offer and if they want to make a deal on the domain name, this is it. They will receive a couple of reminder emails if they haven’t signed in to agree to the deal,and that’s something that will also remind them of the finality of your offer.
I used this tactic once and it worked. In fact, the seller and I kidded around about it after and he said it was a pretty good maneuver on my part to get him to close the deal because he really wasn’t sure about it until he received the email from Escrow.com.
Yes, Escrow.com is an advertiser, but so is Sedo, and if you happen to like their escrow service or Afternic, or Moniker, be my guest. I happen to think Escrow.com has wider brand recognition because of the company’s partnerships, and that could make it easier to close the deal, but that’s your decision.
