Hiring a domain broker is an effective way to sell a domain name. Reputable domain brokers will know most of the buyers within the domain industry, and more importantly, they know how to reach out to end user buyers to sell a domain name. They also should excel at negotiations in order to get top dollar for your domain name(s).

It’s my experience that a domain broker who is going to put the time into selling your domain name will want to know that they are exclusively working on your domain name so that their efforts and financial commitment aren’t wasted. They will also expect a specific commission rate for the sale of your domain name. All of this should be discussed in advance and worked out with a brokerage agreement.

I want to share 10 questions you should ask a domain broker before agreeing to sign an exclusivity agreement as well as why I think these questions are important. If you have additional questions that you think would be beneficial to ask, please share them in the comment section.

• Is my asking price reasonable? If your trustworthy broker thinks you are asking too much from an end user perspective, you might be wasting time. You are almost never going to get max value when you are seeking a buyer vs when you receive a direct inquiry. If your asking price is reasonable, you have a better chance of selling your domain name. You will also likely have a broker who puts a greater effort into selling your name since he thinks there’s a good chance it will sell.

• Have you sold similar domain names, and if so, what names at what prices? Working with someone that has experience in your vertical can help you sell a domain name more quickly. They know how specific buyers think, and they can give them reasons why your domain name is worth what it’s worth.

• What other domain names are you currently selling that are similar to mine? If they have names for sale that are in the same field, they may be more likely to contact end user buyers to sell the other names. On the other hand, if they have better names at better prices, your name becomes less  desirable  to buyers and will look even more overpriced.

• Will you be contacting end user buyers on my behalf? It’s great if your broker can sell your domain name at your asking price to other domain investors via newsletter, but if it sells via newsletter, it was probably priced lower than end user value. That said, quick cash sales serve a purpose and I am always happy to sell profitably, quickly. If you want to maximize the price you receive for your domain name, you will probably want your domain broker to pitch it to end user buyers.

• Are your contact methods legal and/or spammy? You probably don’t want a broker to send out hundreds or thousands of spammy emails, especially if they use software to do it. First off, that might not be legal. Secondly, it might irritate a whole bunch of potential buyers and that could “poison” your name. It may be more efficient for the broker, but it’s probably not going to help you sell a domain name.

• How long a period of exclusivity do you require? Most brokers who plan to put an effort into selling your domain name will require an exclusivity agreement. They don’t want to put time in trying to get someone to buy a domain name and have you sell it to them independent of them. Find out how long this period lasts.

• What is your commission rate? Do you give a discount if I find a buyer while under exclusive? Most brokers charge between 10-20%, with 15% being the most common rate. If a broker is going to put more effort into finding a buyer (ie attending a conference on your behalf, you should expect to pay more). In addition, if you sign a 6 month exclusive agreement (I would not), and someone inquires about the name in the meantime, you shouldn’t have to pay the full commission rate. You should ask this up front to avoid making assumptions, because technically, you would be on the hook should a deal be struck while under the term.

• Do you handle escrow or use an escrow service? I always recommend using Escrow.com even if the deal was brokered and the broker is willing to act as the intermediary. There is no reason for the broker to handle the money you are owed, and with Escrow.com, you can select a brokered transaction so the broker will be paid by Escrow.com.

• Will you be doing anything special to sell my domain name? Some brokers go above and beyond when selling a domain name. They attend industry specific tradeshows and events to find end user buyers. Some put together pitch books sharing information about why a domain name has value. Others will meet with buyers in person since that’s how business tends to be done at large companies. Be sure to discuss who will pay for these marketing expenses.

• Do you actually have a buyer for this domain name?  One tactic I’ve seen and experienced is when a broker emails me about a domain name out of the blue to tell me they may have someone who wants to buy the name. In the excitement over the possibility of making a big sale, the domain owner signs an exclusivity agreement and the broker then proceeds to try and find a buyer. The initial email makes it seem like they have someone ready to buy, but in reality, it’s usually just a tactic to try and get someone to sign an exclusivity agreement so they can then start the process of finding a buyer.

I don’t like chit chatting on the phone. That’s especially true for business related conversations. Because of this, I hardly ever use the telephone to contact prospective buyers of my domain names. There is a good time to use the phone though, and I’ll share when I think it’s appropriate.

After sending emails to prospective buyers and you receive a reply from someone who seems interested but isn’t quick to reply or has short replies, you might want to give them a phone call to discuss. A phone call can help move a deal forward in several ways:

• Establish trust
• Speed up the pace of negotiations
• Allow you to get a better read on the buyer
• Move the negotiation to your schedule
• Take away some leverage from the buyer

The primary reason I use the phone is to move a conversation along more rapidly and to get a better read on the buyer. Based on the buyer’s needs for the name and/or interest level, I can price it accordingly and also offer better terms.

I can also  gauge how familiar the prospect is with domain names and domain acquisitions. If I think the sale process and transfer will likely take more time and effort than usual, I can price the domain name accordingly.

One important thing to keep in mind is that a phone call can also kill a deal. If the buyer asks questions you don’t know the answers to or appear reluctant to answer, he or she might have no interest in doing business with you. In addition, if you struggle with communications (ie you don’t speak the same language as the buyer fluently), it might make things more difficult and might also cause trust issues.

I think using the phone can be an effective negotiation strategy. I would not use it to cold call, and I would use the time to build trust, establish a dialogue, and try to push a deal forward.

The other day when pitching a domain name to a potential buyer, he asked me to verify that the domain name I was selling was the actual keyword .com domain name. I was a bit taken aback by the question and confirmed that it was in fact the actual keyword domain name.

He later followed up his strange question to let me know that someone had tried to sell him what looked like a great domain name, but a number was in place of the letter, rendering it just about worthless (for example but not the one that was discussed, L0SERS.com).  I don’t think the seller tried to pass it off as the real deal, but it was certainly not explained to this potential buyer until he copied and pasted it in his browser and he was able to see that it wasn’t the real keyword domain name.

This type of business is bad. First off, it’s deceptive if the potential buyer doesn’t realize what the seller is pitching. Secondly, when the number is added to a word, especially in the middle, Google and Bing will see it’s a number and make it much more difficult to rank for the keyword. It’s just about the same as a totally unrelated word since that’s essentially what it is.

Whether a seller is trying to be deceptive or not, selling a domain name that looks like one thing but is really something else is not the right thing to do. I personally wouldn’t touch a domain name like that, let alone try to get someone else to buy it. That is just asking for trouble.