LeadRefs.com Works

Elliot Silver
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32

A few days ago, I received an Instant Message from an acquaintance who told me about a new (free) service his company, First Beat Media, recently launched – LeadRefs.com. The site aims to help domain investors find buyers for domain names.

Essentially, the service does Whois searches for similar domain names and provides contact information for those domain owners. I assume the company uses a proprietary algorithm to determine which domain names are similar enough to the domain name for sale that it might be worthwhile contacting the owner.

I didn’t reply immediately to the IM because I was in the middle of a couple things, but I visited LeadRefs.com after dinner. I did searches for several domain names I hadn’t been able to sell during the last year, and I sent several emails to potential buyers.

One domain name was a real estate domain name I bought in the aftermarket last year. I sent 5 emails to prospective buyers for this domain name, including one at 8:36. Two minutes later, I had an offer for the domain name, just under my asking price, and I agreed to do the deal. Within an hour, the deal was finalized using Escrow.com.

I don’t recall closing a deal so quickly in the past. Additionally, I received replies from other potential buyers asking for prices. The domain name I sold was priced, and I used a fairly simple email to sell the domain name.

With great domain names, you don’t really need much effort to sell it if you have a targeted audience. This tool helped me close a deal, and I am absolutely going to use it again.

Use the Hello Bar to Sell a Website

Elliot Silver
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20

I believe it’s more difficult to sell a domain name with any type of development as compared to a parked domain name. Many people who are unfamiliar with the Whois database will type in a domain name to see if someone is using it. If they see a developed website (even a mini site), it’s likely they will move on to other domain names, unless they absolutely need a specific domain name.

When you visit many domain names parked with Internet Traffic (and other parking providers), you can see a bright bar at the top of the landing page announcing that the domain name may be for sale. From what I understand, this helps drive a significant amount of offers for domain owners. Although many offers are unqualified, it still opens a dialog.

The Hello Bar is a neat toolbar that you can easily add to the top of your website or blog, and it can be used to let visitors know the website is for sale. You can choose any color or font combination and add a link to a destination url of your choice. Many people traditionally use it to direct visitors to certain articles or make special announcements, and I think it’s a great tool to sell a website.

It’s very easy to install the Hello Bar, whether you use WordPress, Typepad, Tumblr, or basically any content management system. For WordPress, you can download a free plugin, and then enter the code from the Hello Bar website into the correct field on the plugin editor page. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to install and add. You can then add a page on your site to let people know how to get in touch with you or how to buy the domain name and website.

I want to share an example of how I set up the Hello Bar on one of my websites this morning, and it only took a few minutes. Visit BabyRegistries.com and you can see how the Hello Bar looks. Once I added my messaging to the Hello Bar, I set up a very quick and free form at Woofoo.com. It took less than 30 minutes to set up on my first try.

I can’t tell you if it will work for certain, but it’s a great way to let people know your domain name with website is for sale.

Tucows Joins Afternic DLS

Elliot Silver
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1

I read a press release this afternoon, and it should come as good news for Tucows domain registrants who are looking to sell their domain names.

The company has been added to Afternic’s Domain Listing Service (DLS) Premium Promotion network, meaning that it is easier to list domain names for sale across the full DLS reseller network. With DLS, customers can  seamlessly  list, sell, and transfer domain names with far fewer hassles and delays that accompany many domain transactions. Customers can select names they want to sell, price them accordingly, and potential buyers will see the names at various POS opportunities at DLS partners.

There are over 11 million domain names registered with Tucows and its affiliates, so this should also be a boost to Afternic as well.

Press Release below:

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Domaining.com Sale Nets $20,789

Elliot Silver
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3

Francois Carrillo, owner of Domaining.com, just announced the sales total for the domain sale to benefit domain bloggers. In total, the sale grossed $20,789, with 9 domain names sold (10 domain names were actually sold but one person didn’t pay).

The sales consummated through this joint effort between domain bloggers and domain forums were:

  • GoldBangles.com … $7,000
  • Winy.com … $3,900
  • PartyAccessories.com … $3,000
  • MarketingService.com … $3,000
  • DesignerPens.com … $899
  • Mung.com … $1,600
  • Anibal.com … $750
  • CreditCardFaqs.com … $390
  • ImpressFriends.com … $250

24 domain blogs participated in promoting the sale, and with 4 blogs opting to not  participate  in the payout, the 20 remaining bloggers will receive $102 each, which is the 10% sales commission from ECOP.com. Forums that participated include  DNForum, DomainState, and AcornDomains.

I think it was a neat idea, and I am sure the recipients will appreciate the shared sales commission for their efforts.

 

DomainParking.com to Offer Store Front for Domain Investors

Elliot Silver
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6

I received a press release from DomainParking.com and wanted to share the information with you. The company was founded by Internet entrepreneur and domain investor, Igal Lichtman, who you can read more about on Wikipedia.

DomainParking.com is offering domain investors a store front to exhibit their domain names. I believe the crux of the idea is that every person who launches a store front for their domain names will also help promote other domain names in the DomainParking.com network, thus giving all domain names additional exposure. Appraisals are also available via the new store front.

If you’d like to check out an example, you can visit DomainLandscape.com. If you’re attending DomainFest next week in Santa Monica, you can visit the DomainParking.com booth to learn more about this new offering. I’ve embedded the press release below, which has additional information.

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Domain Investing: “Weird, Arcane and Occasionally Profitable”

Elliot Silver
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10

There’s an article about domain names that I found interesting on NorthJersey.com, an online publication covering northern New Jersey news and people.  The article is primarily about the sale of 45.com and the story behind it, which is described  as “a window into the weird, arcane and occasionally profitable world of Internet domain names.”  The former owner of 45.com is Glen DiGirolamo, who is from Wayne, New Jersey.

I’ll let you read the article for yourself, but I thought it was pretty neat how  DiGirolamo was able to come into possession of the domain name, and how he stuck to his asking price to make a solid profit on the sale.  I don’t really agree with the author’s description of the domain business being weird or arcane (maybe 10+ years ago), but it was interesting to read.

Do you have any similar stories about acquisitions or sales that you’d like to share?

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