GoDaddy

You probably already read the news about the changes at Go Daddy’s Executive Accounts group. It seems that the company has begun to notify customers about the changes.

I have a few accounts at Go Daddy (for my different companies), and one of my accounts appears to have been cut loose from Go Daddy Executive Accounts. Below is the “rejection” email I received today.  I say it’s a rejection email since the phone number listed is the standard call center phone number rather than the Executive Accounts line.

Brad Larson has been my Account Executive for a number of years, and he is one of the primary reasons for keeping my domain names at Go Daddy. If my primary accounts are dropped, I will probably transfer them out as they come up for renewal.

Go Daddy has fantastic customer support and account management groups, and it’s disappointing to see this change because I trust the AE team with my valuable domain name assets.

Update: Fortunately, it seems that my primary accounts retained their status and Brad is still my rep.

Dear Silver Internet Ventures LLC,

We want to take a moment to thank you for your business, and to share some news about how we handle your account.

Account support is now available 24/7 at 1-800-505-8877. You will find this a quicker and more efficient way to meet your needs. All 1,800 plus agents are committed to making you and your business even more successful in the new year. Call anytime for a consultation and account review.

We are looking forward to the release of many new products and services in the year ahead, and many more years serving you.

Sincerely,

I just heard that Go Daddy  Executive Account Manager  Nima Jacob Nojoumi has left the company. He is the second  Executive Account Manager to have recently parted ways with the company, following Tess Diaz, who is now involved in Business Development at Media Options.

Over his 6+ year tenure with the company, Nima serviced over 600 client accounts and consulted with more than 18,000 customers. He also consulted Go Daddy’s executive leadership team on the startup scene and their social marketing strategy.

I know of several people who work with Nima, and his presence will be missed. Although Brad Larson has been my Account Executive for many years, I have always found Nima to be knowledgable and helpful in Brad’s absence.

I spoke with Nima about his leaving the company, and he said he left on good terms. “I want to express my sincere gratitude to Go Daddy, colleagues, domain industry and clients (friends). It was an amazing ride & I’m humbled by it,” he told me.

Although Nima didn’t say what he has planned next, I imagine he’ll be doing something big in the start up scene. Nima’s a class act, and I hope our paths cross in the future.

If you want to stay connected with Nima, you can keep in touch with him via twitter @DomainAdvisor  and on his personal blog, Nima.CO.

Paul Nicks is responsible for Product Development as the Aftermarket Director at Go Daddy. Rich Merdinger is the Vice President of Product Development in the Domain channel at Go Daddy. These gentlemen were willing to share their 2013 predictions for the domain business.

You can read other 2013 predictions here and here.

gTLDs:

• gTLD adoption will move east to west, beginning with IDNs and GEOs; US buyers will be slow to invest, as generic English TLDs are not available until later in the roll-out process
• IDN.IDN domains see strong adoption
• Contention auctions captivate national media attention leading to broader understanding of gTLDs by the general public
• Initial confusion by the general public will dissipate quickly as people become accustomed to identifying web addresses by string[dot]string as opposed to the common string[dot]com
• Business owners will become frustrated with the need to defensively register and trademark-monitor new extensions as they slowly roll-out
• .NINJA sneaks up on everyone

Aftermarket:

• .COM, .NET, .ORG and .INFO see a bump in aftermarket pricing as the original gTLDs are seen as a safe harbor in the impending sea of new gTLD confusion
• PPC makes a comeback, with earnings rising for the first time in years
• Sunrise/Landrush auctions dominate the second half of the year leading to auction overload for TM holders and investors
• Domain conferences set attendance records as traditional investors take notice of the domain space

Go Daddy retains its position as market leader through innovations in domain name presentation systems, providing consumers with the means to find the right online identity amongst the sea of new alternatives in one fell swoop.