New Leadership May Mean New Opportunity

There have been quite a few times where I’ve been negotiating with a prospective buyer, and I can tell the company wants to buy a particular domain name but we were unable to come to terms on the price. When this happens, I let them know they can contact me in the future if their offer changes, but until then, I will keep the domain name and possibly find another company to buy it.

As time passes, new leadership may enter the company. Perhaps a new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) or Chief Executive Officer (CEO) takes a position at the company. The change in leadership, especially if it involved the counterparty in a negotiation, may bear fruit for your negotiation. This new executive may have a stronger interest in the domain name, and the company may be more willing to buy it at a price that is closer to the initial asking price.

This may not hold true for time sensitive inquiries. For instance, a company that wanted to buy a domain name for a new product or service may not have any interest in the domain name months or years later. They probably found a satisfactory replacement, and their low offer may not even be valid any longer.

There is certainly a good chance that this won’t work out. The company’s strategy may have changed and the executive who championed the domain acquisition may no longer be there. The new person in the role may not have the same affinity for domain names (or your domain name), and there could be less interest in buying the domain name.

The important thing to keep in mind is that new leadership could mean new opportunity. It might be a good idea to send a message to the new employee to apprise him on the previous domain name negotiation and gauge current interest in acquiring the domain name. There is a good chance the company doesn’t have any more interest in the domain name, but it can open the door for a new discussion.