There are many ways to find a buyer of a domain name. I’ve discussed how to use LinkedIn to find a domain name buyer, and I also think CrunchBase could be a helpful tool to identify prospective buyers as well.
Generally, I use Google the most regularly to find a domain name buyer. I search the keyword term in Google, and I can usually create a list of companies to target. If I was interested in selling EventManagement.com, I could search Google to find companies that would describe themselves as event management companies or find prospects that offer event management software. This has been most effective for me in finding companies that may have an interest in buying domain names.
CrunchBase can be searched for these prospects in a similar fashion, and it gives me additional reference information like funding, company creation date, and founder information. One of the biggest advantages to CB is that I can see how much money a company has raised and when the funds were raised. A company that is newly flush with cash may be more likely to acquire a great domain name in the aftermarket than a company that isn’t profitable and hasn’t had a funding round in years. I can also see what other products and services the company offers, and do additional research to see if the company tends to be acquisitive when it comes to domain name assets.
One limitation to CrunchBase is that it is not nearly as populated as Google. For example, smaller local companies that are outside of the tech space most likely will not have a CB listing. On the other hand, if a company is listed in CB, it’s likely the company and its founders are tech savvy enough to agree to spend a considerable amount of money on a domain name that might not be business critical.
I’ve used CrunchBase in the past, and I am going to try to use it to find a targeted domain name buyer. Obviously, you should always be aware of anti-spamming regulations, and you should be selective about the companies you email to sell a domain name. Any time you use any tool to find a domain name buyer, you should be aware that they may not be interested in what you are offering, and there is always a risk that they report you for some sort of spam violation, even if they were hand selected and emailed individually and personally addressed.
Great resource Elliot. And another one to keep in mind is Hoovers.com. I have done searches on both sites for the same keyword(s) and each site give different potential end users which is great. And you can also sort the list on Hoovers by the $ Sales Volume of the companies listed. This can give you a very quick guide as to who can ‘potentially’ afford the name you are selling.
I’ll mention Yahoo Financial which offers a lot of information on management with easy to import company addresses. Thanks for the tip on CrunchBase though.
Agreed, that’s a great resource to use.
Thanks Elliot for sharing. I know some domainers use Estibot as a tool for generating leads. I was curious what experience you or others may have had using social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter to generate leads. I have not found Twitter to be useful. I have been able to generate leads i.e. how much inquiries via Facebook but once I quote a price they disappear…
Elliot, stumbled across your blog a couple weeks ago. Like what you are doing!
Question: I own Sprintwallet.com .net & @sprintwallet. I wanted to reach out to Sprint to see if they would want to buy these domains, however a friend said that they could come after me for domain swatting. (Parked with SEDO)
What are your thoughts on this, should I take a leap of faith and make contact directly.. or should I use a broker/intermediary?
What would be the best way to handle this?
Best
Chip
Thanks for the compliment.
I think your friend may have meant “domain squatting” aka cybersquatting rather than “domain swatting.”
Your question is better suited for an attorney though because Sprint is a brand, but sprint is also a word that has nothing to do with telecommunications. Usage would be an important factor in cybersquatting, but attempting to sell a domain name like this to Sprint could get you into trouble. Because there could be severe penalties for cybersquatting, I would speak with a trademark expert before doing anything.
Sprint is going to take you up a wall and drop you in a lake. Don’t approach Sprint. Better to play with a tiger. I won’t hurt as much.
Great tip Elliott. I would also recommend to sign up for the CrunchBase Daily. It will email you the latest news about newly funded startups as well as the top funding rounds of established startups suuch as Series A, B etc.
http://static.crunchbase.com/daily/content_web.html