Why I Don’t Give Price in Outbound Emails

I read a post on NamePros offering some insight about outbound domain name sales. I agree with what Ostrados shared about keeping the sales pitch email short and sweet. If the domain name is good and/or of interest, the prospect will reply. If the domain name is not good or not targeted to the right buyer, it doesn’t matter how awesome the pitch is.

One thing I can add to the discussion in general is that I do not put the asking price in outbound emails. My emails are essentially lead generation emails, and when a person responds affirmatively and expresses interest in my domain name, I let them know the price. This is generally the starting point in a negotiation for me.

Having no price and requiring the prospective buyer to ask allows me to evaluate the buyer and company to possibly price the domain name accordingly. In addition, I can gauge interest from other prospective buyers to see how great the demand is. If I email 10 companies and 9 reply to ask for the price, it will likely be higher than if only one prospective buyer replies.

Perhaps most importantly, though, requiring a prospect to reply to my email to get the price of the domain name allows me to create a list of prospective buyers for the future should the domain name not sell.

I tend to price my inventory-type domain names on the high side. This gives me some wiggle room on when a prospective offer replies and inevitably says the price is too high. It also ensures I maximize the revenue from a domain name – as much as possible when it comes to outbound marketing of domain names. Having a list of prospective buyers can help me close future deals if I am in a lull on the roller coaster ride.

Excluding the price from my outbound email allows me to open a conversation with prospective buyers rather than possibly turn them off from the outset. It is good to understand if I overpriced the domain name or if the domain name is not as coveted as I expect, and including the price does not allow me to get that feedback.

Elliot Silver
Elliot Silver
About The Author: Elliot Silver is an Internet entrepreneur and publisher of DomainInvesting.com. Elliot is also the founder and President of Top Notch Domains, LLC, a company that has closed eight figures in deals. Please read the DomainInvesting.com Terms of Use page for additional information about the publisher, website comment policy, disclosures, and conflicts of interest. Reach out to Elliot: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

5 COMMENTS

  1. Interesting insight. But, like the phrase goes “one size fits all” is not applicable.

    Each domain specificity is different and accordingly one may decide.

  2. Good idea, bait and switch tactics, reel them in.

    Regards,
    BullS
    MBA,PhD
    Magna cum laude
    Graduate of Domain King Academy

    MBA-My Big Ass(all of you have one)
    PHD-people having dickheads

  3. The short and sweet approach usually works better. A good domain can sell itself, but creating awareness that it’s available for sale and the credibility for handling large transactions have been concerns for clients in the past.

    BS – Bull Squeeze
    MBS – Mountain of Bull Squeeze
    PHD – Piled High and Deep

    • Unfortunately, I can’t. I think the domain name plays a major role in the email, so it would not make sense to share an example I use.

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