Make Money With Domains:
Page 14 - The Brute Force Philosophy

 

<< Return to Start of Article

The brute force of domaining is worthwhile to talk about because this philosophy pertains to most of the practicing domainers.

In order to make money from a domain name, one of three things needs to happen. It needs to be parked, developed, or sold.

We covered parking and developing domain names, but selling is a different animal altogether.

As I previously mentioned, people using the brute force philosophy of domain selling pull out all the stops. They market their for sale signs like crazy. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

In cases where it works, there are several things that are consistent:

- List domains where domainers go
- Get professional appraisals
- Save you earnings data
- Mark the whois accordingly
- Tell exactly why the domain is valuable
- Tell why they bought the domain name
- Register with the right company
- Branding


List Your Domain Where Domainers Go

This may seem like common sense, but I assure you, it is not. If you are looking to sell domains, list them with the auction services that I listed previously. List on EBay (which is usually either hot or cold). Find a forum that offers auction services or "domains for sale".

Don't just build a webpage with 400 domains on it with prices accompanying each one. No one will look, and no one will buy!


Get Professional Appraisals

I hate to break it to you, but free appraisals don't mean anything. Well, professional appraisals still don't mean much, but they are more widely accepted than free ones.

Typically, free appraisals are sent through some algorithm in a computer program that will pick out all of the tangible variables of a domain name; things such as number of letters, whether it is (a .com or a .net), or if is developed and receiving traffic or not.

Then it spits out a number - which is wrong. Domain names operate on perceived value as well as tangible value.

A computer doesn't know that the word "wiki" is a new technology, or a new word for that matter. It has no idea that wikis are a wonderfully adaptive type of software or that they are blowing up faster than popcorn in a movie
theatre. All the computer algorithms see is four letters and .com.

A professional appraisal at least has the human touch when taken through the steps.

You might have a nine letter domain name that is a technology which may or may not be hot in 5 years. How can that url hold that same value as a nine letter string of incoherent letters?

Professional appraisers will evaluate all of the tangible things like an algorithm, but will also do a bit of research to better estimate the value.

Once again, they may or may not be right. But it's a better guess than you could have done!

The last thing about appraisals… If you think you are going to get $20,000 for a domain name that has technology in 10 years written all over it, you will be sorely disappointed.

You need to sell for a price that will make you happy, provided the buyers aren't "end users".


Save your earnings data

One tip I can't go without saying - make sure you save your earnings data from whatever parking service or monetization method you use.

Buyers will ask for it, and they have every right to know.
Mark the WHOIS accordingly Some domainers maintain that it is a good idea to mark that a domain is for sale in the WHOIS directory.

I personally have never done it, but some swear it is important.


Tell EXACTLY why the domain is valuable

I have to say, this is the most important step in being successful in selling domain names – marketing it right.
As I stated earlier, buy domains within your niche or expertise that are future oriented.

Since it is your niche, random domainers and investors don't know what they are looking at. You need to tell them!
If you are selling the domain WiMaxHub.com, don't say:

“An eight letter, .com for sale for $xx,xxx.”

No one will buy it, unless they know the industry. It is your job to make sure that everyone who sees your listing knows
exactly why it is important.

Instead, write the listing like this:
“WiMax hubs are the central distribution point for the increasingly popular WiMax technology being adopted by Sprint, Nokia, and Cingular. This .com would be an excellent place for a WiMax FAQ, distribution site, or shopping center. Not to mention AdSense keywords are selling for almost
$2.00 a click.”

Which one will sell the domain name?

The second one… You guessed it. Hell, I would buy it if it was worded like that!


Tell why you bought the domain name

This wraps up into the previous point nicely. People like stories, so indulge them. Tell investors why you bought the domain name and why you think it is important.

If you have credibility, this will work to your advantage in a huge way!


Expect the right price

Earlier, when I said you won't get the appraisal value for your domain name, I meant it.

Professional appraisals are a matter of one person's opinion. And it matters who is buying it. If an end user is looking at buying it so they can build out their own site or service, then you will get top dollar for it.

However, if another domainer or collector is looking to buy it, then they will want it for well under the appraised value.
You need to find a happy medium.


Branding

Branding yourself lends to your credibility.

If you are looking to be a big time player in the sales at a forum, you need to be known by the community. Your name (or your login name) needs to be recognized in order for a domainer to trust doing business with you.

The other side is that oftentimes if your name is recognized, you will get more in the sale. Think of it as your friend buying your car from you. If the car is halfway
decent, he will probably give you a better price than someone off the street you have never met before.

Your friend wants to make sure you are happy with the price, and you have the responsibility of handling that transaction with care. An outsider doesn't care what you think, he just wants your car! . 
  
THIS FULL ARTICLE CONTENTS


1. Start of Domaining Article

2. Who Makes $100,000 a day?

3. An Introduction

4. What Exactly Is Domaining?

5. How To Find Fantastic Domain Names

6. Registering A Domain Name

7. Domain Parking Services

8. Dropped Domains

9. Domain Parking Players

10. Setting Up Your Parked Domains

11. Developing Domains

12. Monitoring & Selling Domains

13. Process of Selling Domain Names

14. The Brute Force Philosophy

(Note dated March 2012: The rest below coming in due course. Bookmark this page)


Passive Domain Sales
Passive or Brute Force?
The Common Mistakes of Domaining
Building a Masterpiece Takes Time

How to transfer a domain | Where to buy a domain