The Rick Schwartz Domain Name and Traffic Blog: RicksBlog.com – Home of The Domain King®

Morning Folks!!

Over the years I emailed Hershey's customer service 3 times. 3 times and not so much as a response. Even when I had an idea and was just looking to buy custom candy in bulk, no answer. They have a place to email them. I took my time to explain why I was contacting them without ever mentioning Candy.com. Just trying to make contact. Not even a form reply. Nada!!

So we will see how history views this shortfall. Only time will tell.

So if Hershey's did not buy it, who did? Well it is not up to me to reveal that. The buyer will do it when they are ready. But it was not Nestles nor any other company you have ever heard of. Yet.

Since the National show in the Candy Industry is next month, the wait to know won't be too long. It will illustrate another failure of Madison Ave. and Corporate America. Not because they did not acquire the domain name, but because their shortsightedness will allow a challenger to come in and disrupt things. It's like a country getting invaded and the army hired to not let that happen has no clue just how bad things may get. Nor do they understand that they will be responsible should things go south.

So whether it is Hotels.com, Toys.com or Candy.com, it is 15 years later and they STILL have not come to understand what this all means. Is anyone awake out there?? And then folks want to know why unemployment is about to eclipse 10%?? Why GM is already bankrupt?? Why the banks are in trouble?? Are all the founders of these companies that would recognize the opportunity dead and buried?? An unfortunate yes is the answer. Those in control now know how to have meetings but they don't know it's all about sales. Nothing else. Sales, sales, sales. Profitable sales. And lastly, Timely decisions. Since nobody can make a decision it is virtually impossible for it to be timely. Let's have a meeting!! Let's have a meeting and let's postpone the decision to the next meeting. These decisions were once made in a snap. But that guy is now in a grave and there ain't no more snapping going on.

And THAT is why my friends that WE will make out like bandits in this recession. Nothing happens until a sale is made and now in the new way of business nothing happens until a decision is made. The big guns are paralyzed and that gives us a tremendous advantage.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Who are my Blog Posts aimed at?

Easy question, the answer is a bit more difficult. Mostly I write for domain investors both old and new. But the folks I truly want to reach are much more diversified. Whether it be Madison Avenue, Wall Street, Main Street, Corporate America, sole proprietorship, or even a home based business on Elm Street, I want to reach them all. Some of my posts by themselves may have little meaning. However when read together you will see a thread develop. An appeal for doing business as usual on hold long enough to re-evaluate where we are. Where the world is. The progress that has been made as well as the shortfalls.

A couple weeks back I went to the Ritz Carlton for Breakfast. We go there often. It costs $70 for the two of us. At that price you expect a certain level of service. A certain quality of food. The restaurant had 7 tables with people. They had 5 waiters, a manager and a hostess. You would think that much staff could handle 7 tables. Well you would be wrong. It was a circus and it was not the first time. The manager came over. I told him what can I say? I don't like to complain....'But you need to raise the level here a notch or two.'

Two pros could have taken care of the business they had. Instead they had 7 people spinning. So they are over staffed. They are ineffective. I mean I could go next door and have the breakfast for $7 and the service I will get will be better. So this is truly unacceptable. They are not alone. This level is found throughout corporate America. They have been trained not to think and that is what you have. Until recently there was no unemployment so anyone that actually showed up you would hire. Things have changed. But many still employ folks that can now be replaced with more competent people.

The sad thing I see is there is very little leadership. Entrepreneurial leadership. Even those in management have been brought up in a system and a culture that leaves many of them mediocre at best. That leaves people that 'Get it' and 'See it' very frustrated. Trapped in a system of inefficiency. You either adapt or you have no value. 'Hey let's have a meeting to discuss what we discussed at the last meeting and still have failed to act.' I see things that should be decided on and acted on in seconds and completed in minutes, take MONTHS! That's crazy nonsense and won't work in this new era when things are moving at warp speed and business is stuck at 55 MPH in the right lane.

So I really hope in time the readers here will be from the business world looking for answers to a new way of doing business. Those that have questions and are puzzled, what I can say to you is that if you were to take a couple days to read all my blog posts, your view of the net and how to harness the power of the net may change. It will change. It will transform your business. X marks the spot. The map is here. There is no charge for the map. Take it. Share it. I want nothing in return other than to see folks do more business online and break the cycle of Internet failures because they don't know how to use the greatest sales tool ever know to man and use it in their favor. A chain saw can be very destructive if used improperly. So can the Internet. KIt can also be a valuable tool if used wisely. The net is a pretty simple mousetrap. You have a site, a product or service to sell. Assuming you have a good item to sell and assuming that your website is designed to close sales and not lose sales, then you only need one other thing. Traffic. But not just any traffic. Targeted traffic. Traffic specifically targeted to what you do. 10 visitors like that have the value of millions of general traffic. If you learn to harness the traffic. Buy the best traffic. You win. Plain and simple. The only place domains come into the equation is a good domain can provide dozens, hundreds or even thousands of visitors each and every day from now until the net burns down. You can set your watch to the amount of traffic a prime domain will get.

Let's say you buy 1000 visitors from a search engine each day. Figure out your cost. Now multiply that by 365 to represent 1 year. Now take that number and multiply it by 20 years. So before we even start the value of a domain getting 1000 visitors every day is? Then you can add the other things of value that a prime domain offers. Easy to spell. Easy to remember. Easy to tell others about. Perfectly descriptive.

Then there are those that only want their name used and branded. I am sure toys r us may have had that discussion. But just adding another entrance to toysrus and letting thousands of those targeted visitors in will just add sales. DUH! Add sales? Yup, the thing that keeps everyone employed....sales. Is there an allergy on Madison Avenue and Corporate America from incresing sales? Silly you say? Well that is how I have watched so many do business. Just read my blog on Hotels.com and you'll see the proof.

I am a car buff and a few years back Pontiac came out with this Solstice that was on the Apprentice. The next day I went to my local dealer. I wanted one of the first ones but if not I was satisfied to get one when they were available. So I went with my wife to the dealer and filled out the paper work. I was told they would contact me. They did not call the next day. They did not call the next month. They did not call the next year. I am still waiting for the call 5 years later and of course I have no appetite to buy the car after about 3 days. So anyone surprised GM is in trouble? They can't even take the order when someone with check in hand is wanting to buy. Now multiply me 1000 times. DUH!! WAKE UP!!

So what you are seeing is the fallout from a failed mindset that is keeping Corporate America prisoner to mediocrity and worse. These businesses are going belly up because they are so hung up on branding they forgot about sales. Madison Ave probably told them that cash registers were outdated, ugly and would give a business a bad image. lol The sad part is they all listened and here we are.

Have a GREAT day!

Rick Schwartz