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

Morning Folks!!

Somebody sent me that this quote this morning in an email. Said that should be the headline for the TRAFFIC show.

I asked if he read my DNJournal Interview or looked at the schedule?

Take a few minutes and read. It may be worth MILLIONS to you in future earnings. Millions! I can add. I don't need to exaggerate. Probably already cost you millions if you have enjoyed some level of success or when you multiply what you used to make X your longevity.

But he said none of the reasons I gave on my earlier post were the ones he was coming to TRAFFIC for. He said the title of this post and his is RIGHT! 100% right.

So WTF are you going to do about it? Maybe time to speak up and speak out?

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Our goal is to give you so many reasons to come to TRAFFIC that you would feel derelict in your business not to come. Feel guilty for not being in the middle of the action when hundreds of the most respected names in the business converge on South Beach. I admit it freely! It's not a secret. Howard and I want you to come and here are the reasons:

Tomorrow the prices for T.R.A.F.F.I.C. go up and this is the last opportunity to take advantage of the discounted price on the biggest and most important T.R.A.F.F.I.C. event in years. Here are just a few of the reasons to come to T.R.A.F.F.I.C., as well as some of the new additions to the program that makes T.R.A.F.F.I.C. South Beach the Best Ever. Back to the future my friends.

Before I get to the list, however, let me remind you that our block of rooms at the beautiful Loews Hotel expires at 5 P.M. EDT TODAY! Make your reservation right now! The hotel will be sold out!

1. We start off with the poolside cabanas to bring networking to a new level with ModelStore.com girls to make your day by the blue Atlantic as memorable and comfortable as possible. Cabanas are stocked with refreshments, flat screen TV, Lounge Chairs, Towels and everything else you might imagine sitting around the hottest pool in South Beach!

2. Then we have the legendary T.R.A.F.F.I.C. OPENING NIGHT COCKTAIL Party. Come hungry and thirsty. You know you will see a feast like none other!!

3. The show then opens with new speed networking software that will make the next 48 hours more valuable than ever and help you meet who you need to take things to the next level.

4. You will hear from the highest-ranking government official to ever come to a domain industry event. Congressman Cliff Stearns is in line to chair the Telecommunications and Internet subcommittee of the House Energy Committee, which can directly effect everyone reading this.

5. We have Simon T. Bailey who is one of the most dynamic speakers we have ever heard; a speaker who is a Disney alumnus and who can explain how Disney’s “Pixie Dust” is used in a way that each of us will benefit for a lifetime.

6. You will participate in interactive and most provocative panel discussions that we have ever had at T.R.A.F.F.I.C.. At times like these, we can abandon some of the pleasantries and engage in real down-to-earth, no-holds-barred conversations with our “so-called” partners.

7. Test Track will have some of the most creative and interesting ideas to persuade a panel of Investors to put their money where it will do some good.

8. Party with .CO at the Famous Versace Mansion on South Beach!!

9. The annual T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Awards Brunch will build the excitement to see who is the Domainer of the Year and who will be inducted into the Domain Hall of Fame. This is where the industry recognizes those who have done great things as voted by their peers

10. Rick Latona will be running one of the best auctions in a long time. The inventory list is out and domains like LasVegas.co will be up for grabs to the highest bidder.

11. You will see history made as flowers.mobi sells for NO RESERVE! It will be a bell weather for .mobi lovers and haters alike!

12. There are too many other functions, parties and get-togethers to list. But the moment you walk into the lobby of the Loews, you will know that this is the most special T.R.A.F.F.I.C. ever. You will feel the excitement of South Beach and welcome the chance to do Big Business in a relaxed atmosphere.

Yes, it is Decision time my friends. You can either pull back or hit the throttle. The year 2010 has been pretty rocky. The storm that may be coming in 2011 could be even more challenging. Don’t allow your business to weaken any more than it already has. Become proactive. Hit that throttle and NEVER look back or gamble with a lifetime of regrets. Folks are coming to make things happen. They are not passive. They are taking their futures by the horns and bending destiny in their favor. This is not the time, nor the show to sit on the sidelines. This is the time to just do it!

That’s it folks. Can’t say or do any more. We are still working to add to that list. Still working on someone else for you to meet and hear from who is well-known for his enthusiasm and promotion of meaningful ideas. Not to tease you, but wish us all luck and hope he agrees.

And to those that listen to folks that say:

“All shows are the same.”

Bull!. That is just a way to try and marginalize T.R.A.F.F.I.C. and prop up inferior products by folks with an agenda or have NEVER been to a TRAFFIC show. The truth is that the history and evolution of the domain Industry has been wrapped in T.R.A.F.F.I.C. since before there WAS an industry, because our formula works and we mean business.

There is cutting edge, and then there is everything else. Folks can accuse us of a lot of things, but there has been no dispute that T.R.A.F.F.I.C. pushes the envelope.

If you are happy with the direction that your business is taking you and you’re your current earnings, I will likely not convince you to take action. On the other hand, if you are like me and believe we should see better days ahead, then T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is where you need to be. Howard and I really appreciate your participation and seeing how the attendees improve their businesses and income at T.R.A.F.F.I.C..

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Afternoon folks!!

If you are into .CO domains, some of the most prime available will be auctioned off to the highest bidder in South Beach on October 19^th. Along with the headliners LasVegas.co, Cash.co, CreditCard.co, Gambling.co, Houses.co, will be some 175 other high profile domain names. Many with substantial traffic.

I expect the auction will be well into the 7 figures. That’s what will happen when you have great domains at great prices. The entire first release is here.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Afternoon Folks!!

You have heard the expression 'Dress for Success'. But you also have to 'Think for Success' and plan to have a success.

Here is what I mean and here are the bullet points to get you there.

1. Make a decision and do it with a sense of urgency

2. Set a goal

3. Develop a plan to get to the goal.

4. Define amount of TIME not a defined amount of MONEY to get to the goal.

5. Prioritize, Prioritize, Prioritize

6. Don't waste time or get bogged down with bullshit.

7. Evaluate, re-evaluate, evaluate again and again and at every new point of progress.

8. Relax, take your time

9. Go like hell like there is no tomorrow

10. Know the difference

#4 is where I believe so many go wrong.

Folks want to learn by example. There is an example right in front of you. The one I use ALL the time. The one I used on Monday.

Howard and I decided to do a show before ICANN Meeting. That was the decision.

We then set a goal and what we want and need to achieve.

We set a TIME line.

Then doing it RIGHT trumps how much this or that costs. So when you restrain yourself with an artificial budget that somebody, committee, or boardroom made up, it just strangles all the right decisions right out of the equation and as a result, STUPID decisions are made. And as bad, TIMELY decisions are never made. Paralysis sets in and failure is not far behind.

Then prioritize what needs to be done and set deadlines for having them done. Don't wait for the deadline to complete. Complete everything early. There will always be a fire to put out and you'll need that time.

You can apply this formula to anything and everything. It works. It works every time unless someone varies from the SIMPLE guidelines.

It's also important when you see that the time is not working well, not to be afraid to abandon. If you fail and you fail the RIGHT WAY, it costs little or nothing. When you fail the other way and often it does....it is also VERY expensive.

So that's the road and formula I use. Hope that helps you!

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Afternoon Folks!!

We are working on another huge surprise as well. A real long shot, but we are swinging for the fences at this TRAFFIC. A TRAFFIC like none other. The schedule will be complete next week.

Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz

Afternoon Folks!!

So you want to be in the Domain Game? You are sick of Pigeon Shit. You are ready to see what you are doing wrong. Here is MY VIEW on domains. MY step by step guide to free yourself from Pigeon Shit!

If you seriously want to do this, just abandon all the bullshit you think you know. Before you can progress you have to cure the disease. The posts of the last few months and particularly the last few days was to do that. Now onto the real method.

1. You are planting a SEED not buying a domain name.

2. You are staking a claim not buying a domain name.

3. Seeds take time to germinate, mature and bear fruit

4. You are planting trees not grass.

5. This is a 5 year plan

6. If I just lost you, you may be lost forever. Don’t have 5 minutes? You will piss away the next 5 years and still end up right here to figure out where you went wrong.

7. Your mindset has to change from the immediate gratification to that of investor. Hooker or Call Girl. One gets $50 and stands in the rain one gets $5000 and sits in a penthouse. Choose!

8. Why am I wasting my time with this? Because the start is where folks go off course. THIS is the PLACE they all goof at.

9. Don’t quit your day job! Seriously. You need $$$ to fund a hobby into a business.

10. If you don’t have a day job, get one unless you don’t need to.

11. Take a deep breath

12. You FIRST purchases are VERY important so you MUST get these right or you are off course and out of the game until then and by that time you will likely be broke and confused and frustrated and angry.

13. Pick a category. Any category.

14. Make sure there is a Yellow Page listing for that category.

15. Find the listings with the most advertisements

16. Start drilling.

17. You will see that vein picked apart like a Friday Morning Turkey after Thanksgiving.

18. Try xylophones. Less crowded.

19. Work up to better categories.

20. Start with a noun like Insurance.

21. Add adjective to the beginning like: DiscountInsurance.com, NewYorkInsurance.com, CheapInsurance.com. THOUSANDS to try and find. Drill. Don’t be lazy. Drill. Thousands.

22. Use Verbs. GetInsurance.com, BuyInsurance.com, They are taken. buyxylophones.com is available as I write this. The audience there is tiny. So look for bigger audiences. More common items.

23. When you know the difference between a domain and Pigeon Shit, THEN you will recognize domains of value the INSTANT you see them. Just like I know Pigeon Shit the instant I see them.

24. Drop lists now come into play. When you know what to look for you can go thru a list of 100 in 3-5 seconds.

25. Domains of value standout

26. Set a realistic budget. You buy your car for $20k or whatever, invest in yourself

27. Buy with a rifle not a shotgun.

28. Don’t be a spammer.

29. Be creative

30. Don’t buy and try to sell 10 minutes later

31. Activate the domain and monitor for traffic.

32. Don’t be a whore and try and sell 30 minutes after that

33. Just put it in inventory and assuming it was a value, pat yourself on the back for a good grab! It’s a fish!

34. Repeat, repeat, repeat

35. There will be a time for selling.

36. If you do it right, you will be too busy getting domains to worry about selling them and then they will be chasing you too.

Yes, I hear ya. You have no money and you need to flip fast. Fine! But you still have to go through these steps to find a domain of value. And if you do it right., you will find a liitle income along the way.

My test for a truly valuable domains is if it stands alone can I build a business around it if all I ever did was focus on that one domain from now on. That’s the test. I have the luxury of not having to do that. But you MUST do that if you want to start in the right direction.

Of course you can’t start going the right direction until you come to a complete stop and change course. Folks have a choice. Buy pigeon shit and make pennies and lose dollars or understand what makes a domain have value and transform what you do.

Clear out the inventory and start fresh again if you are losing $$$.

Just KNOW there gems that sell way below what pigeon shit sells for.

No one post will give you all the answers. But almost all the answers lay within the confines of these several hundred blog posts.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

So many wonder why they are not having the results they would like. But I find one thing interesting. I have been retired or semi-retired since 1998. But even in my state I start earlier in the morning and work later at night than most. But to me it is not work. It is called 'Life' and my work is weaved in it. So I look forward to Monday when others dread it.

My job is to get up before the sun and do more work before breakfast than most folks will do next week. I start and finish projects. I plant seeds. I learn new things. I test new whatever. I read the headlines. I check the market. I make decisions. I set a course. I make a list every Monday of things that MUST be accomplished that week. I make sure I use my time wisely and don't waste time on 'Gopher' things. I do most of my purchases on Amazon so I don't piss away time doing the same thing and having to run all over town. I don't leave this keyboard unless there is a REASON to do so.

The ONLY natural resource any of us have is 'Time.' That's it and it is limited. Not only is it limited it usually does not come with a meter to let you know when it is running low. Time. Nothing matters more. So making the most of your TIME is the true key. How much time do you waste? Don't laugh. It's really not funny.

When you can prioritize life, you will never have to work again. Read that once more. When you can prioritize life, you will never have to work again. You will find more time than you knew existed and when you find those extra hours you will produce $$$, be more effective and use less energy. But if you are a SLAVE to the bad TIME habits you might have found comfortable over the years, they are actually the chains that hold you back.

You know the type. Always too busy to do anything but accomplishes nothing as opposed to the guy that is busy as hell and always finds TIME to do whatever is needed, whenever it is needed. That is what is the TRUE dividing line in life. The doers and the talkers. The talkers look at it as an insurmountable workload and then their mind does not allow them to do the job and be successful. The doers don't say a word. They just do. They just roll up their sleeves and make whatever is needed HAPPEN. So which are you? Which do you want to be? You do have the control to change it if you are willing to STOP. Stop and consider. Stop and take a deep breath. Stop and question why you are not where you see yourself?

I can never stop a winner and I can never make a loser. Only you have that power and it is your attitude and approach that determines your destiny and success more than any other factor. Olympians are champions because of strong minds not strong bodies. Anyone can make a strong body. But it is how you use the body controlled by the mind that counts. That separates the winners from the losers. Study Olympians and their discipline and you apply that to anything in life and you will be a winner, a champion.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

After a 30 second discussion early this morning, Howard and I have agreed to do TRAFFIC West just before the ICANN meeting in San Francisco next March. T.R.A.F.F.I.C. ICANN RETREAT.
This show will be a uniquely different TRAFFIC of which details will be coming out in the days ahead. We will announce those details in South Beach. You may see a few hints a little later in something that will be published soon. But T.R.A.F.F.I.C. ICANN RETREAT will be another milestone in the story of domains and domaining.
Now back to your regularly scheduled Monday and remember, ticket prices go up $300 on Friday for TRAFFIC Miami.
Rick and Howard

Morning Folks!!

In this post I will give you some rapid fired do's and don’ts that will change how you make more sales for more dollars and KNOW when you have reached THEIR top dollar. Nothing worse than a guy having a $250,000 budget for a domain that you end up selling to them for $250. Want to avoid that?? Pay close attention.

1. DO NOT set a price right away

2. Don’t answer questions

3. Ask Questions

4. Ask more questions

5. Answer the questions they pose with a question

6. Buy time

7. Don’t commit, think about it

8. Do the research.

9. Don’t be lazy

10. Know the difference between a domain name that has value that others want and pigeon shit that only one person in 6 billion thinks is valuable. That is why TYPE INS are the key. I don't care if the get 5 a day or 55 a day or 55,000. Just stay away from ZERO because when you double ZERO you got ZERO.

11. Be vague

12. Do not commit

13. Keep is ALL in writing

14. Don’t get weak knees

15. Don’t flip out when you don’t hear back for a few days or weeks or even months.

16. NEVER, EVER, EVER, contact them back before they contact you back. That is WEAK and that email or phone call will likely cost you dearly as they FEEL your weakness.

17. Don’t “Pitch” the domain name. If they contacted you, they already know why.

18. Look at it as a game. Nothing more, nothing less. Those that are busy getting pissed never win the game because they are too busy being pissed.

19. Anything goes in a negotiation so don't take anything seriously until it is all over and the buyer and seller can have a beer. Then you can each tell the other how full of shit you were during the back and forth and have a GREAT laugh! That's what you get when both parties walk away happy and as winners.

20. Deals are about formulas. Just because the first ones does not work does not mean you give up. By asking questions you find out what is important to them and you can work with that. So be creative and imaginative. Keep coming up with ideas until you find a fit.

'When you see John Jones through John Jones eyes, you will sell John Jones what John Jones buys.'

No one post will make you a salesman. It takes time and practice and more than that, replaying where you went wrong when you don’t make a sale. Many books have been written on selling. Many are great and will change your life because you look at things differently.

Some sales are very easy because there is no bullshit. A conversation of what each party wants can do wonders. But you have to be dealing with more savvy folks that know what they want and a realistic outlook.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Morning Folks!!

Everyone always wants to know what my technique is for selling a domain name is. Problem is when I tell those techniques I am met with all types of people telling me I do this wrong or that wrong when in fact, they are wrong.

First, don’t take it too seriously or personal. The chances of you selling a domain for big money is small. However you can sell something undervalue and do it easily. Like selling $100 bills for $85. Do you REALLY believe you need a talent to do that??

I rarely send out the same reply as each offer is unique. Well almost unique. 98% of offers are a waste of time. But most get sucked in and WASTE THEIR TIME! They get hooked by weeks of back and forth email. Me, I blow them away with one email. One email let’s me know who and what I am dealing with. Usually a one word answer or whatever I feel like. I WANT TO PISS THEM OFF!!

This is the time that everyone starts shaking their heads. Keep being wrong. You can’t piss off a REAL buyer! A REAL buyer has their eye on the prize and they just laugh and get back to business. The 98% get pissed off and that proves my point.

Now you can’t do this unless you have a UNIQUE item for sale. If 50 people sell the same thing at the same price, then you need to find a way to kiss ass. To do a lot of things. But domains are different and if you don’t know that, you are wrong again.

Of course it is always good to have something of value to sell to begin with. Does not work so well if you have pigeon shit. But, if you have a domain of value, most domineers leave MOST of the money on the table and goes into the pocket of the buyer not the domainer.

Selling a domain is much more involved then just sending back a price. You need to do research. You need to think. You need to think well into the future. You need to find someone with a BIG idea. THAT is part of the sale. The domain is only as valuable as their idea. Again, blow away the 98% asap and stop wasting your time.

DO NOT answer emails from other domainers. Oh, you don’t know how to spot SPAM from a domainer?? Then learn! Pretty obvious. But so many of you jump up and down when you get an inquiry on a domain and most are other domainers. Wrong direction!

Now I don’t have all the answers and I am sure most of you won’t agree. But most of you have not sold 6 and 7 figure domains as a habit. Sometimes my domain is not that good. BUT I AM! I know what to look for. I know the elements of a big deal or a whale on the line. I know by so many things by the words they use, by the tone, by the signature. Everything is a clue.

We also have our own techniques that may work for me and won’t for someone else. But those skills and techniques need to be learned by practice. But even practice has limits. Limits because the #1 factor is human nature and until you learn to read and interpret human nature, the results will never be what they could or should be.

Just like this post. 80% of you won't agree with what I am saying here. But I am talking to the 20% that gets it and the 80% have the same opportunity to understand what I say. But they are too busy being pissed by my words which is what I described above. That is because I understand the human nature aspect and you ain't buying no matter what I say and no matter what proof I present. So why waste the time convincing them?? I have 20% that are willing to understand and that is a much better investment of time. Clear out the 80%. The NOISE of life.

And of course the most important word in selling is saying “No”. So when folks ask me how I managed to get $750k for iReport.com I tell them the TRUTH. I said NO a hell of a lot. For months. Month after month. Learn to say “No” It is the most powerful tool in your tool box.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz