Morning Folks!!
So "Mr. T" emails me and needs a user name for something on HallofShame.com. I think about it for a minute and then it comes to me. I invent a new phrase. The Perfect user name. "ShameMaster" a play on both webmaster and toastmasters.
So I am now the self-appointed "Shamemaster" of HallofShame.com. All I need is a hat and a badge!
And yes of course I registered Shamemaster.com, Shamemasters.com and shamemaster.tv and shamemasters.tv
Rick Schwartz, ShameMaster
HallofShame.com
Afternoon Folks!!
Some think I just pulled the 20 year number out of thin air. They would be thinking wrong. It was a calculated number based on more factors than I have time to list. But it starts with 18-36 months that most any business needs to germinate. It includes population, human behavior, parallels and other timelines throughout history.
So when I considered all the variables and the enormity of what was about to take place and how long that adaptation would take, it came out to 20 years. I looked at it from several different views and each of those views yielded the same answer. 20 years. And when I wrote about this crap in 1996 you can imagine the even bigger crap I was met with and a chorus of laughter. Laughter that I used to reinforce the course I could clearly see and nobody else would even look at.
Along the way I had to prove certain things at certain points or it would all be blah, blah, blah. And so I did. And now on the eve of year 18 I am going to savor and enjoy and relish in what is at our doorstep. The crystallization and the reality of it all happening exactly as scheduled.
For years I have talked about mile markers that marked the way as proof of where this was all heading. Here is a post from December 201o entitled:
"My Annual Post 2010, The Viral Social Mania and Now….The Home Stretch 2011-2015"
What is the difference now in 2013? The difference is what I have been saying and seeing are now within sight for many. Those mountain ranges can now be seen. It is not a 20 year plan any longer. It is now merely a 2-3 year plan. A manageable plan. That timeline and time range is within sight and I am just going to enjoy the hell out of it! Hope you enjoy it too.
In 2003 men.com $1.32MM sale was a rarity and made newspapers around the world and even on CNN and other broadcast media. Today a 1.35MM sale is not a big deal at all. There have been more 7 figure deals done in the last 90 days than perhaps the preceding few years. More are coming. Many more. An avalanche of these deals are coming. It was need, want, desire that could be seen nearly 18 years ago when they were a value few could see or understand.
Rick Schwartz
Afternoon Folks!!
Ok, this post is gonna piss some folks off. It is not meant to and I hope my explanation stands on its own.
I never talk much about .biz as an extension because for whatever reason, my perception of the .biz extension is "Fly by night". I can't help that. It is how I think each and every time I hear a .biz. Call me prejudice. I can't explain it in words other than to say I know the type folks that bought into .biz. Another "Second coming" that never materialized. The "Z" crowd.
I hear .info registrations are down. That is not surprising. Domainers registered some of the worst domains I have ever seen under .info. So that accounts for the loss of domains registered. However, I still see .info as a viable extension when matched up correctly that might get a second look.
.TV is still a powerful extension matched with powerful end users. It is nt universal like .com, but it allows everyone in the world to broadcast their own TV shows and have it designated as such.
.Me is a nice extension when matched with a proper verb or noun that fits the extension. Again, limited but powerful.
.Org is for charities and non-profits and works best when match up to help the human cause.
.Net is an orphan that may get a second look with 700 .whatevers but still tough to build your main identity on without losing traffic/customers to the .com. Confusion sucks.
ccTLD's all have their purpose in their home markets. The minute that market spills over their physical borders, it is time for the .com
.Mobi is just a loser But with .mobile coming does .mobi get a second chance or do we have Loser #1 and Loser #2?
.Co, is simply confusion central and when the end-user or start-up, grows up, they will want the .com. Why? It will be cheaper and more rewarding to harness those already looking for them than the expenditure of advertising for new hit and miss business.
.US, don't write it completely off just yet. See if the 700 new extensions unfold the way each of these operators believe, than there is little question that the extensions already existing will also get a second look during that decision-making process.
.Com, King of the hill. An empire that will rule for the lifetime of every domainer and end-user reading this. It is just starting to gain traction not the other way around. But as always, marginal domains are worth marginally less today. When you buy slum property, prices don't go up easily. When you buy oceanfront property, you set record sales after record sales. The asset goes up and up. Simple parallel.
.Whatever, I will review each as they come to market. Most will be one word reviews. MeaningFUL or meaningLESS.
.Web, I would say the biggest open question at this moment is will .web be another .net or another .com? This is the most universal sounding name. This is where we get back to perception. Domainers won't judge the outcome they will simply BET on the outcome! HUGE difference! So if you don't look at it right, hard to get it right.
The best will rise to the top naturally. It won't be forced. The extensions will either be universal or limited in scope of combinations that make sense. There is an infinite amount of ones that don't make sense. Matter of fact, domainers have cornered the market on worthless domains. Sad but true.
.Aero, .Travel, are not even on the radar at this juncture so nothing much to say. I was seeing some .travel commercials last year, but have not seen them in a very long time. Indicating that the results were not stellar.
Rick Schwartz
Morning Folks!!
These folks at Tata are not learning. They are poised to be the first SERIAL Reverse Domain Name Hijacker with their latest attempt of taking over tatabank.com that is parked at Sedo.com. RDNH
Tata and their LAWYERS are already a TWO TIME LOSER when it comes to Reverse Domain Name Hijacking and are now going for the trifecta!!!
They are featured on the HallofShame.com banners and site!
http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/case.jsp?case=D2013-1719
Rick Schwartz
Morning Folks!!
It makes me uneasy when I say I have been is sales for 40 years. But I have. 42 to be exact. I was very lucky to meet some great folks early on that became lifelong friends. I also was lucky to meet some folks that I never saw again but I was able to take something of value from them.
The Great Gratz taught me a few things. Never cross the street unless there is a reason to do so. The difference between leaders and assholes. Think big and move mountains! So what exactly does the latter mean?
It means think BIG. Dream BIG. Do BIG things. Don't think small.
So let's start at the most basic. Sales is overcoming objections of the would-be buyer. No objection, no sale.
Problem is most people who are supposed to be in sales go off the deep-end when you raise objections and questions and challenges. See their job is to answer them not be upset by them. Not be surprised by them. But actually welcome them. yes welcome objections. The more the better. See the "Objection" is at the heart of every sale. An objection means you are interested not the other way around but MOST salespeople get ANGRY or frustrated when they should be calmly answering the question at hand like you actually know what you are talking about and not being defensive but being confident. That is the foundation of it all.
Now you can't even get to an objection unless there is need, want desire. Because at that point, they don't give a shit about what you are saying because there is no interest on their part and you as a sales person have done nothing to spark their interest. Then the really bad sales folks start talking about price. Not value. Price. Well why would you talk about price when we already established they don't give a shit about what you are selling?
So I can spot a sale a mile away and I can spot things that will never lead to a sale from an even further distance.
When they walked in the door of that mattress store I worked at when I was 19, they already made it clear they had a need a want and a desire. We were some schlock house and they already went to Sears and Penny's and Macy's and they were still looking. You know what that meant? They were ready to make their purchase and go home. Wish I would have realized that back then But I did not. The owner did. He closed every single customer that he waited on in the entire time I worked there. Every single one and he explained why. So simple. Like shooting fish in a barrel.
Now that I look back, I understand it. Customers walking in his door had need, want and desire and what was probably missing was Value. So they were shopping price and comfort and benefits and when it could get delivered and they just wanted to go home.
Sales is a universal art. Some sales are hard-hitting. Some are a slow smooth mild pitch. Some sales involve no selling at all but just showing overwhelming value. Sales is an art and a science. I can spot a real sales pro in minutes and a faker in seconds. It is nothing more than a series of questions and answers and building a confident relationship. The questions are objections and objections are the path to a sale. But MOST get frustrated with questions. Mainly because they have no answer and when you have no answer, you LOSE! You lose because you are not prepared and you lose because you did not go out of your way to find the answer. You may have even been bothered by the question.
Now on the other hand there are questions that say I am serious and questions that say I am just going to waste your time. They are easy to spot. But you have to know human nature. You have to be able to interpret something. For example, when somebody says it is not about the money, they are generally not being truthful. It is always about the money. Always. 99.9%. The more you argue the point, the less I will even listen. There are some truths you just learn over time. It's always about the money.
So as long as you are getting pertinent questions, you are on the road to a sale. And as long as you answer them completely and confidently, you will be making that sale. And you may even have to ask for it. However if you do it really well, they will tell you they are ready.
As a consumer I have choice. You have choice. We all have choice. That is why sales is key. It is the subtle difference between eating and starving.
We are all in sales. All of us. We start out as kids and we whine until we get what we want. That is sales!
I love when I meet a CEO and he tells me he is not into sales. Wow! That's like a runner that does not like running. It is part of the job description whether you like it or not and if you are no good at it you are going to have a rough road.
Sales is a combination of human nature and all the other things I have mentioned. Sometimes one of the parties even get pissed. It's okay. Don't take it too seriously. It is all part of the human show. Just laugh it off. Think of a good comeback. Touche.
Sales is a thought process. It is a challenge and many times you don't make the sale. Or you may not make it right then. But if you did your job well, that sale may still come. You got to know when to back off and when to go for the sale itself. That old thing TIMING once again. If you go out on a date and you expect something too quickly you will probably end up with nothing. But if you go with the flow and don't push or rush it, much more likely to unfold the way you want. Same thing in sales. You are romancing. romancing a vision or a product or an idea or a service or whatever it is you are trying to sell. And if you are a good romancer, you can CREATE, Need, want and desire. You can illustrate value and benefits. But to do all that, you need to overcome all the objections. You can't ignore them. Once you ignore the objection, you lose. You may be able to skirt the issue once, but if it comes up again and you have no answer, Go home. You lose. No sale!
I know when we talk sales the first thing most think about is a Used Car Salesman because they are the worst and the lowest on the food chain. Most have had their job for days and not years. It costs nothing to hire them and most get fired within 6 weeks. That is not the sales I am talking about today. I am talking about a much more sophisticated type of sale where there is a common goal and the sales person can be your guide to get what you Need, want and desire. Like a concierge for example. They are in sales, but it is a soft sell. Time shares are a hard sell.
Sometimes you only get one shot at making a sale so you have to go for the fences pretty quickly. Other sales take months or even years. That is a very sophisticated sale with lots of time invested.
Sales is an art. Sales is a science. Sales is your ticket to eating for as long as you live. Sales is nothing more than a meeting of the minds with a reward.
Rick Schwartz
Aftrenoon Folks!!
When It comes to feeling good and benefits one of the best feelings I personally get from TRAFFIC is when domainers bring their spouses, their sons and their daughters and their mothers and fathers. That is truly the highest compliment you can pay us. That means something special that you would include them.
It's the truest stamp of approval I can think of. To share the TRAFFIC experience with the ones closest in your life. And when we look back they are also the most memorable moments I can think of. So I just wanted to take a moment to let those folks know how special it is for US, when you include your family. Thank you!
I also know when they come they get to see what you do and that is the foundation to support your efforts when you go home. That is priceless and that support can be very rewarding as I have been told.
Rick Schwartz
Morning Folks!!
Don't listen to me and all I have said about failing over the years. Listen to what Mark Cuban says: “It doesn’t matter how many times you fail—you only have to be right one time.”
Bingo, Bongo!! So simple. Yet MOST people on this earth are SCARED of failure which means they are terrified of success.
Here are my posts with the keywords, "Fear of Failure". I write about it a lot because it is so true!
“It doesn’t matter how many times you fail—you only have to be right one time.”
That really is the key. So those yapping on the sidelines are so scared to even get in the game all they can do is what they do best, just make noise.
So those idiots pointing their finger at failure may as well be pointing their finger at themselves. Pointing to their own failure to even try.
A true failure should include a leap of knowledge as the residue of that failure.
There is a fork in the road and there are 2 paths.
80% won't go down either path as they will be stuck, confused and unable to make a decision.
20% will try one way or the other. 10% will get it right the first time. That leaves 10% and 8% of them will try one road and give up and the 2% will go down one road, see it is the wrong road, turn back and correct the mistake. That 2% even trumps the 10% that got it right the first time. They may have gotten it right by sheer luck The 2% that failed, actually learned something that led them to a success and they know WHY they succeeded.
I did an entire post about this:
Rick Schwartz
Morning Folks!!
20 Years ago things were different
ebay, amazon, priceline, google, travelocity, yahoo, facebook, twitter, linkedin, youtube, pinterest, paypal, craigslist, were yet to be born with most of the rest of the net. But now, 20 years later they are the backbone of not only the Internet, but far, far beyond.
Just 20 years ago NONE of these folks existed yet today they lead the parade into the future.
Apple, Dell, IBM, Microsoft and many others from the mainstream were all there. They still are. Some have lost a bit of their luster over the years. Some have more luster today then back then.
1995 was the start. So really only 18 years. But that is why we are in the gravitational pull of this new era. You can benchmark it now. You can look back now. And when you look back, it should get you to look forward as well.
Think about that when you own a domain name, they offered it to 7 billion other people and they all passed. You saw something others did not. And that something had a monetary value. Do you go out and enjoy for $100 or do you "Waste" it on something you see that few others do?
Do you see that SKYLINE forming above? It's a virtual skyline. ebay, amazon, priceline, google, travelocity, yahoo, facebook, twitter, linkedin, youtube, pinterest, paypal, craigslist, etc, etc. etc. It's the NEW Times Square.
It's a hard thing to see until you are 20 years out and look back. Now conclusions can be drawn. Long term plans can be made. A roadmap is in place and the Internet is no longer a threat. It is the lifeline. The heartbeat of all business. Of all commerce. It is much more understandable than 20 years ago and the days of CompuServe and dead ends.
The Internet was something business tried to kill. How stupid was that?? It was a threat. Facebook was a threat. The Internet threatened broadcast TV to the core. Beat them or join them. They spent years trying to defeat them before they joined them. Now they are desperate to use the net. It is the thing their futures are built around and depends on.
I have sat here and observed all the antics. Been entertaining but also very sad to watch so many fail without understanding why.
What should happen overnight, generally takes 20 years. That is why you hear the phrase "An overnight success after 20 years". Circulation takes a long time. If you are not prepared for that long journey, then you will have a lifetime of disappointments simply because of timing. Timing is key. Key to nearly every sport. Key to all things. Key to life itself.
Rick Schwartz
Afternoon Folks!!
Let's take a ramblin' walk down the Domain Channel and look in on a few things.
Page Howe articulated an interesting point on DomainSherpa.com a couple weeks ago. He says what I believe as well that if you own the .com why would you swim downstream. On the other hand if you don't own the .com you want to always be upgrading until you do. Simple, accurate and priceless.
So once I have a .com, I seldom buy anything on the lower grade extensions. However I am always bombarded by folks trying to sell me the .net version of the domain I own, country codes, .org, .mobi, .younameit. But there is no need for those other lower tld extensions for what I need to do in life. None. So you can stop spamming me, never gonna happen. No need, no want, no desire, no value = no sale. So stop wasting YOUR time!
I am not going to get Ricksblog.whatever. or even RicksBlog.blog and since I have already branded RicksBlog.com, I don't see the importance of Ricks.blog. But let's say for the sake of argument, I get the domain. What am I going to do with it. I am going to point it to RickBlog.com. So where is the expansion? Where is the social redeeming value? Some may open new blogs on it but the vast majority won't. They will either do what I just described or move from a very crappy .com to .blog. Maybe. Most won't even do that.
Defensive registrations don't make an extension valuable. If every trademark holder got their .xxx and just paid the fees each year and never hooked it up, what value is there other than to the registry and registrar? Where exactly does the domain investor come into that equation who wants to use his money to make more money? Sorry, I don't get it. Want to buy some .xxx domains for my purchase price?
Now each extension will come to market with their own pros and cons. You have to figure out that mousetrap and get it right or you lose. And when you lose, you lose your money. And when you lose all your money you are no longer a domainer. So if/when you do figure it out, then buy wisely and hold on for the long term. If you are not prepared to hold on for 10-20 years you are likely to be disappointed. And if you are looking to buy today to flip tomorrow, better get it right each time and still be financially prepared to hold on for 10-20 years. At that time you can re-evaluate.
When I hand register a domain I multiply the cost by 10 because that is the real cost to do business. Holding on for a minimum of 10 years. So it is not an $8-$10 purchase, it is an $80-$100 purchase.
The consumer will be picking the winners and losers not any of us. Sorry. They have been .com brainwashed for 20 years now. So the target audience you will really go after is just being born or is just a few years old. He will grow up with more extensions and will be more open to them. BUT, that does not negate the fact that more money will be spent collectively promoting .com even in his lifetime than all the other extensions added together. That is the mountain that will always keep .com where it is.
Whatever.whatever may be the greatest thing since ice cream. But again, they are not in control. When they go to use the extension and the results are not as expected or worse, what do you think a rational businessman would do other than to pull the plug as Mr. Johnson did with O.co. They did not want to do that. They did not it. intend to do that. But they were hit with reality and were FORCED to do it.
Domains have value for several reasons and when those reasons are not present, guess what? Neither is the value.
All I can do is point out pitfalls regardless of how things unfold. None of us know jack right now. But we do have evidence and parallels and that allows us to draw conclusions and it also points us in different directions.
I am loving it. The eyes of the world are going to be focuses on our little pond more and more and I don't see any downside. I see mirages. I see wishful thinking. I see ways to manufacture money. I see ways to exploit what is coming and I make no bones about it. Everyone is in it for the $$$. Nobody is trying to save the world.
But am I really going to swim downstream? No, probably not. However maybe there will be some keywords that just make sense. That are naturals. I can just put them away and see what happens. But most domainers will still pick 3 word .whatever with stupid misspells and think they have something. They do. It's called a recurring bill.
I just ask questions. Some have answers, some don't, some point one direction or another. It's called examining something fully and coming to a conclusion. But in business while you should not be weak, you need to be agile. Every new piece of info REQUIRES a re-evaluation of the subject whatever it is. Not doing that is a huge weakness disguised as a strength when it is not. You don't did in your heals like politicians, you always look for answers. And you follow those answers even when you don't like that answer. Especially when you don't like it. You can't ignore it. That is th seed of failure right there. Knowledge never hurt anyone however ignorance can kill ya!
In the last month I have paid VERY close attention to tv ads. I never see a .biz on tv. I never see most extensions on TV. I have seen .tv and .info ads but only 1 each. I have seen countless ads for .com. Countless. Every single ad. Yes, it could change. But where is the indications so far and there already is choice?
So as of today, there are no other conclusions to draw given the facts we already have, know and are not disputed. But each day new info comes. It will either reinforce what we already believe or it will go against it. As I said, ignore nothing!! To ignore means you FIGHT to stay ignorant. You used ENERGY to remain uninformed. That is the road to failure. An open mind is the road to success and an open mind is never threatened. He is always armed with info and facts that trump emotions and hoping.
Whatever the size of your wallet, whether it be $1000, $10,000, $100,000 or millions, your job is first keep those dollars safe and second, grow them as fast as you can. So if you buy that $1000 domain and double your money and do that less than TEN TIMES, you become a millionaire. And what if it took you 3 years to accomplish? That would be bad? You could do it in 1 if you pick right.
$1000 becomes, $2000. $2000 becomes $4000. $4000 becomes $8000, $8000 becomes $16,000. $16,000 becomes $32,000. $32,000 becomes $64,000. $64,000 becomes $128,000. $128,000 becomes $256,000. $256,000 becomes $512,000 and $512,000 breaks the million dollar mark! And that's only if you just double your money each time.
Rick Schwartz
Morning Folks!!
As you know I have written several blog posts about JC Penny's. You might ask why? I might ask you why you ask?
See there are lessons to be learned in all successes and all failures. This is a slow motion failure so you can watch it very closely and learn a to.
JCP has so many problems, where do you even begin? Well how about this post? This Post?
In 2007 I gave Kudo's to JC Penny for owning Gift.com
Barron's Says: "It’s getting ugly for J.C. Penney (JCP). The beaten-down retailer has dropped 6.2% to $7.89 at 12:44 p.m., which would be its lowest closing price since Mar. 9, 1982. What more can you say about the train wreck JC Penney has become?"
$8.00 30 years ago? Really? In today's dollars, that $8 would be worth less than $1.
We are witnessing a company that stood tall for close to a century that is now dying. There is no room in the eco systems for JC Penny as it exists today. They have been SQUEEZED out of the marketplace. Survival is doubtful and I don't know that they are a good bet as a takeover.
Rick Schwartz
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