Morning Folks!!
In the not too distant future I will be announcing my 12th domain sale is
PunchBowl.com. Another multiple 6 figure deal plus other
considerations. There should be a press release forthcoming and the
buyer will decide how much of this to go public with as there will be a
confidentially clause . There is some real interesting developments out
there and this recession will just make great domain names more and
more important and meaningful and eventually many will become
priceless. Many already are. But when the investors of the universe
understand all the facets of a domain name it will render so many other
investments and collectibles secondary to what a domain name means.
The economy is in turmoil, some domainers are struggling to keep above
water. Great domains have never been in more demand. Folks, this is
report card time. The working equation has changed drastically and
therefore many business models have been blown to smithereens. All I
can say is that it is never too late to start doing it right. Never too
late to adjust to new times and new opportunities. Last August the
bottom fell out of the market. Look how much has changed in just 1
year. Look at your own attitudes when I began writing about the
impending economic meltdown. 1 year ago, most readers here were not
affected by what we have gone thru and really thought I was going off
the deep end. In retrospect you can see that what I saw coming was
accurate. Just another event I clearly defined before it occurred and I
did it in front of the world. Many told me to cool it. But my job is
not to paper over reality. My job is to articulate reality before it
happens. To take advantage of that information before others. That's
your job too!
I
said at that time that you can't pull back on the throttle. That you
have to gun that baby if you expect to survive and thrive. Those that
did not heed those words have quietly disappeared. I listened to my own
advice and while I had my very worst year in ppc since the beginning, I
also put more meaningful deals together than ever before. Planted seeds
that will sprout into fruit trees not just fruit. Aligned myself with
successful people and companies. All that before I even get to the huge
changes in TRAFFIC
to bring the event around the world and around the corner. Not just to
domainers. If you want to continue your incest then you will only do
business inside the industry and the other shows will be better for
you. Have fun with the masses! But for those of us that understand what
we have and where the future is and where the opportunity is, we will
focus on end users. Focus on folks and companies outside the domain
industry. Engage those that we choose to engage. Those of you that are
stuck in the domain world, I see no shackles on your legs, just ones
imposed in your minds. TRAFFIC will evolve into a show that attracts
people from outside the industry as the Internet hits the next stage.
New blood, new money, new opportunities. We lead, everyone else
follows. What am I talking about? I am talking about things in the
future that are coming that others don't see. Why don't they see it?
You'll have to ask them. But my record is pretty damn clear and I see
it and they eventually will as they follow in our footsteps and trace
the new path we blaze. So the choice in life is to follow leaders or be
stuck with the masses following followers and never having a clear
direction.
Let
me be as clear as possible. IF you KNOW what elements constitute a
great domain, then all I can say is there are more domains out there
than any one of us can actually buy. I see an incredible amount of
quality domains for $500-$5000. When I say quality, I mean a domain
that has 10x, 20x ,100x the value it is being sold for. The same work
and money to buy those as all the CRAP I see people buy.
I have a post buried in this blog from the spring. It was like giving the keys away to the joint. That was close to what Mike Berkens
said about that post. I explained in detail what constituted a great
domain as opposed to a worthless one. It was one of my least read blog
posts and I don't even know a comment was made. Go figure.
Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz
Kevin
The key, as well illustrated here, is always staying steps ahead of what everyone else is doing, either through your own continuous innovations or discovering and exploiting new trends on the Net.
Soundly Reasoned
Punchbowl Software would be the likeliest candidate to purchase this domain name. They own punchbowl.org and mypunchbowl.com
James
Congrats again Rick. Another great sale. It’s good to see you pulling out these sort of deals (alongside slightly depressing.) I was wondering are therse companies you have approached or who approached you?
Michael Roberts
Cream rises to the top. It seems to be about not only the great domains, but great salesmanship as well. This blog is one of the only places on the net which presents a clear picture of the value of great names.
This industry is filled with people who don’t get it. They are letting very good names drop maybe because they are broke, or PPC has fallen apart. There are lots of people who claim to be experts but one thirty second phone call will expose them. I just called a person who claimed to be an expert at brokering names and had lots of”advice” on finding end users on his site. I told him the name and all he did was check the whois and informed me that I just registered it, which I knew, saying that that means that it is worthless because no one registered it before / or it was dropped.
It happens to be a great pure generic name in a massive consumer industry, and this name is central to one of the most emotional issues that drives sales in that industry. This supposed expert then proceeded to tell me that he gets these calls”all the time.” He proceeded to tell me that the fact that it was available MEANS that no one wanted it before and that again, it is worthless. He was 100% incapable of looking at the name for what the name was, but had a single factor that he seemed to evaluate everything by. A meaningless factor if you ask me.
The fact that I registered this and a half dozen other perfect generics for registration fee recently means that this”expert” must not be looking for them. This could be a good sign, the last time an”expert” told me my nice generic name was worthless I sold it for 150 times what I paid for it a few days later.
I am not a domainer (seriously) but I am about to become one.
rjb
Congrats on putting together another great domain deal! I imagine one of the reasons you can get such high prices for your names is that you are financially comfortable, you probably don’t need to sell these domains and can say NO for a long time. What advice can you give on attaining a high price in a domain negotiation to people who could use a good sale, but don’t want to let it go too cheap. Is there a phrase or technique that can weed out a serious buyer, to tell if they will pay more? Since you have done many of these sales, maybe you’ve noticed a pattern or tactic that works well in most situations? Again, congrats and look forward to seeing the details of your latest sale.
Joseph Segal
Hello Rick, great post on the state of the industry!
How would one go about sending you a list of domains to review?
Domains like;
LiveChats.com,Affairs.net,Cheaters.net,GoodWomen.com etc
Thanks
Joe Segal
Bill_and_Ted
Thank you for your advice over the last year. I have heeded all of it and did see the econ/corruption turmoil on my own.
In terms of domains, thank you for giving me the confidence to plant seeds right now. I just picked up a monster for a few k that is worth a fortune. I will actually reference this particular blog post about it in a while.
the window is closing…the merging of outside business and marquee names is version 3.0 game over.
So you do have people really listening!
James
Rick, can you settle something for me?
I have regularly discussed on the forums, about who decides the value of a domain. My stance is that the only person who ‘decides’ the value, is the seller – not the buyer. Most others say it’s the other way round. As the ultimate domain seller, what do you say?
Response by Rick:
It may depend on the situation and who the owner is. It may also come to circumstance. But the seller is the one that ultimately decides to sell or not. So it is his value they live with if the deal is made. Then again, his value may have no value at all if nobody else sees it. Value is ultimately set when both sides agree to a price. So you sure can look at it a lot of ways. In my case, I set the value and then it is up to them.
jorge
@michael_roberts: I like that story about the value of the”just registered” domain a lot! Made me almost cry :)
Steve
I believe the post went like this.”Pick a noun any noun and then use an adjective to describe it. You are now onto a good domain name”. Not exact words but something like it. I need to keep that in mind more often.
fretplay
Hello Rick
Just the way you do it everytime, Your post on how you went about selling candy.com was just brilliant.
The concept of buying generic names for $500 to $5000 is so true.
@Roberts – Good to find such agents :P
Andrew
Great motivation Rick – thank you…. I wholeheartedly agree with you; now is a great time and opportunity for domainers and the Internet in general. Owing killer domains with type-in traffic as well as those that get organically placed are the perfect elements for success!
BRAVO!
Andrew Hazen, CEO
http://www.PrimeVisibility.com
Stephen Douglas
I posted in forums in 2005 that a good domain phrase was a noun and an adjective. I followed my own advice and have made much moolah selling domains I only paid $7.00 for. The best is yet to come for my domains tho…
I agree with Rick about staying strong about your domains if you’re smart.
However, to answer James, the value of a domain is what an END USER determines they will pay… you either accept their final offer or keep renewing the domain until someone does.
Rick has it down to a science, and his legendary sales don’t hurt to have when he’s in negotiations… if you are lucky enough to follow his brains, your grandkids are set for life.
Dan
Rick,
Just for reassurance, I am listening and putting that advice into action. Don’t ever stop giving your valuable insight. It does help.
Thank You!
jeff schneider
Hello Rick,
Thank you ,for sharing your insights. The comment about the incest of most domainers auctions, has been a theme in many of your blog posts. There are others as well as yourself who have had the courage to cover this delicate subject such as Mike Berkens ahd Stephen Douglas. We all appreciate you and others who have the guts to speak the truth.
There are people who say things on the front of the stage and tell the real truth on the back of the stage. These gutless wonders are many. Thank for being an upfront standout in our industry.
Oh and by the way I noticed your Front of the stage, June 25th post, a little late, but just possibly in the nick of time.
You have stepped up to the plate for domainers, more than anyone else in the industry. Is it any wonder you have hit so many deals out of the park ?
Gratefully, Jeff
Ed - Michigan
I remember the spring post well Rick.
Read it over and over.
thanks for the KEYS,
Ed – Michigan
Anonymous
Hey Mr. Schwartz – I call you Mr. because in my mind you and Schilling are two of the greatest internet visionaries out there. Well this post sounds like Napoleon Hill’s comments about”The Secret” in Think and Grow Rich. Well guess what? I get it! Not only did I print out your post but I also listened to your Oz Domainer interview where you”gave the keys away to the joint”. I was offered X,XXX for a .net I paid XX for just 3 months ago. I am now betting the farm. Let me tell you something. I have 2 graduate degrees, went to some of the best academic institutions on Earth. I have learned more about business from you than any of the econ professors I had. You are so generous with your knowledge, I hope people realize this. I just want to say thanks so you will continue on and not feel taken advantage of.
Thanks again…
Ms. Student of The Game.