The Domain King's® thoughts on domain names, web traffic, increasing web sales, success, life, and plain-old Business & Marketing 101. Nothing happens until a sale is made!
So I had a thought. What happens after a company is found guilty of REVERSE DOMAIN NAME HIJACKING? Well I think it opens the door for a suit targeting THEIR INFRINGING DOMAIN NAME. How's that?
I believe that will hold water and maybe that is the penalty and we don't need a law. We just need to start biting back and that is EXACTLY what I will use as a strategy on the next case. Imagine taking THEIR domain using the same techniques they did except we actually have a leg to stand on as they copied US.
If they start a knife fight we have the right and the ability to go nuclear on them.
This post below is from 2013 but with all talk of SOB's lately and SOB.com pointed here, indulge me while I make an update.
First if you are here about Reverse Domain Name Hijacking the mother of all hijacking came in 2017 in the form of MY domain name Queen.com. Some SCHMUCK in Denmark, Frands Jepsen, did not heed my warnings. Now he is a convicted DOMAIN HIJACKER! Read the entire story right here
So that brings me to 9/26/2017. Thank you President Trump for increasing the value of SOB.com! Now it's for sale. We will trade the domain name for bitcoin. You can inquire as to how many by email.
Now back to my April 2013 post:
Some folks don't like my style. Sure, many domainers don't care about Reverse Domain Name Hijacking because they have no domains anyone would want to steal. So for them, ScrewYou.com. You protect your assets and family the way you see fit and I'll do the same. Except I live in the world of reality and in reality there are still corporate bullies roaming around taking things they are not entitled to legally or morally.
I have been defending these suits as long as they have been in the business of filing them. And it is a business. A BIG business. But it is no longer going to pay off and the risk is going to more than any rational company should be willing to take.
Shortly after the LadyGodiva.com suit between Campbell's and yours truly and when I had first met Howard, I had another interesting conflict with another very large company. In those days, domain owners just rolled over. Not me. I was going to be the mouse that roared because the Internet as a medium was meant to even the playing field and these SOB's were going to have to deal with the new reality.
I do not look for or pick these fights, but I relish them when they come. I relish them because it is these wins that protect my other domains and yours too! This has been a 15 year battle and I have INVESTED tens of thousands of dollars or more protecting my self and then using these cases to INSURE my other domains by defeating corporate bullies trying to take
LadyGodiva.com
GoofOff.com
TSTV.com
And others
and Reverse Domain Name Hijackers.
SaveMe.com
And thankfully 38 decisions on Reverse Domain Name Hijacking by other parties that I chronicle right here, some 130 case at RDNH.com and then a special post for Procter and Gamble that thought they were above all this and could lie to the presiding panel.
DOWN GOES FRAZIER! (look it up, if you don't know what it means)
Now if folks don't learn from this and don't realize if they slap down Procter and Gamble that they will swat you down in the same manner when you do the same thing, they are just schmucks that will get what they deserve. So if that is YOU that I sent here to read this, then PLEASE don't be that schmuck.
But if you ARE that schmuck............think twice. If YOU are convicted of RDNH, Reverse Domain Name Hijacking, No reputation management software will erase the ink. You will be stuck with the consequences of your actions. In time that may be equal to a prison record. I will OWN your reputation and I don't want to. But YOU are calling the shots because YOU are the PREDATOR. So if this rattlesnake bites, just make sure you blame yourself and not me.
Amazingly, not one of these fuckers have ever contacted me after the decision to say congratulations. To say they were sorry. To start a constructive dialogue. To ask if we could work something out. To make a bonafide business offer. These would-be thieves would 'steal' but when they got CAUGHT, never offered to pay. Low life scum comes to mind to describe that behavior.
And when we talk about Procter and Gamble, a domain dispute I was not involved in, famed domain attorney John Berryhill had this to say abot them as reported in DNJournal.com
'The entire premise of the UDRP proceeding was stunningly dishonest. They want the domain name for something else entirely, and concocted an utter work of fiction in order to attempt to stealit.'
Berryhill lays out the facts that prove his points - P&G wasn't interested in the domain because of a failed product they once marketed, they wanted it for a new offering. Unfortunately they didn't want to pay a fair and reasonable market price for it, for some bizarre reason, believing it would be smarter to try to steal it. Next time you look up the phrase 'penny wise and pound foolish' on the web, odds are you will see the P&G logo illustratingthe concept.
It was important enough to lie or steal or attempting both but not important enough to pay for??
FUCKERS! What do you want to call them? The domain in question 'Swash.com' Marchex was willing to let go for $30,000. Not exactly a shake down but an incredibly reasonable price. A domain I will state right here publicly has a high mid-6 figure value in my professional and personal opinion and I would have expected a 7 figure asking price. So $30,000???? What was the COST of the The cost of the action P&G filed? Now it cost them a lot more because this is ON THE RECORD!
'Well, it's not PROFESSIONAL to call them names.' Say some. Fine when PROFESSIONALS stop LYING and trying to STEAL, I'll stop calling them FUCKERS! How's that?
Am I harsh? Hell no! When companies and other folks try to steal from me and others, it would not surprise me if we were not the only folks they did it to. Just a common sense wild guess that I am sure has no merit at all. Right?
And believe me, as harsh as I have been, wait til you see what happens to the next FUCKER that tries and overstep their legal, moral and every other rights in hopes they can get something on the cheap that they have no RIGHTS to. They put their entire company and everyone working there in jeopardy when they mess with me. When they mess with you too. When they try and steal a domain.
Look, sometimes there is a legitimate dispute. The law is seldom black and white. So I respect when there is a true point of contention and then let the chips fall where they may and no hard feelings either way. However, when common sense is thrown by the wayside and folks make things up, then we have a serious mess and I am gonna milk that baby so the next FUCKER learns before they step in the ring.
They will read this. I will point them to it. Their decision whether they want to GAMBLE not only their company's reputation but their personal reputation as well and that of the attorney handling the case. Ya know, the ones that 'Should know better'. Do they really want to do that with all this EVIDENCE for them to see?
I don't sell mercy. I give a FREE WARNING of what might happen if you decide to illegally TRESPASS.
The posts I try to make are ones that can stand up on their own years later and still be relevant. They usually have some assumptions and a theory behind them. For me it is fun to go years back and see what I wrote then and how it has played out since. I have some very strong beliefs when it comes to the Internet and on April 5th 2007 I re-wrote a post I had made many times before but had to do it from scratch. People are free to argue with my points. But just know going in that you are wrong. Period! Not debatable. Why? Maybe after all these years it is time to figure it out cuz I ain't budging!
Let me start with a foundation of things I believe. These few points are not debatable from where I sit. So unless you get to this point, you will likely not understand nor accept anything else I have to say.
1. Getting a GREAT domain name is/was a 'Unique opportunity in time.'
2. No other commodity in the history of mankind has ever gone up in value faster than a GREAT domain name. No stock, no diamond, no gold, no land.
3. Just like land may have 'Mineral rights' such as oil, a GREAT domain may also have mineral rights in the form of 'Type in Traffic' from folks typing in your domain name directly into the navigation bar. If someone types in CubicZirconia.com and spells it right do you think they are not qualified? Not targeted? Is that visitor not valuable? Maybe even more valuable than most traffic because of the closing ratios they achieve? I'll talk more about closing ratios in a moment.
4. Fuel runs an automobile, TRAFFIC is what fuels the net. You can have a million dollar auto but without fuel it won't be going anywhere on it's own power. Same with a website. You can spend millions in development but until you add targeted visitors and can CLOSE A SALE you really have nothing. It just sits like the car with no gas.
5. Nothing on this planet happens until a sale is made. Nobody goes to work, not a truck rolls, not a plane takes off not a factory opens not a thing happens. Nothing happens until a sale is made and then you don't actually EAT until you turn a PROFIT. So you don't have to be a genius to sell hundred dollar bills for $79.95.
6. If you sell a product or service on the net via your website and your CLOSING RATIO is not your guiding light, not on the tip of your tongue, not on your radar.....Then you are lost. It is what I believe to be the single most important piece of data no matter what you are selling and less than 1% of all folks that run a site can answer that question. They are lost and are like a captain with no map, no compass, no plan. Your ratio is how many visitors do you need on your site for you to close ONE sale and then repeating those sales? Many sites are incapable of closing any sales. It may be for many reasons or even a single simple one....like the visitor can't find the checkout button.
If you have 10,000 visitors and you only sold one order I would ask why you did not close TWO out of 10,000 or FOUR or FIFTY? Or more? I would ask what you did with those other 9999 customers? I would ask 'Is the traffic no good or is it the website that is no good?' You MUST isolate and figure out both sides. You absolutely MUST! But almost nobody does. They are working in the blind and building without a plan.
TEST, TEST, TEST. Tweak, Tweak, Tweak, experiment, experiment, experiment. And when the result is worse, go back to what worked better and find out WHY it worked better and build on that.
I can go on all day long talking about #6. But that is for another day and you may be asking what the hell does a domain owner know about this? All I can tell you as I know how to close sales on the net and back in 1996 and 1997 and 1998 I made a name for myself by increasing the bottom line of websites by 15% in just FIVE MINUTES! There are certain NAVIGATIONAL MISTAKES that almost everyone makes. Fix those, change the font, change the color, change the location and sales can go up dramatically.
7. All the dead guys that built the corporations so many work for today are rolling in their graves because those in position of power and leadership largely missed the greatest opportunity of their lifetime, their fathers lifetime and their fathers before them!
8. Not all traffic is created equal
9. SHIT traffic and TARGETED traffic likely costs the SAME
10. If you don't know the SOURCE of you're traffic you better find out and re-read #6 until you are blue in the face. Imagine what it would do to your business if your site (Your MOUSETRAP) could only close ONE sale in 10,000 visitors while your competitor is closing 50 sales with the same amount of visitors. He is EATING your lunch and you better start paying attention before you head to Monster.com and look for a new job.
So here we are......
This may sound pretty basic to domain owners and developers, however it is GREEK to those outside the industry. They will doubt these beliefs. What they don't know is we are armed with stats to back up what we say. So my target audience is those outside the industry that still have a misconception of what GREAT domain names represent.
Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz
April 5th 2007
So now 2013. Still make no sense? How far have we come? How far do we still need to go? Still relevant today?
You may want to look at things differently if you PLAN to SURVIVE in domaining. See the dirty little secret is how many folks have failed and gone bye bye in this business. Some rather large players now gone. More will be joining them. Many more. Will it be you? Probably not. But it will be somebody you know.
If pay per click went away today so would 75% of domainers.
Guess what? I think differently because I did not have the tools or some say the handicap and crutches of things available now that make you see everything differently.
Was there Pay per click (PPC) when I started in 1995? NO! Not even a thought if it coming.
Was there Pay per click (PPC) in 1996? Nope!
Was there Pay per click (PPC) in 1997? Nope!
Was there Pay per click (PPC) in 1998? Nope! Google was born in September that year.
So imagine working the first without the benefit or the tools or the outlook of Google?
So while everyone has Googleitus, because that is all they know, I know a world without that disease. That limiting tool that sometimes works against your long term interests.
So what the hell was I doing? I was joining 'Recognized Groups'. Something I did not talk about for over 17 years until just the other day. Becoming part of an invisible franchise. So when youtube.com became the rage anything XXXTube.com was part of this 'Recognized Group' if it had MEANING. MyTube.com would be an example. Same with Facebook and those either starting with 'Face' or ending with 'Book'. That is how a new thing like the Internet expands. A second BIG success in any of those examples further solidifying and value that invisible franchise with no franchise fee. It is an instant trust.
That is why PIZZA is the only thing that needs to be on a sign to be seen 3 blocks away. Putting 'Ricks Pizza' would reduce the SIZE of the reach of that sign and only reach 1.5 blocks. Half the distance and half the audience. The only thing relevant to them is PIZZA! So if RICK is BIG and pizza is small, I have BRANDED LESS SALES. Period!
My strategy was focusing on domains I could see on TV, hear on Radio, placed on billboards and used in Magazines and other forms of print advertising before I even got to the part of the domain that paralleled a piece of property or even a full business. But not just any property, strategically placed property scattered throughout a city that had yet to be built. Manhattan 250 years ago. Repeating itself!
Adult was the first PPC for me. Roar I think. Circa 1998-1999-2000.
So my question to you today is what happens if PPC is no longer an option? Do YOU have an answer other than the lame one. 'That will never happen'.
ok, fine it won't happen. But we all got a huge haircut from 2007.
What will you say when it goes down another 75%? I mean really....do you have an answer?
It was never part of my equation so I can adjust easier than most. But of course I started that adjustment in 2007 as I then watched payouts decline in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and did not stabilize to any degree until Frank entered the scene. That stopped the squeezing but since May 2011 PPC is DOWN not up.
I think we are at an ebb tide. See it is in Googles's best interest to finally get rid of the shit and focus on quality. They can no longer give their customers shit and say how good it is because they can compare results with other outlets. So quality is finally becoming a big deal.
But what if you have SHIT traffic? Do you really think Google is going to keep paying ya? I don't think so. That day is around the corner. And while PPC won't go away, it won't be available to many because their traffic quality has no quality.
So if you are not actively looking and planning for a day without PPC....wft are you waiting for? By the time Google figures out that quality is FLEEING from PPC, what will be left will be the shit and there goes PPC.
So just for this insane moment, let's believe I am right about domain values of .com going through the roof within 3 years. Let's just say the vision I had is on the time-line I put on it. It's right on schedule AND I have an added bonus that I never even dreamed of that will make my vision small in comparison to what is LIKELY to happen.
See I never envisioned 1900 .whatevers coming to the market that would add fuel to a raging fire. When they crash and burn that will be the moment that .com skyrockets with this completely unexpected booster rocket really takes off. DEMAND is what skyrockets and when demand skyrockets it takes the price along for the ride!
Thank goodness GREED won over the common good! See, the threat I see is not where others see it and so they would be surprised by what I think is going on and what would constitute a GENUINE threat.
A GENUINE threat would look like this. Instead of www, there may be an abc.DOMAIN or a xxx.DOMAIN or MY.DOMAIN. without the .com. THAT my friends could become a game changer. But there might be less money in doing it that way for the architects of this clusterf*ck.
I don't think the public has been served and I think I just showed a way in which it was.
100 registrars signed up for .PW this week. Whoo-hoo!! I think 99 of yet to have their first customer yet. Do you care? Does it mean something? The only thing it means is advertising dollars for 3rd parties until the party is over cuz this baby is DOA in my book. And that makes .com more attractive not less attractive.
I am sure I did not make any friends just now. But what am I supposed to do? Go along with the music and bullshit folks that are coming here to read some reality? I would never insult my readers like that and those that feel insulted can feel that way. I wish everyone good luck and great success.
If I see a winner I will say so. If I see a loser I will do the same thing just more forcefully before folks piss away hard earned money. But it will only take a dozen or more failures to begin with that may doom the others. This is one hell of a slippery slope. The barrage of bullshit to come is going to be deafening to some of us. But there will be one place you can come and hear the unvarnished truth as I see it. Right or wrong, I am certain! :-)
But I base my vision on a whole lot of milestones, mile-markers and years plus the parallels of history and define by numbers. So that is why I would rather lease now and negotiate in 1-3 years after what I see happening, happens. We can all look back in 2016 and see a clear winner and a clear loser. Place your bets by asking the right questions and looking back to where we have already been.
Stats say 2% may survive this. That would make 38 out of 1900. Better odds with Roulette!
Money can't buy what I am looking for. Money depreciates, evaporates and gets spent. I am looking for lifetime revenue streams. Generational revenue streams.
So when the guys that eventually bought Candy.com said they had no $$$, I let them know that was not going to work. But they did have energy, passion and they were qualified since their family had been in the candy business for some 37 years.
But they were not satisfied just being another candy company. They got tired of doors being shut in their face. They got tired of working harder but not smarter. They got tired of the same thing and decided to do it a different way. They decided after 37 years it was time for their industry to take notice of their company.
Instead of having doors shut in their face those doors were opening before they even knocked on them. They were now Candy.com and in that industry, that says something. That gives them a seat at the table whether they want them there or not. Period!
So they had the requirements but not a whole lotta money. I gave them a dollar figure they would need and told them to go out and raise the cash. And they eventually did. I was able to construct a deal with so many moving parts they have to remind me what's in it. Payments, Interest, Royalties, Ownership rights, options and even a very significant payday when and if candy.com changes hands.
A domain making me anywhere from $35/day to $300/day was now making me a quarter million a year. Candy.com went from zero to projected $12MM in 2013. They now have nearly $1MM in paid inventory and several distribution points from coast to coast insuring the longest delivery is 2 days. They are growing every day. Their growth is taking the toll on others in the sector.
They have expanded into several new areas and more expansion is coming. Nothing happens overnight. In business it takes about 3 years to germinate and then you really BEGIN to blossom.
This is the model I will be following. There will be different moving parts on different deals because what is important to one party may have no significance to another party.
The Property.com deal started with the same basis as the Candy.com deal. All we had to do is rearrange in order of importance. But they brought the same elements to the table as the candy.com guys and both have spoken in detail 2x at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. shows in the past years.
Granted, you can't do this on a plain jane domain name. It must be category defining or have other important elements. But I will tell you that a sea of regret faces MANY domainers as they let liquid gold go thru their hands without getting much gold in return.
I recently looked at the list of the top 500 domain sales. I looked at Candy.com in the top 20 and realized it may be the leader of the pack someday. All other deals are done and over. These deals live on and grow and branch out and present new opportunities and do all types of things I have no way of even describing today. Each is its own little magic carpet that may whisk you away with benefits and experiences that are priceless.
It's obvious we are moving into a new phase and now folks take the net seriously. It is no longer a side entrance, it is the main entrance. It is no longer something you put up and walk away from. It is something you work every day and watch it evolve. Folks get it now. They see the power and so everyone is now trying to harness the power we have been trading in for nearly 2 decades. I can never say it enough. Overnight successes take 20 years to germinate and bear fruit. Everything we have done, made and experienced along the way I see as a bonus. Some booty we just happen to bag before the gun goes off and the REAL RACE BEGINS!
How long will I continue to write about Reverse Domain Name Hijacking (RDNH)? Until my domains and your domains and the domains of every mom and pop operation in the world are safe from predators like Procter and Gamble and the other 33 companies listed HERE.
I respect trademark holders. I am one. I understand. I get it. I can see it from both sides. I know what infringing is and looks like. But I also know what stealing is and looks like. So my job is to make a DEEP impression on the next company engaging in RDNH.
If you are a TM owner and you think some domain is worthy of a UDRP, you better make sure that if the respondent goes after you for Reverse Domain Name Hijacking, that you are on solid ground. If not, you have a MAJOR decision in LIFE! Read that again. IN LIFE! Because if you screw up on this, it will affect your life and that of your company.
You have to decide if the reputation of your entire company is worth it. You have to decide if MONEY is a better and safer alternative. You can no longer just think you can walk away with a domain name just because you want it. There is a marketplace and that's the arena that this all belongs in. So when you go out of the marketplace, you get what you get.
What would YOU have advised Procter and Gamble to do now that you KNOW it blew up in their face? What would you do? $30,000 to sell your companies reputation?? If the GIANT goes down, what is your shot? A $79 Billion dollar company has all the resources in the world and look where they ended up. As a Reverse Domain Name Hijacker found guilty of lying to a governing panel. I did not put that blemish on their name. I did not stain their name. They did that all be themselves. But I will be the PRICK that points it out at every opportunity because that's all we have. And ya know what? That will get it done!
You really want to gamble the future of YOUR company on the SAME BET Procter and Gamble took and LOST?? Do you really?
Then you are a total schmuck and you deserve to get treated like one. How's that?
Sorry, I don't have to be respectful of thieves and those thinking about stealing. My assets are GENERATIONAL and you can go to hell trying to get what my FAMILY owns! I took the risk and I paid to play!
Folks that are abusing the process and lose suffer no criminal or legal penalty as of today. That WILL change. But until then, our job is to tar and feather their deeds. Let folks know what the company they do business with is up to. Let them know their values. Let them know how they think. How they try and steal.
And remember this, in cases of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking, that is a subject people will know more about in the future not less about. Our job is to discuss, write and HAUNT them. That's the only penalty and leverage we have at this UNTIL companies stop doing this. How does that happen? This is the way that happens. Words are very powerful. Thoughts are very powerful. Deeds are things you live with.
I want Procter and Gamble to do what is right. Why should they? It's their record. It's their name. It's their problem. And maybe doing what's right is actually something they should consider.
So the more people that know and find out the more the outrage. Someday these horse thieves of this century will pay a legal price. Until then these would-be horse thieves and cattle rustlers have to deal with whatever public fallout may occur as INFORMATION is circulated.
Our results may be invisible to us but it is not invisible. It takes its toll. Cut after cut. Punch after punch. The key is never to stop. And I never will. Its the ONLY way to protect our assets until the law catches up with this practice or companies stop engaging in Reverse Domain Name Hijacking.
Common sense shows that stealing is wrong and for BIG companies to resort to stealing is pretty startling to the regular folks. That crap just does not fly for people with morals and values. Maybe a big company like P&G, that sold their stellar reputation for $30,000 should come out and say so! They sold their reputation to you and me. They no longer control it.
So these companies seem to lack morals and values and we will expose that to as many folks as possible as often as possible until THEY come out and address their misdeeds or criminal penalties are enacted. That's how I see it. You can all forget about it tomorrow. Somebody has to make sure the torch and the flame move on.
So if you file an action against a domain holder and they come back at you with a claim of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking.....you better RETHINK what you are doing. Is it worth it? Would Procter and Gamble give $30,000 today if it knew what was about to happen?
Just plain DUMB, FOOLISH and costly and this is all in ink and every company pulling this crap will have a virtual 'Scarlet Letter' pinned to their name for the rest of time.
You are about to see a full court press from every registrar out there. Yesterday you saw Godaddy.NOTHING. They have a lot at stake here. If .crap, craps out....then what? So imagine all the dollars that are going to be spent trying to brainwash people that inferior is superior. That's gonna be some trick. Tulips anyone?
But that has nothing to do with this post and not sure why I even went down this road. Maybe just as a warning not to swallow the bait as tempting as it might be.
Have you ever thought there might be a “monopoly” on “.com” domain names because most of the best of them are owned and not being “used” as you see it?
Read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopoly and maybe you'll see more of what Danny Welsh saw when he had the 'ha!' moment that matched my own 'ah' many years ago. Ah+Ha = Ah-ha! Get it? BTW, I’m genuinely sorry your customers email me every day when they want to buy from your established company. But you can’t say I didn’t tell you it would happen…and all this unpleasantness could have been avoided if you just hadn’t RUSHED to make thewww.wrong.choice :(
-
Rick Schwartz
By Danny Welsh
JointVentures.com
There's no '.com monopoly' and there is no shortage of extremely valuable .com domain names available for your business idea. If you believe that, you’re wrong. So what happened and why can't you buy the eRealEstate property you've got your eye on?
Read this blog and you’d understand why it’s YOUR fault you were asleep at the wheel for all those years and now are about to CRASH head-first into a future others predicted, transparently TOLD you would happen, and you went forward with driving a www.domain.crappy vehicle anyway.
It’s just timing and circumstances and human nature that has proven to turn the exchange of cash for one $100 bet many years before into an asset such as1019.com or Queen.com, while all attempts to copy and sell, buy, market/promote or make money with a 'good enough' alternative for either has proven a risky gamble with SIGNIFICANT consequences. Just ask the fine folks at Ebid.net how many calls and emails their customer service handles weekly because their customers are confused.
We're not even sure it'd be legal for us to read the “confusion email” from their customers who don't even know what “.net” IS and regularly email someone that doesn’t exist to an @ebid.com email address no one marketed to them…when they want to buy or need support of some kind from ebid.com.
So once we realize it happens, we don't want to read sensitive information. But if you think hundreds upon hundreds of customers and prospects don't regularly email @Ebid.com email addresses --many times with credit card numbers, orders, personal information etc-- then you're in fantasy land that nothing more than a simple AUTORESPONDER EMAIL TEMPLATE I set up saying 'Sorry, wrong number!' would expose in a SHATTERING EXPLOSION that would have Rick Schwartz and Danny Welsh and getting this huge problem you've been ignoring handled NOW an URGENT and IMPORTANT topic of conversation at every executive meeting in your company starting...RIGHT NOW.
Rick Schwartz TOLD companies like that it would happen and they built their online company on sand anyway, sand that might simply WASH AWAY as their profits ERODE handed off one customer at a time to a competing auction company that does the same thing Rick Schwartz knew a company in the future would WANT to do because he had their 'Big Idea' years before they did when he staked his claim on the eBid.com eRealEstate property perfectly suited for an online auction company.
That doesn't make him a bad guy.
It makes him a bit of a sage, but even the most uncanny predictors of the future are rarely believed until that future unfolds.
Well, that future Rick predicted in 1993 is here....NOW
If your business wants to be 'good enough' for years, you can do that for an $8.99 gamble and register any old www.domain.crap such as a '.net' domain name.
If you want to be perceived as a market leader in MINUTES, protect your company from future leaks and failure...you can do that too.
Here's the part you need to understand if you followed the 'due diligence' bread crumbs we've left out for you to educate yourself on why doing business with us is a good idea...the same ones that led you without us in most cases spending a single PENNY for you to be right here, right now alonngside your customers AND competitors.
If you want
PRODUCT.com or
SERVICE.com or
SOCIAL.com or
###.com or
ABCD.com
Then simply bring your checkbook and your big ideas because the guy who can make that happen for you ain't selling for nickels when there are millions to be made with the RIGHT buyer of their eRealEstate asset...ESPECIALLY with a flood of www.domain.imitations about to flood the market and make the confusion even WORSE.
Choice is each business owner's to make for themselves!
Gamble? (.net)
Invest? (.com)
Dicey? (.co)
Proven Sales Increase? (.com)
Who had YOUR 'big idea' first?
This is a fork in the road, Mr. Business Owner.
Which path do you want to take?
I know which path -I- chose to partner with and lease eRealEstate from domain owners among the '500' and while the path is not yet completely paved, the price and terms have been more than fair so far.
And the mountain to climb gets easier the moment you choose an ALLY who has already had your big idea (or something like it) and been to the top and can talk you through getting there too.
The guy's extending a hand of friendship...and if you don't take it and your competitor does...
Who is to blame?
Not the Rick Schwartz I know better everyday and am coming to trust as among the greatest allies I ever thought I might have the good fortune to meet.
Want to go to the top of your niche?
Then the first step up the mountain is to make Rick an offer he can't refuse...
The world is lined with the carcases of hard workers with the bad timing. For 18 years I had to hear the accusatory tone in defending why I would not develop or invest in big money to develop future substandard websites. That period is now over. Never will I have to answer that nonsense again.
My journey begins after those that asked those questions are nowhere to be found. Gone with wind. They prepared for a sprint, I prepared for a marathon. But I also saw a shorter path with less resistance. The only thing I had to do was be patient, sit the race out for the first 18 years so when I rejoined the pack, I would be in the right place at the right time..
So I am off the beach for the first time. But still won't do it their way. Still will do it the way I see fit. Each great domain with a great partner. Same thing will happen with many other domainers that also saw a different path.
The point is ALL PATHS are now converging and this is the time to get serious.
Timing IS everything. It always has been and it always will be. I don't know how many times I have talked just about timing.
Look at sport. Football is not about timing? Catching a pass. Kicking the football.
Hitting the ball in baseball is not about timing? Catching the ball is not about timing?
Basketball is not about timing?
You can't be accurate unless you time things right no matter what it is in life.
But timing is nowhere to be found in so many businesses. It's a foreign language. It's a threat. See you can't worry about timing when you are only focused on budgets and deadlines.
So while others focus on budgets and things that are distractions, my only focus is on the timing.
My main argument with so many things domaining is timing and audience size combined with buying power. No argument all all as far as I am concerned. It is just math to me. I focus on an audience size of about 1.5 Billion. That leaves 5.5 billion I will never tap into nor do I want to. We all have our fishing holes and I have picked mine.
The first criteria is that the event predicted happens in your lifetime!! Right?
Isn't that a critical criteria? One that can't just be brushed aside like so many do?
If it takes 20 years just to get to the leasing stage........why would you not expect things to be another 20-40 years before getting all blossomed out? Or not.
Leasing domains is going to be one of those overnight successes that took 20 years!! Just look! Can't you see what I see?? Can't you? This is nothing invented. This is real and do you really think I would expend so much energy on something if I did not clearly see how it is going to unfold over the next 2-3 years? All I can say is this is the single biggest piece of the puzzle there is. The game is changing. It is clearly changing before your very eyes!
On the record for the record. Time stamped. Believe me, I don't care if you lease by yourself or via JointVentures.com or whoever. But EVERY parked domain should be offered for lease not just to sell. Want to transform your future?? How much easier could it be??
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 me give you an example of a mountain I moved right before your very eyes. Maybe it moved so slowly you did not see it. Maybe it moved so fast that you missed it.
This mountain mover started with one slogan. 'This GREAT Domain Name May be Available for Joint Ventures or Lease. Click here to inquire.' It started on a handful of my domains and has spread to all my domains. And then the domains of others. And the domains of PPC companies.
So what started out as an experiment on a few of my domains now has the exact or similar wording on many thousands if not MILLIONS of domain names. They added one word or thought. They added LEASE or RENT to the mix. That my friends is just the first mountain we HAD to move to PREPARE for all the other mountains that come after.
Each is a mountain. These are big things and as I write about it many times I will keep telling you about the stages we must do FIRST before all else. There are things and there are things in a proper order. To move a mountain, it is an Olympic type event. If you want to succeed you need to prepare. Preparing usually takes a LOT longer than the actual goal or the actual hunt. Olympians prepare for years for a 50 yard sprint. A race lasting seconds and they prepare for YEARS!! WHY??? Because they want to succeed!
For the clueless that have hidden agendas, feel threatened somehow and want results yesterday. Let me show you what kind of fools we are dealing with. Imagine we are at a Marina and we are gathering our gear for a 3 month expedition looking for some great whale of a catch. The prep takes the most time. But these fools are jumping up and down when we are still at the marina looking for the whale. Geez. Grow up. You expect that from a 3 year old. Are you insulted. GREAT! Take a hike! I don't force you to come here. I write for myself and those that are interested and are constructive. PERIOD! Plus those to come down the road so they know the REAL story!
So we will do this the way WE see fit and let me spell it out for all to see. All the mountains and all the statges as far as what we expect and when we expect it.
Mountain #1.......Domainers need to see the wisdom and extra money leasing can bring. DONE!
Mountain #2.......Bring to market the very best leaseable domains and work from JointVentures.com. DONE!
Mountain #3......Setup a 12 man sales force that will help us. IN PROCESS (Deadline March 1)
Mountain #4......Setup an EFFECTIVE custom and individual Pitch Page for each and every one of the domains we represent. IN PROCESS. Will unveil some samples soon.
Mountain #5......Arrive in Las Vegas with at least 5-10 deals in hand.
Mountain #6.......By December 31st have at least 1 deal per week happening.
Mountain #7.......Go to our clients and tall them about the fight Danny and I had about the exclusive TERM. Danny wanted an exclusive for 2 years. I said no domainer would do that deal. I said 6 months. He said that would not be enough time to do what it would take. I said I will make you a deal. Let's do 1 year and I promise when I can go back to our clients on December 31st and demonstrate the progress we have made and the mountains we have moved, that 90% or more would stay on board with us. When they see a deal a week. That works because the next stop is 2 deals a week. Then 3. Then 4. Then 1 per day. When we reach 1 per day and there are 255 working days in a year for 9-5ers, everyone will know this game is BIG and the mountain has been MOVED!
But each step takes time to do it RIGHT if you want a success! Any MORON can try and do it FAST and fail! Failing is easy. Inside each mountain are hills with peaks and valleys. There is a path to follow and our job is to follow that path. A path I have been waiting to embark on for 17 years. Waiting for the EXACT right moment.
So if you are tired of hearing about this and what we are going to do to transform what we all do, then I am sorry. This is what I choose to write about and you can choose to ignore every word. I understand completely.
We have a mission!
What Danny and I are doing is good for me and it just happens to translate well to many others.
Moving mountains is not an easy thing to achieve. But when done in order and done right and done methodically and done in a deliberate way by 2 of the most passionate people you will likely ever see with a record of successes and assembling a sales team of like minded folks.....it will bring demonstrable results along the way.
Plus we have added nearly total transparency like no other company. Who does that? We don't have to do it. We choose that path because to be a win-win it has to work that way. Our motives are crystal clear. The benefits are crystal clear. Domainers win big. End users win big.
Need, want, desire, meet problem with a solution that equals more profits and accelerating growth.
So we are still in the marina collecting our gear and preparing. TRAFFIC is when we come back to port. We won't come empty handed and we won't have to invent stuff to save face. I can already give you a list of ACTIVE Joint Ventures. But that was not Danny's plan and I kind of screwed him up. Had this been pulled off the way he wanted and expected with just my domain names, he would have stolen the show.
But guess what? We won't come back empty handed and we will steal the show.
Just like leasing was the big topic out west a few weeks ago. It came up at panel after panel. WHY?? I planned it that way. Really. I'll tell that story some day in the future and can prove what I say. That was like a fun mini-mountain type experiment just for shits and giggles. Mostly for Danny's consumption. Just to prove something about marketing and TIMING! TIMING! TIMING! Lightng a fuse and knowing EXACTLY when and HOW it will go off. I just LOVE when a PLAN comes together!! (Thanks A-Team!)
Leasing has made folks think and many see what we see. Why? Because we moved the mountain. We moved the needle. We changed the conversation. We changed the direction and most importantly, we changed the attitude from one of fear and doubt to one of optimism and excitement. Like maybe there is hope that you can regain control of what we all do.
So think big or think small. But you can't move mountains playing small ball.
I imagine the folks with less than stellar portfolios that now have an opportunity to basically own 5% of Rings.com. Do 20 deals like that and it is like owning a domain like rings.com. Look at things differently. DARE to try! Is it that uncomfortable to look at success right in the face?
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