Your NEED is not MY concern. What’s in it for ME?

Morning Folks!!

I don't care. It's not important to me. If what's important to you is not to me, why are you wasting my time? Why are you wasting your time? That's not working smart, that's working dumb.

See John Jones thru their eyes. Stop selfishly looking it thru yours. John Jones does not give a crap!

Yeah, I know, you need to sell a domain. you need to sell a car. You need to sell a house. I don't give a shit about YOUR needs. They are meaningless to me. You are so worried about eating that you are preventing food from entering your mouth.

If you contact somebody you better have done your homework. You need to explain why they should waste one second with you! That means don't waste your breath with anything other then getting to the point.

Don't tell a story. Don't tell him your story of woe with a long introduction. Get to the ending and work backwards. "The property next to yours is coming on the market tomorrow and thought you might have an interest." Then shut up. When he rejects the idea before even considering, just tell him your name and the way to get in touch in case he has any second thoughts. Thank him for his time. That was 30 seconds.

If someone calls me that I don't know and he does not get to the point in about 5-10 seconds, CLICK!

That's why I prefer email. It is a bit slower. You can expand more. BUT....you better get to the point in the first paragraph or, DELETE!

Selling is about knowing when to shut up. Knowing the questions to ask. Knowing the response you should get. Knowing the conversation is within the boundary lines. That's right, there ARE stupid questions. When they ask you multiple stupid questions then either go to lunch without them or look them in the eye and get to it. Why waste your time if the guy is not serious? Let him know you know.

Know when to say NO, know when you get to YES. Answering questions completely or completely ignoring some. The only rule of sales is there are no rules. Just tell the truth. That means never lie about your product! Never oversell. Never minimize a legitimate objection. EVER! Then again never legitimize an illegitimate objection. How do you tell? When you know your product, it's easy.

And last thing, no matter what you may be selling, never ever mention the name of your competition. That's the kiss of death! I can't tell you how many folks were about to make a sale and then mentioned a brand I never heard of. Guess what? The conversation would end, I would leave, do more research and in 99% of the cases, never went back to the original guy. Not only did he lose the sale, he made one for the other team! Not smart! And sales and business and LIFE is all about being SMART!

Here is my 2010 guide to selling a domain name. ENJOY!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 2 has a step by step guide!

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Shakers and Fakers, List your Very Best Domain WITH PRICE FREE Today only!

Morning Folks!!

Let's have a Spam Fest!! List your VERY BEST domain only. Must have a price for me to approve the comment. No price, no listing. Brokers invited too! Brokers might even find domains to represent.

Just 1 domain per post with a limit of 2 posts.

Simple rules.

Enjoy!!

Rick Schwartz

 

This post will also be promoted on domaining.com pages

What does “Studying History” have to do with Domain Investing? Here’s the PERFECT Example!!

Afternoon Folks!!

Many of you know Danny Pryor. Yesterday he left a comment on another post. But it deserves its own post along with my reply. It's not often you get to study history when it comes to the domain industry. Schwartz vs Schilling is now 5 years old. Don't you want to know the ending? It was a mystery back then, but much of the story is written today.

See what the landscpe looks like 5 years later. Nobody got it all right. What was said then and how it dovetails after you fast forward 5 years is priceless. It will make you money because it will calibrate all the things you have ever heard into a new form and formula.

Some of the comments will be absolutely mind blowing when you listen to it today. You will laugh your ass off.  Are you brave enough to go back and listen or are you an ostrich? Scared of history? You may hear what you want to hear. On both sides. Maybe you won't. Probably cut both ways. But if you are not brave enough to watch, you may leave some important knowledge out there that might have helped you starting right now.

Monte talking about .Tickets is kind of funny looking back. https://ntldstats.com/tld/tickets

Frank has some whoppers. I have my own.

Really, some of this stuff is hysterical looking back.

Danny said: "Perhaps it’s time to revisit a couple old videos, those original “debates” on the new gTLDs, as they were rolling out in 2013. This is TRAFFIC at the Ritz Carlton in Fort Lauderdale, by the way, so it’s nearly five full years since this event, which was dubbed “gTLD Madness”. Part I: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYug6bPnDHU and Part Deux: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izsxteuqhv8. Enjoy! ;)"

My Reply: "Danny, I don’t think those invested in GTLD’s have the stomach to watch. See what was said THEN, and see how it dovetails with NOW! That my friends is how you STUDY history and don’t RUN and HIDE from history!!!"

Let’s see if ANY watch and see how many things they predicted actually unfolded.

Domains with value are like Gas stations. Gas Stations go on intersections. Intersections with traffic. They don't put many gas stations where there are no people in the middle of a swamp of an unknow town with no population.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Gas Stations and Domain Names. They Both have Something in Common!

Morning Folks!!

There are so many real world parallels with domain names I never know where to start and it never really ends. That's why great domains have great value. A great location is a great location. Maybe one business fails but another comes in and flourishes. Can't blame the location, the location was the same.

Domains with value are like Gas stations. Gas Stations go on intersections and crossroads. Intersections with traffic. They don't put many gas stations where there are no people or cars like in the middle of a swamp of an unknown town with no population. They pick great locations. Simple!

Give me a corner in Manhattan. It won't matter what I sell, I will make $$$.

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Do you Flip Mobile Homes or Oceanfront Mansions? Work for Denny’s or Capital Grille?

Morning Folks!!

What you sell and how you sell and to whom you sell may make a huge difference in your life and your lifetime earnings. Waiters and waitresses make a lot more money at Capital Grille  than the same  waiters and waitresses at Denny's. Not only that, they work harder at Denny's and get paid much less.

When I first came online I ended up with a group of folks that flipped mobile homes. That was like working for Denny's. Then I saw folks selling Oceanfront mansions. They were doing much better. The only difference is one group  had a low target and a low goal and the other saw the sky is the limit.

Same is true with domains. YOU are the one that decides which end of the spectrum you will be working. It's NOT about the size of your wallet. It's about the size of your brain. The size of your ambition. The size of your work ethic. The size of you inquisitiveness. The size of your understanding of Business, Sales, Marketing, Advertising, Consumers. The size of your dreams and goals. It's the size YOU put on it.

If you go out and just double $1 every day for 30 days you will be a millionaire. Do the math. Start with $1. Double the amount each time. $1, $2, $4, $8, $16, $32, $64. Oh damn you are a fool Rick! Only $64 after 1 week! $128, $256, $512, $1024, $2048, $4096, $8192 At end of week #2. $16,384, $32,768, $65,536, $131,072, 262,144, $524,288, $1,048,576. At end of week 3!!!!

Ok, I admit, I screwed up. I should have started with a PENNY to be a millionaire in 30 days! I did the example in 3 weeks!! MY BAD!!

Point is, this is easier than you think. It may not take 3 or 4 weeks. What if it takes 3 or 4 years? Even 10 years. Stop being a jack rabbit. Stop chasing shiny objects. Put one foot in front of the other and climb the ladder like the Man or Woman you are! It won't matter if it takes 20 years. Once you are on the right path, you will ENJOY the journey at each and every level.

They always say the first million is the hardest! That's true. Once you find the path as I have shown, you can repeat, repeat, repeat.That's all the successful domainers in the space did. Not all came in in 1985, 1995, 2005, 2015. You can come in TODAY and make your mark and make your fortune.

So buy GREAT domains no matter what your budget is. What constitutes a great domain? A domain others would want to buy. The reason I don't NEED to sell, is because I understand that and I understand value. When the right offer comes, you will know it.

A domains value and your value on yourself and your time are related. Some sell their souls to Denny's and some retain control of their souls and end up in much higher places. It's always a choice. And YOU are the only one that can make that choice no matter how much you want to blame anything or anyone else.

Stop looking at your feet and start looking at the stars. But when you look at the stars, it's one step at a time to reach them! Folks are wired to skip steps and when they do, they always fall flat on their face, have to start again and frustration and anger is the only dividend.

Rule #1 in domaining: DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB!! The day job is what funds your new purchases until you can fly. Imagine a plane trying to take off at 50mph, it's gonna crash each and every time! Keep the cash flowing in from another source until you reach speed to fly and then cruising altitude. Put yourself in a position not to be so weak that you have to accept bad offers on your best names! This is not rocket science. This is having a map, a plan and a goal and sticking to it. Pick a direction and go.

Dress for success. Think for success. Act like success. If you do that, you won't be working at Denny's or flipping mobile homes. You will be living on the ocean!

So if you are not making it, drop them all and start again. But this time work smart and understand the patience you need. Just remember one thing. It takes 20 YEARS to become an overnight success!!

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

 

It was the Internet I was Studying from 1985-1995, Not Domain Names!

Morning Folks!!

So, I was not looking at domains at the beginning. I was looking at the Internet. The Internet. I was looking for an understanding of this new "Information Superhighway" that I knew little of and did not understand. I could barely navigate to a website. There was a lot of nothingness. Every once in a while you would get lucky and find something. Usually back then I used mozilla's roulette wheel in which you never knew what site you would end up on. It was so stupid back then. Before the time of enlightenment.

Before that I was using Prodigy by Sears to go along with my Headstart 8088 computer. It was like training wheels for the Internet. It held your hand. Now the Headstart computer was back in the mid 1980's. But it was BACK THEN that I started this journey into darkness. Back then it was commands and I sucked at commands so I had a black screen most of the time. That was on my brothers "Franklin" which was an Apple Clone that eventually got shut down. 300 baud modem. It was scary!! I was clueless and confused and frustrated. But the early 1980's is when this journey began.

So domains came out in 1985 but I did not wise up for another DECADE!! When I saw the techies dismiss domain names in favor of 182.993.198, I knew they were clueless on what was coming. They simply did not understand business and consumers and sales or marketing or even people in general. They are techies. Blind to much of that stuff. So if you are a techie and that's the world you see, gonna be much harder to make it with domains.

Thru the eyes of a businessman, salesman and knowing the history of business, of how products evolve and hit critical mass, this was a jaw dropping moment.

It was not until May of 1996 that I really started to put it together. Then I would type until my fingers could type any more from the pain. My wrists would be too enflamed to go on. I would fall asleep at the keyboard. Wake up and start again. I learned to use different finger. Matter of fact, I no longer use my index finger of my right hand to type. I use my middle finger. How convenient. But the truth is, that finger is the strongest and can take the most punishment.

The road was long and it made little sense at the start. But oh my have we come a long way since then!

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

 

2 YEARS of New GTLD Gains, WIPED OUT and still Hemorrhaging!

Evening Folks!

There is no question that the new GTLD's have been a disaster for domainers as well as most registries with too many horrible extensions to list.

After hitting nearly 30 Million total combined registrations a year ago April, the current number registered are the same as June 2016 standing at 22.7 Million. Wiping out nearly 2 years of gains. And there are still 1.25 million upcoming deletes and that is with the success of Google's .App now climbing to #17 with 250,000 registrations in just a few weeks.

8 of the top 10 extensions lost ground yesterday with .Loan leading the way shedding 73,773 domains. The #1 extension .Top added 120 domains and #6 .online registered 2 for the extensions that gained.

.App gained 2750 Yesterday making it once again the top gaining extension vs 550 others! Most of which lost ground.

The other 99 of top 100 had a COMBINED total registrations of 7793. Compared to 125,566 drops for the top 100. That's 16-1 losses over gains!! More than 16 domains DROPPED for every 1 domain registered. That's not growth, THAT STINKS! And if the majority of  top 100 are stinking I can't even describe the bottom 450. Most of which had gained or lost less than a total of 10 each. Most of those with just +/- 0- 3. That's called Dying on the vine!

https://ntldstats.com/tld

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

Old Time Domainers Stand-up, Speak-Out. Our Accomplishments Shall not be Diminished!

Morning Folks!!

We live in an era of flipping domains ASAP and not for the best prices vs the Patience Game that did. TheDomains did a very good post on how the old timers would do today. Many times our accomplishments have been minimized by folks that have come later. Many lash out because they just have not done well in domaining. But got news for ya, 80% of the folks that were domaining in the 1990's and in the early 2000's did not do well either. The story and comments were very interesting. I posted the following comment myself and decided I wanted to memorialize it here with your indulgence and hopefully your comments. A blog post to me is only as good as the thought provoking comments readers leave.

 

Just a few points if I may.

1. There was no aftermarket in 1995 or 1996. I and a literal handful of folks were the entire aftermarket that started in 1996 and 1997.

2. In 1995 very few people were online. Only 10% of businesses were online and many of them with just a holding page.

3. In 1995 not everyone had their own personal computer.

4. The average person had no idea what a domain name was.

5. Most businesses did not know what a domain name was.

6. There were no parking companies to monetize your traffic.

7. Many people did not believe there was such a thing as type in traffic and would refuse to pay even tho they made sales and money.

8. I was working in the blind. I had no technical experience. I had not even learned to cut and paste or FTP. What I had was a keen sense of business and understand that the adult world is consistently first in adopting new technology.

9. It cost $39.95/month to activate EACH domain name

10. Domains cost $100 per pop for 2 years after being totally FREE. I completely missed the FREE. So I got in too late RIGHT??

11. Since I was looking at 20 years before I would see great value, each domain was really $10,000.

12. There were NO TOOLS whatsoever.

13. Many of the folks that were domaining at the time and earlier bought domains that had no value. I had a different focus. They were techies. I was a businessman. I was a salesman. I was a marketing guy. I was a student of business and industry and the history of both.

14. I was a loner. Nobody understood what I was doing. I was just a fool according to them. There was nobody to reinforce what I was doing was not insane and might work. There was no support system.

15. There were no domain blogs. There were no chatrooms other than the one I opened in 2000. RicksBoard. That was the epicenter of a fledging industry.

16. There was no Google, no Facebook, no Twitter.

17. Online banking had just begun.

18. We did not have smart phones.

19. You could not get email on the phone until the Motorola Startac

20. I did not have a CLUE which way things would turn out. I had a hunch that I based on an assumption and took a RISK looking for a big reward. I KNEW it would take years if not decades for this to evolve.

I am sure I missed a few. But the point is, when you get on the merry-go-round of life and business, there is NO STARTING LINE!! Only FOOLS and IDIOTS think that way. If I were to have thought that way after domains were FREE just a few weeks before, I would not be writing this post today. I have no sympathy for those that wallow in self pity and only take shots to excuse their own very visible short-commings.

There are domains of value every single day of the week available. I NEVER EVER buy a domain trying to resell it the next day. As many have mentioned, have some patience! And as far as valuations go, the ONLY valuation that counts is YOURS! YOU are the only one that can pull the trigger on a sale. YOU are the only one that can determine your circumstance. And yeah, I get that you need to pay bills. But you can build a machine that stays WAY ahead of the steamroller if you work smart and not deal with that CIRCUMSTANCE!

There has been some great advice given here by many folks. They KNOW what they are talking about. Don’t argue with them. They are right, you are wrong. You need to rise to their level, they don’t need to come down to yours. We have all been there before as we climbed the ladder and WE know the difference.

Just remember, the smarter and harder you work, the luckier you will get.
“Luck is a residue of Hard Work.” Branch Rickey.
Don’t know who Branch Rickey is? Look him up. History is the #1 part of business. success imho.

Good luck and great fortune to all!

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz

My Early Years as a Thief. Confessions of A Complete and Total Thief!

Morning Folks!!

Not always easy to admit things in life. But I stole things for a living early on and to be 100% honest, I still do! I started with an empty basket and a good heart and a strong desire not to dig ditches in 100 degree heat. So I needed an easier path.

I was listening to Ken Langone, who is one of the co-founders of Home Depot, the other day. He said something interesting and I can apply it. "There are a lot of self made people out there. I am not one of them.".

It made me think. Personally, I am a collection of the great people I met along the way. Starts with mother, father, brothers, grandparents, aunt, uncles and cousins. I stole their unwavering character and honesty no matter the situation. Just do the right thing and do it all the time.

In business it started with my jobs and people I met along the way.

They didn't know it at the time, but I went out of my way to steal the best of whatever it was they had going for them.

I learned their strengths and stole them. I learned their weaknesses and avoided them.

I am simply a collection of all those people along the way.

That includes Stella and Emma. They were waitresses at a place in Miami called the "Rascal House."

I learned things from people like Deacon who pumped gas for a living but may have been the happiest person I ever met.

But the biggest boost in life came during 9 month period when I was 19 in which I sold retail bedroom furniture for  a southern California Mattress store.

Dave Thomas, Al Heller, Frank Critelli, Bob Hayden. Those 4 men changed my destiny. What they taught me in life was priceless. Each one a different contribution with a common thread, paid dividends for a lifetime.

I parlayed that and learned from Andy and George in the early 1970's. They taught me good and bad. I saw the good and lived thru the bad. I stole the good and discarded, avoided and was wise to the bad. Then Sam and Carlos who were their mortal enemies in business. When I jumped ship it was game on!

My Pal Richard O from Finger Furniture in Houston. Damn is he smooth! He turned me from a salesman to a "Presenter" and Polished me up. We were known as the "Odd Couple" in the Furniture Industry. He was polished and cool and good! I was the opposite. I would always ask him, "Why the hell are you hanging out with me? It's not good for your career". But together we forged a great business partnership as he became my best customer and I became his best source. I stole more from Richard than perhaps anyone. I stopped selling, starting making presentations and closed everyone from then on with ease.

I called on furniture stores from coast to coast and boarder to boarder. Many owners were immigrants that came with nothing and were living the American Dream. They shared their stories and wisdom and I stole their wisdom and learned from their stories. They lived the peril and were challenged more than words could tell. Whenever I would be depressed or feel sorry for myself, I would simply think of one of their stories and within seconds I would be fixed.

One story I remember is a father and his 2 sons that got on a raft to escape from Cuba back in the 1960's. They were headed for Miami but they washed up in Central America. They literally walked and hitch hiked to Miami with nothing but their ripped shirts on their back. They want on to open a furniture store and today their showrooms are the largest in all of Florida. Their warehouses are measured in acres not square feet. http://www.eldoradofurniture.com

I learned a lot from wives and girlfriends along the way. Never a regret. Always a dividend. Even if some were a bit costly.

So I am a collection of people. A collage of their best and strongest traits that I simply stole. Saw their weak points too. Knew what to avoid. Glued it all together and voila. Here I am. Anything but self made. But what I did was work hard, work smart and achieved. That my friends was what prepared me to recognize domains so early on and act on it. (Thanks Tony Robbins) . I thank them all and in life I was actually able to go back and thank most of them personally. They were the ones that inspired me and I owe them all for my success in life and in domaining. Thank you one and all! Thank you to all the folks I did not mention. There are dozens more and you are ALL part of me since I stole part of you!

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz



Fake site on a Fake GTLD Sale? The tale of “No Results Found” at Vacation.Rentals

Morning Folks!!

We have all heard the fanfare about the "Record" sale of Vacation.Rentals. Some in the industry doubt the authenticity of that sale. I have been checking on the site from time to time for the past couple months. Again more fanfare as they got a page 1 ranking. But is that bogus SEO too?

Some companies in the domain space are ethically challenged to put it nicely. Some chronically. Seems there are financial motives for the publicity that helps their sales. Especially when those sales are lagging and even the biggest GTLD fans are starting to question their "Investments". Let's not be naive.

Go to the site, punch in the dates and no matter what place you punch in only one thing happens. I keep getting "NO RESULTS FOUND". Nothing worse than going somewhere and being fooled. Those folks NEVER come back! It's bad business and I think that will just fuel the debate on the authenticity of the sale.

Go ahead, search for any place. Here are Maui results: NONE!

https://www.vacation.rentals/Maui-Hawaii-USA?checkin=06/02/2018&checkout=06/09/2018&guests=1&room_type=&min_price=10&max_price=750&current_refinement=Homes&property_type=&amenities=&beds=0&bathrooms=0&bedrooms=0&limit_distance=400&page=1&instant_book=0&php_date_format=m/d/Y&property_id=

Here are the stories about the sale. 

What do you think?

Real Sale? Fake Sale? Don't Know?

Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz