Selling domains to large companies, how to contact, who to contact ?

[1987adam]

I have some great domains that would be of intrest to quite large international companies.

I need some advice on how to actually present these domains to the right decision makers in those companies.

for example.. if you had a domain like "car.com" and wanted to sell, how would you present it to the correct people at Ford or BMW ?

Give me some good advice and i will put it to work this week... and if it works... you shall be thanked

[inernetster]

They'll come to you. You don't go to them.

[Acro]

Bizdev manager or Marketing director. Owner, for small companies. Avoid the IT guys like the plague.

[1987adam]

They'll come to you. You don't go to them.

Why would they come to me if they dont even know the domain is for sale ?

Im am not interested in waiting around in the hope that one day I will one day be contacted.

I will be emailing and calling, but would like some advice from the more experienced guys here.

---------- Post added at 06:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:35 PM ----------

Bizdev manager or Marketing director. Owner, for small companies. Avoid the IT guys like the plague.

Thanks, I was thinking that too.

I dont need a "sales" pitch as the names speak for themselves, i just need to make sure im talking with the decision maker.

[Acro]

You always need a sales pitch, especially if the domains are not generic but are approximations of/or company brands.

[1987adam]

You always need a sales pitch, especially if the domains are not generic but are approximations of/or company brands.

The names are generic

[ekman77]

Listen to these guys when they say let them come to you. List them on the auction sites and wait. I made the mistake of contacting a huge company and they dont want to pay anywhere near what I want for it. This has happened to me more than once. What they are saying is the truth.

[1987adam]

Listen to these guys when they say let them come to you. List them on the auction sites and wait. I made the mistake of contacting a huge company and they dont want to pay anywhere near what I want for it. This has happened to me more than once. What they are saying is the truth.

Sure i am willing to listen, but did contacting that company hurt or cost you in any way ?

[ekman77]

I would say yes it has cost me. By me contacting them I believe that they felt I was desperate for money. The name is something that they want but will not pay close to what I want for it. I guess one way it was a good learning experiance. We are in a stalemate where I wont budge and they are saying they wont either. My plan now is to invest more into it and let it grow. It already gets 350+ hits a day now. Maybe they will come back someday when it gets more popular.

[Mark Talbot]

I guess the next question would be,...

"What is a decent pitch?" if you are either in contact with the right person, or are contacted by the right person.

I was contacted once by a very larger international corp in a huge industry for one of my generics once. He offered a couple of hundred, and of course couldnt get him above that. (funny thing too was he later emailed me back (using corporate email addy) just to tell me he instead regged the hyphenated version) (Go figgure)

So what is a good way to maximize the value of a decent domain to a suiter, and get it above being considered an annual office supply expense?

[ekman77]

I am still learning so I wouldnt know that yet. Here is a thread I started about the same name I was talking about earlier. I am at $18,000 and they dont want to give me anymore than $5,000 for it. I am not going any lower. This may help you out it helped me and I wish I never contacted them because as someone said in that thread that I am adding, I have lost aready by contacting them....

http://www.dnforum.com/f34/need-your...d-446937.html5

Whats funny is that this company is so big that I was stupid enough to think I could set a 6-7 figure price for it. Boy was I wrong, I cant even get 5 figures for it now.

[Acro]

Boy was I wrong, I cant even get 5 figures for it now.

Not all domains are created equal. Likewise, not all companies share the same domain acquisition budget and enthusiasm. Finally, not all sellers possess the same amount of negotiation skills.

[ekman77]

Not all domains are created equal. Likewise, not all companies share the same domain acquisition budget and enthusiasm. Finally, not all sellers possess the same amount of negotiation skills.

Acro, This may benefit both of us:
Do you know anywhere that we can learn a little about negotiating? That is definently my weak spot in domaining.

[Maxwell]

The names are generic

Then they'll sell themselves. No pitch is necessary.

Generally speaking, if you need to explain why any domain name will do a company good (regardless of how good the name is), you're talking to the wrong person.

What will make the difference between sale and no sale is being able to answer the question "how much?".

The "make me an offer" route is a sure path to no sale. You need to come up with a figure that works for both you and them. As the seller, it is your duty to come up with that number. The priority is for it to work for them. Because if the name is not worth what you're asking, then you're wasting your time talking about it.

[Mark Talbot]

... not all sellers possess the same amount of negotiation skills.

And therin is where I am at myself, I am a fumble clutz at that, and I know I have lost a few good potential sales due to it.

---------- Post added at 09:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:03 PM ----------

Then they'll sell themselves. No pitch is necessary.


What will make the difference between sale and no sale is being able to answer the question "how much?".

The "make me an offer" route is a sure path to no sale. You need to come up with a figure that works for both you and them. As the seller, it is your duty to come up with that number. The priority is for it to work for them. Because if the name is not worth what you're asking, then you're wasting your time talking about it.

Which I have to add,..

1 - There are no good free appraisal services

2 - There are no good paid appraisal services

3 - There are absalutely very few forums that offer an appraisal catagory for members that can offer objective member-driven appraisals. (it is either and most commonly "reg fee" appraisals (which may be true in a vast number of cases) or its a wide margin of suggested value.)

All of which do nothing to help the domain owner determine a reasonable value to offer with confidence when inquired upon or marketing.


Yes, I know most domains registered really are of no real value to large companies, but yes, there are some too.
And how does one define the value for their more valuable domains, without just being arbitrary in valuation using biased ignorance.

After all, its the sale that sets the value in the end. No?

[Acro]

Acro, This may benefit both of us:
Do you know anywhere that we can learn a little about negotiating? That is definently my weak spot in domaining.

This is like asking, "what is the meaning of life?" - there's no single answer. Skills come with time and trial and error. After a while, you acquire a "gut feeling" that helps - most of the time.

[biggedon]

I have some great domains that would be of intrest to quite large international companies.

I need some advice on how to actually present these domains to the right decision makers in those companies.

for example.. if you had a domain like "car.com" and wanted to sell, how would you present it to the correct people at Ford or BMW ?

Give me some good advice and i will put it to work this week... and if it works... you shall be thanked

unless we know what the domains are, then it's all speculation and theorizing

They'll come to you. You don't go to them.

i know many domainers are impatient, but the waiting game still gives the seller the best advantage

Why would they come to me if they dont even know the domain is for sale ?

Im am not interested in waiting around in the hope that one day I will one day be contacted.

I will be emailing and calling, but would like some advice from the more experienced guys here.

many emails or phone calls i get, first thing they ask ..."is this domain for sale".

somehow they found the domain and looked-up my contact information, then they inquired as to whether it was for sale or not.

Sure i am willing to listen, but did contacting that company hurt or cost you in any way ?

see how it can affect your leverage below

I would say yes it has cost me. By me contacting them I believe that they felt I was desperate for money. The name is something that they want but will not pay close to what I want for it. I guess one way it was a good learning experiance. We are in a stalemate where I wont budge and they are saying they wont either. My plan now is to invest more into it and let it grow. It already gets 350+ hits a day now. Maybe they will come back someday when it gets more popular.

i advise you to add some years to the domain and put it in the vault

Whats funny is that this company is so big that I was stupid enough to think I could set a 6-7 figure price for it. Boy was I wrong, I cant even get 5 figures for it now.

a lot of domainers price domains according to who they are sending the solicitation

they assume the company has big bucks and therefore will pay big bucks

Not all domains are created equal. Likewise, not all companies share the same domain acquisition budget and enthusiasm. Finally, not all sellers possess the same amount of negotiation skills.

so true

Skills come with time and trial and error. After a while, you acquire a "gut feeling" that helps - most of the time.

again, so true


if you are capable of learning from your mistakes, then you may have to make a few... before you learn.

though some learn from others mistakes, but very few heed the advice of others

[inernetster]

The only people I would contact are known domain investors who see the value in the domain.
And as far as the end-users.. if you have it and they want it they will come and pay top dollar

A good domain sells itself
-inernetster 4/26/2011 (Watch out Confucious)

[David G]

many emails or phone calls i get, first thing they ask ..."is this domain for sale".

somehow they found the domain and looked-up my contact information, then they inquired as to whether it was for sale or not.

Sometimes that may happen but there's often a problem if they typein the URL to their browser window or search box. When they see it's a webpage I believe a high percenatge of possible buyers will simply assume since there's a site it's not for sale and will quickly move on to a variation of the name/extension (which does not resolve to a site).

In that respect resolving to a webpage which looks like a website is a major negative. It's also an issue I never fully realized was a big factor (with far fewer inquries than expected) until recently after thinking a lot about that aspect.

[inernetster]

David, I agree. My gut feeling is when I type in the url and if there is a site and no "This domain is for sale" is forget about it.
"This domain is for sale" or something to the likes will get the offers that would have been bypassed.