How do you respond to...."How Much?"

[tonyfloyd]

Hi all....

I've recently began sending out e-mails to end-users in trying to sell some domains. I've gotten many responses...with "How Much"?....

how would be the best to proceed when this question is posed?

Thanks!
Tony

 

[theinvestor]

If you are going to send emails...you should include the price in the initial email. You shouldn't waste anyones time. That way the people who respond can afford to pay your price.

 

[Dale Hubbard]

If you are going to send emails...you should include the price in the initial email. You shouldn't waste anyones time. That way the people who respond can afford to pay your price.

I don't agree with that. He's 'prospecting'. He may find the mother lode which he might not do by playing all his cards first.

 

[tonyfloyd]

welll...I used Mike's sample e-mail (see below) as a way to gauge some interest.......and the responses have been..."How Much"?....now what??

From: Michael Cohen

Reply-to: [email protected]

Message Subject: Domain Name (the keywords found within the domain minus dot com)

Message Body:

Dear ???

We have the following premium keyword domain name available for sale or lease as of January 26, 2009:

http://www.domainname.com --- Domain Name

You can reply to this e-mail if you would like to get more information on the
domain name lease or to discuss on how to go about making the purchase of the domain name mentioned above for your business use. Feel free to e-mail me directly at [email protected] or call me at telephone number 000-000-0000 as well.

If you are not interested in leasing/purchasing the domain name, I thank you
for your time, and please excuse this e-mail.

--

Best Regards,

 

[theinvestor]

I don't agree with that. He's 'prospecting'. He may find the mother lode which he might not do by playing all his cards first.

Show me your sales that resulted in emailing a potential buyer that resulted in a big sale by not mentioning a price.

Trying to sell them something they aren't interested in or they would have contacted you themselves.

 

[tonyfloyd]

Show me your sales that resulted in emailing a potential buyer that resulted in a big sale by not mentioning a price.

Trying to sell them something they aren't interested in or they would have contacted you themselves.

I am targeting a specific group of people with an exact related keyword domain to their profession.....so...I think the interest should be/is there...

 

[hugegrowth]

if you are sending out emails to sell domains and get a response of how much, you should have a figure in mind to give them. Since you are initiating the sale I don't think it's fair to tell them to make an offer. And if you do ask them to make an offer, you'll probably get offers of $100 or less most of the time.

You could make your asking price based on how well the domain fits the company, do they own the .net version and you have the .com, are they a big company, does the name have traffic, how valuable would the name be to their business, etc.

I have to admit that sometimes I get emails from people trying to sell me domains that have no interest to me at all - these are like spam. Other times I get offers for a .com when I already own the .net or .ca version, and have actually bought a few like that for $100 or less. If I can see why they are offering me the domain (ie: they know I would likely have an interest in it), then they have done their homework and it's not really spam.

side story: a few weeks ago I was offered a .com domain out of the blue by a catching company because they saw I had the .net. they were asking $75 and though I was interested I didn't act. looked up the domain yesterday and they had let it go, so I got it for reg fee at godaddy in the end!

 

[theinvestor]

Best of luck Tony.

 

[Dale Hubbard]

Show me your sales that resulted in emailing a potential buyer that resulted in a big sale by not mentioning a price.

Trying to sell them something they aren't interested in or they would have contacted you themselves.

Now why on earth would I do that? I can think of many, but I'm certainly not going to post them.

 

[Theo]

My technique is as follows:

I roll a pair of dice twice, sum them up and multiply by 1,000

 

[hugegrowth]

quote them a price based on what you know about their company and industry. without knowing the domain/details it's hard to say anything else. you should also give a good rationale for your price, they likely will not understand the value of a good domain.

 

[Onward]

My technique is as follows:

I roll a pair of dice twice, sum them up and multiply by 1,000

Ha...that is a good formula...although in this economy I may just do one dice roll...Good stuff :lol:

I would say that the 'how much' is answered by who responder is (due diligence on the company) and what my gut instict is on the value of the name. IMO, by approaching them you are in a weaker negotiating position initially than if they approached you.

I would certainly respond with an amount after the 'how much' response is given...although I may give it a week or a few days before responding to see if they e-mail me back a 2nd time showing their interest further.

 

[mvl]

If a prospect is really interested they almost always ask that question so the best thing to do imo is be prepared for it.

First decide for yourself what price you would be happy with. Second figure out a strategy that you would want to follow to reach that price. Third is to stick to your minimum acceptable price and strategy.

Asking prices and strategies should be realistic. Getting $100K for a domain that you yourself would pay $1K for at most is very unlikely, but you might be able to fetch $5K. Minimal development can be part of the strategy to get a higher price.

Think about a negotiation strategy before you send out your emails. If your target is $5K consider asking something between $6500 and $10K. If you get a counter offer of $6K and you want to close the deal: take it! After all you decided for yourself that anything $5K and up was acceptable.

 

[tonyfloyd]

ok....a very comparable name to mine recently sold for $25k....posted on DNJournal......do i reference this in my reply stating why i am asking xx,xxx amount?....also....i view mine as a better name as it is more general...rather than as specific and limited...to the one that sold for $25K....and lastly....I agree with Acro's feeling when he sold his big .org.......GO WITH YOUR GUT!.......so....i would like to approach these very HIGH salaried professionals with a high xx,xxx to low xxx,xxx figure....and go from there.....

any thoughts?

 

[Theo]

No, do not quote DNJournal or other sales when it's you who initiates a sales pitch. The point is to sell your domain, not to match other sales in the eyes of the prospective buyer. Play smart.

 

[Dale Hubbard]

Tony - there are a lot of ingratiating and self-satisfied replies here. My view is as stated. Make your opening gambit loose. Why would you mention a figure? You might be thousands of dollars out. Hold it loose mate.

 

[tonyfloyd]

No, do not quote DNJournal or other sales when it's you who initiates a sale. The point is to sell your domain, not to match other sales in the eyes of the prospective buyer. Play smart.

OK....i was thinking that.....however...if they ask to justify why I am asking such an amount?....then what?

 

[Theo]

Here's an analogy.

You apply for a job and they ask for your salary requirements.

Do you say "that's what others get paid in California"?

Probably not, unless you don't want the job.

Your response is about your skills and your experience, not those of others.

You tell them you want "this much" because it's worth this much according to (...that's where you put your reasons forth, based on the generic terms, traffic, history, google results etc. for the domain)

 

[DN BROKER]

If you are going to send emails...you should include the price in the initial email. You shouldn't waste anyones time. That way the people who respond can afford to pay your price.

I agree, 98% of my emails to end users have been successful with a price tag. 100% of my emails with no price have got 0 sales

 

[Dale Hubbard]

OK....i was thinking that.....however...if they ask to justify why I am asking such an amount?....then what?

Acro is right. Just have feel for what it's worth and then hold out. If you don't hear in a month you know it's too much. Then go back again. If they want the bloody domain they will pay for it.