An End User Who Gets Domain Names
I hear people talk all the time about people that just do not get this or that, and in many cases it is because no one has taken the time to actually present to them the value of the product or item they are expecting them to get it on. Normally, if you really have something of value, if you take the time to present your product to someone they will "get it". These same people that do not get it are likely saying the same thing about you, me or anyone else when it comes to their product or service too. It is just a matter of perspective.
Well, today I had the pleasure of sitting down with an end user, it is a meeting that came about after I had an offer on a domain name a couple months back and then soon after had another offer from someone else concerning the same name. Although the person I met with today is not the buyer the conversations around the domain name lead to a sit down meeting to discuss various online marketing ideas and really just a good general discussion with an end user who happens to get domain names, maybe not to the same level as domainers but more so than many companies out there.
The company in question owns many keyword targeted domains targeted to their niche and has them forwarded to their website. We are talking names that many domain investors would trade a large portion of their portfolio for. It was interesting to sit down with a company that without realizing it had really show their understanding of online real estate and the potential for customer acquisition from it. They also understand that long term the value comes from developing these key properties.
Normally when you think of someone who owns hundreds of domain names it is a domain investor or a large corporation with a large budget, but for a company that is a solid business but not Microsoft to be doing the same thing it was a breath of fresh air. Kudos to them for having the vision to see the possibilties.
It opens your heart when you meet an end user who really understands the value of online business. Happy for you, buddy, who have had such a nice meeting.
Me too, I’m very pleased when it happens to have such a luck: it pays you back for all the people not understanding the value of our niche
Hope Google will come out with a tool that gives us exact search results of those type of end-users. :p
Let us know when the sale pushes through and for what price. I love success stories.
Hi Bruce,
In 2005, I discussed with Rick Schwartz on his private forum the idea of educating the masses, i.e. END USERS. It was one of the hottest topics on his forum.
Since then (and before), Rick has done very well educating specific end users to the tune of millions. Kudos to Rick – he has that magic we’re all trying to emulate. That makes us all posers unless we get organized support behind us. We domainers can only aspire to reach his (and about 250 other domainers’) success.
My outcome doing the same has been in six figures yearly since then, but nothing like the King. However, I’m sure Rick will back me up when I say that the Domain Industry intrinsically depends on END USERS for our overall success as domain investors.
Domains are nothing without “educated” end users. Period.
Why our industry still hasn’t formed an organization dedicated to “educating” end users blows my mind. I think we’re creeping to it, but those domainers who captured the killer million dollar domains at the start of our evolution are needed to “give back” to the community and theory of domain value to push the movement forward. Organization is the key, but damn if we haven’t watched to see those who have the power to do this take their own road and watch the rest of us slip on our drool behind them. Bottom line, 98% of domainers are waiting to see some minor percentage of their success happen to them. Am I wrong?
For a league of these power players that can change the course of our fortunes, I’m including the major domain companies (owned by a few domainers that control over a minimum of 400,000+ domains).
I’m just saying the biggies have to be involved to “control” the internet real estate that has made them very rich. Just ten of them (no names) can blow domain values wide open if they joined hands and pushed the “basics” of domain values for end users. Their efforts to do this will also enhance their own sales, so I don’t understand why there hasn’t been an alliance formed to “educate end users” between them. Do we need an “Ambassador of Domains” to pull this together?
Call me kooky, but for us to get out of our sprout stage, we need the successful fruit sellers to show all the produce buyers where the “food” is.
I was going to cut this content and just post it on my blog site, but I figured this would probably get a lot of eyeballs for your amazing rise in this industry and your spot on report on end user education.
Sorry for all the “quotes”.
keep up your good work, Bruce.
@Stephen, wow thanks for the great comment. I am amazed everyday by how inward thinking the domain industry is. I have been involved in the tech industry for years and every trade show I attended, every seminar that was taught, every press release generated was always pointed to the end user of the product.
At some point the domain world has to wake up and realize that talking to other domainers all day long does nothing for growing the industry or educating people about the value of our online properties.
I am trying to do my part in my part of the world, I have 3 more seminars scheduled over the next month talking to small businesses throughout Missouri. More people need to be out doing similar things. And it is not just major corporations that need to be taught, it is those small businesses that have the most to learn, and gain at times. From a domainer perspective there are a whole lot more small businesses to sell to than large companies.
Thanks for the very nice comments Stephen. I hope if there ever is a “group” or “committee” put together that even new voices like my own get a chance to be heard…..
Hi Bruce,
Well said… I like your anecdote on the tech industry’s understanding of self promotion. There are lots of intricacies in domaining though, and it’s not really a simple process to move forward on “reaching out” to end users. However, if a nonprofit PR organization is created by the big domain companies, I’m sure you’ll be a great candidate for your thoughts!
cheers!