EzDevelop.com Getting Ready to Launch Free Minisites

As mentioned a few weeks ago we are working through beta testing of EzDevelop.com which as many know will provide free minisite creation tools that allow for modification of key components of the site in a very easy to use manner.

So far the feedback has been great, as always in beta there were a few bugs found in the beginning and the feature requests start flying, but we have already made it through the majority of the bug fixes and started adding features that will be in the launch version.

This tool is being created for the DIY crowd, those without the resources to pay for large amounts of sites, and those that have little too no technical know how on hosting, FTP, and other things around turning up a site. As I mentioned before I do not plan to actually be building minisites as a business but by creating a tool that helps people create content rich sites it will make it easier for those that do not have the time or technical know how. To make that point I expect to announce an exclusive partnership with a minisite company before launch that will be our preferred partner for those looking to have someone else do the lifting.

Although I am not listing all of the features yet I will give a bit more info here:

Free Version - We plan to offer a free version that allows for a certain number of sites to be created each month and does not use our hosting. This will be basically the tool how it sits today with a few more tweaks around modifying ad location titles, more themes, and some others. We have already had people ask what we are charging for it as it is, well that answer as it is will be free.

Paid Version - We will have a low monthly cost version that includes unlimited site creations, social media notification of site launch, as well as more templates and pictures. This is a real value, once we announce how much we are charging you will understand. This basically allows you to create a custom site that can be downloaded by you to be moved anywhere you want or can be hosted on our system so all that needs to be done is the switching of your DNS.

Here is a customer testimonial, Don had sent me a very nice email about the platform and I thought I would put it out there:

EZdevelop minisites are so easy to build for a beginner like myself it's almost as though it builds itself. I've tried other programs and got frustrated from the start and of course many didn't get completed because of the time involved. I don't have much time to build sites but EZdevelop made time for me and that's precious.  Thanks EZdevelop .

Although we are still working out a couple tweaks (dang apostrophes being cut and pasted...) I have used it to create a few sites and so far there have been over 100 sites created by our users with the tool since beta launch, here is an example of a couple of mine, JetOwnership.com and RenewableEnergy.me

We look forward to finishing up and letting everyone try it out, keep watching here:)

Having Problems Selling Domain Names To End Users? Think Different

One of the major frustrations I had early in my technology sales career is that I was in a position where when selling to a customer I only had one product to position, in other words I lived or died with that one item. The only way to sell more was to hope they grew enough to want more and if they did not want that product you were done, there was nothing left. As domain investors in most cases that is  the position you are in, they either want your domain name or not and there is no increasing value with more products, or saving a deal by removing one piece but continuing to sell other components. You are a one trick pony.

Although not exactly the same I think this is part of the reason I have been able to do well selling .NET generics this year, I was able to show additional value by having the domain name on a small website/minisite rather than just selling  a "name". Sure we know there is inherent value in the name but as a combined product of website attached to a name people were more comfortable with what they were buying, they recognized it as a business that consisted of a domain name and a website which in turn created a solution to drive more traffic targeted towards their business needs.

I know some people do not like to ever have a site on a domain name they are trying to sell, maybe it has not worked for you, but I can say without a doubt it worked for me this year and that was part of the reason for launching EzDevelop.com (beta going well BTW, hope to have phase 1 launched soon to the public).

Anyway, back to selling a solution, as we talk about this think about solutions you can offer around the domain names you are trying to sell (and I am more talking about people trying to sell outside of the network of domainers).

As I mentioned before, I was working at a company where I was limited to one product, you won or lost, it was an all or nothing deal (look at it as they bought my name or they did not buy my name, black and white). But I was then offered an opportunity to work at a solutions company, a company that worked as a systems integrator that brought together multiple pieces of technology to create a best of breed solution to help companies move their networks forward. What did that mean?

Well first off lets take a high level look at what a typical deal consisted of:

Routers - $15,000

Ethernet Switching - $10,000

Servers - $50,000

Software - $75,000

Ancillary Equipment - $5,000

Access Equipment - $50,000

This is not everything but it gives some indication of the number of pieces. I was not limited to one big component but had a larger set of components at a lower price but no one piece killed the deal. In other words I had ways to create more value (by selling servers instead of just software) but also had the ability to still stay in the game if I lost one piece (lets say they had a direct deal with Sun). Long story short, more value to the customer is created since I provided a solution to a problem rather than just bringing a product (domain name) and based on that I can hedge my bets and increase the deal size at the same time.

I look at marketing in the same way, when talking to customers I am the first one to tell them that they should not throw all their eggs into one basket, I like helping them create a holistic method to help their company (hence my post about marketing offline). Even if it is not all with Missouri.me and Localtek at the end of the day helping them find a solution to grow their business helps everyone.

So, I am sure you have picked up on it by now, but if not your question to me is, "So what does this have to do with selling domain names?"

Well, if you are having problems with end users maybe try a new approach, think of something you could package with the name to show value they understand. Most people are not going to react in a positive manner if you call and say, hey wanna buy a name. It could be a social media package, an ebook, etc. The point is be creative, do not limit yourself, you may just find you have more success by thinking out of the box and creating a solution rather than just selling a piece of the solution.

All Beta Tester Spots Filled For EzDevelop.com

Thanks to all those that signed up for a beta tester spot for EzDevelop.com, we received over 3 times as many requests as I expected so I will be sending out more accounts than I planned as a thank you. We are working on some finishing touches for the beta version of the tool and plan on releasing the tool tomorrow for initial testing.

After the "testing" begins we should be able to release the tool to the public within the 2 weeks following unless something major is found. We are trying to make the site creation process simple so our goal is to get many of the bugs out ahead of time. Luckily we have been using a good portion of the code for awhile now but anytime you make changes its always good to run it through a test before releasing it into the wild.

Thanks again to those who signed up, I hope to send your logins or the process to login within the next 24 to 36 hours.

EzDevelop.com Wants Beta Testers

Sometime during the next week EzDevelop.com will be launched to a group of beta testers. Although I already have several lined up I wanted to give some others a chance to test a tool we have been working on that allows us to save time, money and effort when launching new sites.

I will randomly select 10 people on top of the 5 I have already spoke too. If you are interested please go to EzDevelop.com and sign up, I would prefer people with interest in deploying site networks, minisites, or new ways of using small sites to sell their domain names (this is what I have had success with as far as minisites go). After the group is chosen I will send out a message with the details of what the tool consists of and what type of feedback we are interested in.

The tool is based on something we use internally in a different manner. We had originally debated on whether we make a domainer version of the tool and in the end though it was worth the incremental effort to make the changes needed.

Now before anyone thinks I am getting into the business of building minisites for people, I am not. My team is busy enough building sites for small business customers. I am more interested in creating tools than trying to make money developing sites for 100 or 200 dollars.

More detail to come at launch!!!