End users with head-up-arse-syndrome!

BREWSTERS · Jan 23, 2012

Contacted a manufacturer of a product of which I own the .co.uk.

This is a one word domain - the product retails between £30 - £99 with very good mark up for the manufacturer.

I simply asked if they would be interested in the domain name as it's the best name for their product within the UK market; didn't quote a price or anything else.

Their answer came back;

no

Didn't ask the price...nothing! Here is possibly the leading supplier of this product who doesn't want the best domain name at seemingly, any price. Could've been £20 for all they know...it wouldn't...but they don't know that.

They'd probaby be happy to drop a few grand on a private number plate that had a vague reference to the product.

This is what we're dealing with folks!

Edwin · Jan 23, 2012

Perhaps you could send them something like the following (if true)

"No problem, thanks for replying so promptly. I'll be contacting (insert name of their largest competitor) next so you well may see (insert domain name) being used within your market niche soon.

Anyway, I appreciate your interest. Good luck with your business.

Regards,

(name)"

Retired_member41 · Jan 23, 2012

I would call them up and ask for the MD regarding an internal security/fraud issue they may be having to which you have some information.

Then explain your domain it's benefits and then show concern that someone simply replied no to your email. Which you knew they would want to know about ASAP. Just in case someone is working not in the best interest of the company.

If anything you get to pitch to the main person lol

foz · Jan 23, 2012

If its a big company, it will take an age just to find the right person in the organisation that has the authority to make a decision. If you are dealing with the IT department they are load of pricks, they won't pay above reg. fee for anything and view domain re-sellers as squatters.

Let the enquiries come to you, as it ensures the buyer gets it and is motivated to purchase.

websaway · Jan 23, 2012

foz said:
If its a big company, it will take an age just to find the right person in the organisation that has the authority to make a decision. If you are dealing with the IT department they are load of pricks, they won't pay above reg. fee for anything and view domain re-sellers as squatters.

Let the enquiries come to you, as it ensures the buyer gets it and is motivated to purchase.

OK, so, you know what the response to your enquiry has been.
But you don't know why.
Let's look at this in reality, things don't always go as we expect them to or anticipate that they logically should.
There can obviously be a multitude of reasons for this, leaving aside the fact that you may be deluded about the importance of the name to this company, but assuming the validity of your post, It may be that you reached the right person in the company and unfortunately he has recently had some dreadful news about a bereavement or worse, and rightly or wrongly the next person to get in his way is a victim of his state of mind.
It might be that he has had an unpleasent experience buying names in the past and won't entertain the subject under any circumstances, or it may be that he knows that because this domain is valuable to his company and he has no right to it, it could cost him an arm and a leg to get it, therefore, this is his opening gambit.
However the most common reasons for this type of response, in my experience anyway, is that you have not reached the right person.
My advice is don't bluff ,don't make idle threats, don't potentially upset the person who may untimately be your best friend, don't through desperation lower your expectancy on price. The companies need for the domain as a marketing benefit is unlikely to change, however attitudes for whatever reason within the company will.

BREWSTERS · Jan 23, 2012

I'll find out who the MD is and check that it was he who decided 'no' (as Caz said above).

Brassneck · Jan 23, 2012

foz said:
If its a big company, it will take an age just to find the right person in the organisation that has the authority to make a decision. If you are dealing with the IT department they are load of pricks, they won't pay above reg. fee for anything and view domain re-sellers as squatters.

Let the enquiries come to you, as it ensures the buyer gets it and is motivated to purchase.

My direct marketing attempts have achieved very little so I would tend to agree with this.

Unfortunately there is too much negative press etc out for most 'normal' people to be intrested in cold call attempts to sell domains even if it is in their best interests.

sdsinc · Jan 23, 2012

As said above, when dealing with a large organization you need to reach out to the real decision makers and that can be tedious.
It could be that they already have a website and a corporate domain name, so they don't see the benefit of additional domain names.

foz · Jan 23, 2012

I had two agreed sales by a CFO and owner, then being overturned by their IT consultants/departments. Don't expect any persuasion or agreement by the one area that business owners go to for such advice.

BREWSTERS · Jan 23, 2012

sdsinc said:
As said above, when dealing with a large organization you need to reach out to the real decision makers and that can be tedious.
It could be that they already have a website and a corporate domain name, so they don't see the benefit of additional domain names.

In this case they're not a large company (it's a niche product) but they are prominent within their space.

Their website is irish-'product'.com - the name I'm selling is 'product'.co.uk - they sell and are based in the UK.

VSC · Jan 23, 2012

I'd build a site on the domain, getting ranking above their site then contact them again ...

websaway · Jan 23, 2012

Just keeping things in perspective. This thread relates to a company which manufactures the product which the one word domain name relates to.

I can sypathise with some companies that are offered domains which they really don't want or need and some which probably should not have been registered in the first place, everyone on here knows what it's like when someone tries to sell you something you neither want nor need.

It's up to the seller to get familiar with valuing domains and their relationship to an end user, if we cannot do that, we are in for a rough ride. If on the other hand we have done our homework and are convinced about the asset value of the domain, then we can persue the marketing of the domain to a successful conclusion.

BREWSTERS · Jan 23, 2012

VSC said:
I'd build a site on the domain, getting ranking above their site then contact them again ...

I expect to sell this name to an end user for £600 - if it was a name I want a couple of grand upwards for, then that might be a worthwhile exercise.

BTW Vic, all's working fine now!

Lovekraft · Jan 23, 2012

I've had the exact same response more than once. To be honest i find it slightly better than no reply atall. Worse is when you get the ""i'm interested", you agree on a price and then the person just dissapears and wastes your time with chasing them up for them never to come back. Some times a no isn't the worst case scenario!

BREWSTERS · Jan 23, 2012

Lovekraft said:
I've had the exact same response more than once. To be honest i find it slightly better than no reply atall. Worse is when you get the ""i'm interested", you agree on a price and then the person just dissapears and wastes your time with chasing them up for them never to come back. Some times a no isn't the worst case scenario!

I agree - its not the response per se, but the ignorance of the potential buyer as to the opportunity they just passed up, which could've been for absolute peanuts for all they know.

peacock · Jan 26, 2012

I got this fantastic response when approaching a retailer with a prime generic.

Thank you for your email. How does £9.99 sound for the domain? That is more than TRIPLE what they cost at 123-reg.co.uk

BREWSTERS · Jan 26, 2012

peacock said:
I got this fantastic response when approaching a retailer with a prime generic.

Thank you for your email. How does £9.99 sound for the domain? That is more than TRIPLE what they cost at 123-reg.co.uk

You could've said, 'it sounds like you're trying to buy a Bugatti for the price of a skateboard'.

lethal0r · Feb 2, 2012

How disheartening! I just emailed the CEO of a company this morning about a generic service org.uk domain I own. They have the generic service .co.uk.

I'm not expecting a reply back now, but i'll call him next week if no answer and if nothing happens then will develop it. Then hopefully they will see the competition and buy it!

Edwin · Feb 2, 2012

lethal0r said:
How disheartening! I just emailed the CEO of a company this morning about a generic service org.uk domain I own. They have the generic service .co.uk.

Surely you mean the other way around i.e. they have the .org.uk and you have the .co.uk? Otherwise what's in it for them?

websaway · Feb 2, 2012

lethal0r said:
How disheartening! I just emailed the CEO of a company this morning about a generic service org.uk domain I own. They have the generic service .co.uk.

I'm not expecting a reply back now, but i'll call him next week if no answer and if nothing happens then will develop it. Then hopefully they will see the competition and buy it!

I wouldn't hold your breath on this one. If they are a business they probably won't be overly interested in the generic org.uk