I’ve been thinking about a few very simple changes that might be worth implementing so as to boost end user sales and decided to run them by you guys.
This is more of a brainstorming attempt, here it goes:
1) Change contact details from “FirstName LastName” to something like “Domain For Sale” (“Domain” instead of the first name and “For Sale” instead of the last name)
2) Change nameservers from NS1.CURRENTDOMAIN.COM and NS2.CURRENTDOMAIN.COM to something like DOMAINFORSALE.CURRENTDOMAIN.COM and FORSALE.CURRENTDOMAIN.COM or even a new domain for just this purpose, for example NS1.THIS-DOMAIN-IS-FOR-SALE.COM and NS2.THIS-DOMAIN-IS-FOR-SALE.COM
3) Change the email address from current@emailaddress.com to something like domainforsale@emailaddress.com and forwarding all emails to current@emailaddress.com
The goal is simple: making sure that everyone who performs a whois search knows that the domain in question is for sale. On the other hand though, there’s always the risk that some end users might consider this approach a sign that you are eager to sell, something that could have negative consequences when it comes to the negotiation process.
If you tried a similar experiment and would like to share your thoughts, post a comment. Also, let me know if you have an opinion about why this would or wouldn’t be a good idea or if you think of additional quick changes such as the three I mentioned today, please share them.
June 26th, 2014 at 5:30 pm
1) This is very dangerous and not recommended.
June 26th, 2014 at 6:01 pm
@Konstantinos Zournas: a lot of domainers use “Domain Administrator” and variations thereof, so perhaps using something along the lines of “Domain Sales Department” as opposed to “Domain For Sale” would represent a decent compromise?
June 26th, 2014 at 6:03 pm
Only if you use a real company name in the “organization” field and even then I wouldn’t do it.
June 26th, 2014 at 6:06 pm
Fair enough, I also tend to prefer the “when in doubt, don’t do it” approach. Changes like these only make sense if you are close to 100% certain there is no downside and if the potential upside is worth the effort.
June 26th, 2014 at 7:54 pm
Using invalid Whois contact details could put your domain at risk. As well, I believe you are overestimating the number of end users who are really going to look for Whois details because they want your domain and cannot find it for sale in some domain marketplace. There are always alternatives. Have I had occasional Whois domain inquiries? Yes, but normally they are from domainers or lowballers who aren’t satisfied with the Godaddy/SEDO price and think they can get a better deal by contacting me directly. I have more domain marketplace sales than direct contact sales.