Now I’ve Seen It All

Like many of my readers, I am constantly being “encouraged by email” (spammed) to invest in new gTLD’s.

The latest email campaign is imploring me to take advantage of owning a particular .site domain. The “domain brokers” feel that this .site domain would be a perfect accompaniment to a 3L com.au domain that I have.

They are obviously very concerned for my financial welfare because they felt it necessary for two different domain brokers to make contact with me offering me the same opportunity.

Obviously I’m not “a full quid” or on the same intellectual plane as them, because I just can’t for the life of me see why it is so vital for me to have this domain!

Perhaps one of my readers can illuminate me? What am I missing out on? 😉

In The Beginning

Being a connoisseur of good email marketing, their first email was not too bad. Though the “broker” gave himself no credibility by not giving any of his contact details etc. I just ignored it – didn’t even bother clicking on the SEDO link. (I have deleted all reference to the actual domain and de-activated any links).

Email 1:

Hi, 

My client owns the domain name —.site. While seeking out potential buyers your company came up as one of several potential suitors for it. 

I would appreciate if you could let me know if you would like to acquire —.site at an affordable price. 

My client uses the reputable domain name marketplace and escrow service Sedo.com to transact, and I am happy to guide you through the transfer process to ensure the domain name is in your possession: 

http://sedo.com/search/—————————-

Please check on the link and feel free to offer an amount that works best for you so I can tell the seller and we can negotiate about it. Thanks!

Kind regards,

Kevin Peterson
Domain Name Broker 

 Email 2:

Then “Kevin” ( kevin.peterson.rock@gmail.com) followed up 8 days later with this little effort:

Hi,

Are you currently on vacation?

Please let me know if you’re interested about the domain. 

Thanks.

Kind regards,  

Kevin Peterson
Domain Name Broker 

I regret to say that I didn’t respond to his very kind enquiry.

He followed up with two more emails in a similar vein; then I didn’t hear from him again.

The Final Twist

Having not heard from “Kevin” for quite some time, I felt unloved. He must have realised this, because he got his good friend “James McDermott” (jmd@famoushosting.net) to contact me.

His approach was quite novel in that he attempted to appeal to my (very well known) good nature. Though he still didn’t call me by my name (which was a little disappointing). But I got over it quickly.

My accountant is very angry (Re: —.site)

Hi,

My accountant is very angry at me, and I need your help.

As you might know, I’m about to sell —.site at a huge discount. But my accountant noticed that I did NOT sell the domain name to you… even though you would have been the ideal candidate to own —.site.

So he put together a brief survey and implored me to send it to you to find out what motivated you to miss out on this deal.

I’d be very grateful if you could take one or two minutes out of your busy schedule and answer the survey.

Your feedback will not only allow me to keep the peace at my office, but also to improve my marketing efforts so I can better serve my (other) clients in the future.

Please be brutally honest… I can handle it.

Thanks a lot,

James McDermott

P.S. If at any time in the future you need any advice in the world of domain names, I’ll be glad to help you out.

DOMAIN NAME SURVEY

++ Instructions: Click here to take this survey online, or simply hit reply and answer the questions below. ++

* What was the single most important reason why you didn’t buy —.site?

* Was anything unclear in James’s marketing materials in regards to what exactly he was offering (i.e. the domain name —.site)?

* On a scale of 10 (good) to 1 (bad), how would you rate James’s explanation of the benefits provided by —.site (i.e. higher online visibility, more effective branding, better reputation, more website traffic, etc.)?

* On a scale of 10 (good) to 1 (bad), how would you rate James’s marketing strategy? (i.e. quality of emails, easy purchase process, amount of love for his clients)

* What amount of money would have been just a little bit too high for you to buy —.site?

* Did James send you a) not enough emails, b) just the right amount of emails, c) too many emails?

* Anything else you’d like me to know about James?

++ (end of survey) ++

Unsubscribe from domain notifications

I just relished that fourth question (bolding is mine). It just proved that they did love me after all.

On a scale of 10 (good) to 1 (bad), how would you rate James’s marketing strategy? (i.e. quality of emails, easy purchase process, amount of love for his clients)

Conclusion

It really makes me wonder why they spend all this effort on a domain that is listed for sale at SEDO for $US299 (negotiable).

Though I will answer my own question by acknowledging that they’re probably sending thousands of emails a day through Agile CRM based in India. They obviously get the occasional “hit” for them to persevere.

What do you think?

Ned O’Meara – 29th September 2016