Not every domainer is a Rick Schwartz – there are plenty of domainers with much less intuition in the domain game.
However, there’s a difference between being a rookie that uses common sense and resources available to you, and being a noob domainer that doesn’t care about education.
Here’s an example of how NOT to begin a domain offer email, particularly if you proclaim to be a “company”.
Our company is looking to unload several domains and we thought they may be of interest to your company.
Whoah there little buddy! Ever heard of putting your contact info and a greeting at the top? Think “old school”, like, older than today’s SMS/texting generation.
First strike, moving onto the second one: “looking to unload“.
Great.
So you’re “unloading” and we are about to receive your “unload“. Since when are we your garbage collector, do you actually “unload” on every stranger you come across on the street? I doubt it, because you’d end up with a broken nose after the first such “unload“.
Strike two, moving onto the third and final one: What follows is a list of truly crap domain names, but the cherry on the pigeonsh*t pie is that the list is ridden with adult domains as well!
More “unloading”!
The guy had the chutzpah to sign the email as “VP of Internet Sales”. Given the fact that the company is a husband and wife corporation, we wonder what the wifey’s role is.
Moral of the story: learn how to write a freaking introduction – a cover letter if you must – before you send out a list of useless crap domains to “unload”.
I sent Brandon your way. I knew that you’d call him out
Shane – Congrats, now point him to “Domaining for Dummies” at Amazon.
It’s amazing how many people overlook simple things that can make a difference. When you’re writing to someone you don’t know, people are going to want some background information before they trust you. Unsolicited sales pitches usually rub people the wrong way, but I take them seriously (and usually write back) when it’s clear some thought has gone into the email. “Unload” does NOT sound good and is not the sort of language that’s going to compel someone to buy your names.
Nadia – That’s exactly how the email started. And it accumulated three strike points before I even considered whether to respond or not; something I usually do based on the quality of the contact. I just don’t need a list of junk that contains adult domains. It’s extremely unprofessional.
Obviously, I didn’t “call him out” as Shane said, because I made no reference to a name or any other identifying contact info.
Unfortunately, Shane painted the guy with a domain laser 😀
LOL! It’s amazing how one comes here for a laugh and gets 100% pure wisdom. Great article, short, and prudent. Keep’em rolling in. 5 stars for humor and wit.
VP of internet sales you say – r u sure it wasnt al gore? we all know gore created the internets.