Is the domain market enough mature to start a lead service?

[DomainingCom]

I explain:

People who have in mind to buy a domain are attracted to a service where they can fill out a form explaining their domain needs: The lead.

In the other hand domainers paying a monthly fee or a pay per lead fee, get access to such leads and propose domains for sale matching their needs.

What do you think?

This works very well for a long time for loans, insurance, real estate, contractors, ...

Are domain owners, experts, ... ready for this.

 

[jasdon11]

It would - if the volume of genuine potential buyers was high enough, and the cost per lead was low enough....

 

[Bill Roy]

Hi Cybertronic,

No.

The end-user market (those that develop domain names into web sites surfacing a particular business or service) is not yet sufficiently well enough established. What end-user market there is at present is too small to allow the surge of interested end-user clients into such a situation.

The recent announcement of a new 'leasing' broker is as far as the market is presently able to sustain, and here, if the promotional material is correct, the company has spent the last year fostering relations with major advertisers, advertising agencies, etc..

Take an example of a medium sized business who is after a marketing or advertising campaign including one or more relevent web sites. Reading between the lines of your post it would seem that you are proposing to act as a 'paid intermediary', introducing certain domain names depending on their requirement criteria (and getting a fee from the proposed purchaser as well). In many respects this is already done half way by the 'search facility' on such aftermarket sites as Sedo and Afternic. Indeed some domainers actually do broker domains for other domainers as they have established contacts who purchase domains. But what would be so different with your suggested service?

Domainers who also act as agents do so for commercial reward of course, but importantly it should be noted that such activities are not the main activity of their business. For such a proposed 'agency' as that suggested to possibly work it would have to follow and strictly adhere to certain criteria, these being:

1) Selectivity in domains listed for inclusion within a portfolio
2) An established market base with end-users (see above)
3) A name within the industries, both domaining and advertising
4) A constant re-evaluation of domains held in the portfolio
5) An inducement for domainers to place their domains with you
6) A substantial measure of respect for your ability to conclude deals
7) An established list of main stream end user clients that can be published
8) A completion record on sales that is better than established aftermarket outlets.

These are by no means all the requirements. It should also be noted that successful 'brokerage agents' in the fields you mention are generally those that a substantial network of contacts in the market, indeed many of the 'deals' are carried out in these areas because of difficulties experienced by the purchaser which prevents them going into the normal mainstream business avenue.

These are just a few thoughts, and if you run with the idea I do wish you all success.

I note from your previous posts you are no 'shrinking violet' and you are constantly looking for new opportunities in this business - something I totally applaud and congratulate you on by the way. Without the continued pioneers in this industry we shall just become as stale in our outlook as those horse traders who in the 1890's and 1900's declared the motor car was just a fad!

 

[Focus]

What a great idea imo, I have just the perfect name too! The market surely has a distance to go though imo..for the above already noted reasons..

 

[jasdon11]

http://www.domainmart.com/Marketplace/leads/leads_enter.htm

Doesn't seem to be a 'thriving' site....