Many incoming inquiries seem to arrive from a company’s IT guy, and they are outright the least qualified to negotiate with.
An IT professional, whether middle manager or lower, is not able to make decisions that involve marketing functions and associated budgeting.
While technically a domain name is a digital asset managed by the IT department, its acquisition process as part of a brand or service does not belong to them.
Inquiries with a signature such as “IT Director” or “Director of Administrative Computing” might be scoring six figures in annual wages, but that alone does not give them negotiation power or budgetary freedom.
When such an inquiry arrives, the idea is to get it re-allocated to another, more qualified professional in that company, such as the Director of Business Development, the head of Marketing or other senior executive position. They are the ones that will sign the authorization to spend money for a domain name.
During the negotiations, seek to be brought in contact with the company’s officers most suitable for the job. Do not give the opportunity to unqualified peons act as the middle-person or as a filtration mechanism; keep in mind that your ultimate goal is to maximize your ROI.
If they decline to provide you with such an opportunity, politely but firmly explain that you will not negotiate any further. As they’d have to deliver a failure report back to their senior officers and bosses, eventually they will see the light.
Great article. thanks