Pick up the phone: Tips for a successful domain sales pitch

After twenty years of emailing, some of us are at risk of losing the skill of utilizing the basic human communication process: speech.

Email – and text messaging, more recently – is supposedly a better medium of getting one’s message across. While there are several arguments for, there are several against this notion, and I will explain why.

When one sends a written – electronic or printed – message, it’s an one way street: the message cannot be altered on the fly; we will be waiting on a response at the time the other party is prepared to respond.

Communication over a live wire, such as the phone, has the added benefit of requiring an almost instant response. With experience over time, the caller will be able to direct the conversation to where it needs to go in order to complete a domain sale.

Voice – or video – conversations implement the full functionality of the human brain, as they require a live processing of the words throughout the communication, and the formulation of a response that defines one’s decision on the subject.

When picking up the phone to respond to a domain inquiry, or when making a cold call to initiate a sales pitch, there are certain elements that must be in place, in order to achieve a higher success rate in sales.

• Ensure that you are talking to the right person: nothing is more embarrassing than having an entire conversation with a person who will not be making a decision on a domain sale.
• Speak loud and clear, and in proper English (or other appropriate language): If you need to practice your speech, converse with yourself in the mirror or with a friend/associate on the phone.
• Be pleasant and not overbearing: there is a chance the other party isn’t having a great day; your goal is to keep the conversation friendly and to the point.
• Have a plan laid out, and keep a bullet list about the points you are about to make during the call. Keep it handy, and use it to jot the other person’s responses.
• Introduce yourself, your function and why you are calling. Describe what you are offering, and why this would be a great asset to the person or company.
• Be prepared to face resistance or a complete wall. If they flat out refuse any interest, offer them the opportunity to follow up at a later time, and inform them that you will email them the information to peruse at a less busy time.
• If they had established communication in the first place, make sure you answer their questions, as much as seek information about their interest and business: why they want your domain, what is the intended function and whether they own similar assets. It will keep the conversation going and you’ll have a better picture of their financial strength, among other things.
• Some inquiries will tend to end at the point of delivering a price quote. To circumvent that dead-end, offer other means of financing a domain acquisition: domain leasing is one such option, as much as offering a discount for expedited closing on the domain deal. Make sure you mention that for businesses, the domain acquisition cost is a valid expense to be written off at taxation time.
• Be courteous, even when the other party is not. You’d be surprised how many “angry” responses are followed up by another call by the other party, to offer an apology and to close the deal.

Happy domain sales!