I recently added a new income source to my online business… domaining.
In my last issue of BizWeb eGazette I explained how I bought a domain for $1 and sold it for $700 just three days later.
Today I want to follow up on that strategy by showing you how I’m finding really good domains quite easily.
In fact, I have a fresh buy list that is far bigger than I can use, so I’ll give you the entire list and you can snap up any of the names you want for your own flipping pleasure.
Before I get to that though, I want to share a few important lessons I have learned so far in my domaining ventures…
Lesson #1: Spend more time selling your domains than buying them.
After I had that quick $699 profit I got excited about finding more domains to flip. And I spent about 2 hours a day for a while finding more and more domains. After about 10 days I had registered 20 domains! Financially that’s fine, as the investment is still far less than I had earned. But I was neglecting the most important thing — actively selling the domains.
My first domain flip was successful because immediately after registering the domain I uploaded Gene’s “this domain is for sale” website template onto the domain, with a link to an ebay action. Then I contacted a half dozen or so prospects with an email like this… (Feel free to copy it if you’d like.)
Subject: Re: http://_______srestaurant.com (courtesy notice)
Hi there, as perhaps the best “_______’s” in the country, I thought you may have an interest in this…
http://_______srestaurant.com
There are lots of _______’s restaurants, but only one _______sRestaurant.com.
Whether you’re interested or not, I wish you continued success in your culinary endeavors.
Name – Future ‘former’ owner of _______s Restaurant.com
The website they went to explained why I was selling it and that a few others with a similarly named restaurant may be bidding on it as well. One of the restaurant owners then purchased the domain. Easy peezy – if you take the time to actively promote the domains to some prospects!
Lesson #2: Research potential prospects before buying a domain.
Here is the other big lesson I learned the hard way.
Finding a potentially profitable domain name can be exciting. But no matter how good it looks, don’t assume a domain will be of interest to a buyer — instead, make sure there is a pool of prospects before you buy the domain name.
For example, let’s say you find a domain called KevinsPizza.com and think, there must be a bunch of pizza shop owners named Kevin who would buy this awesome domain name for $100 or more. Rather than making that assumption, go on Google and Facebook and start searching for Kevin’s Pizza, Kevin’s Pizza Shop, Kevin’s Pizzaria, etc.
If you can find at least a half dozen or so companies to contact then you may have an easy flip. Also, if you can find a few higher-end established businesses, that is a lot better. (The restaurant I sold my domain to was a successful 5 star restaurant in a major city.)
That quick profit I made actually opened me up to this mistake. The next day I found another great FirstnameRestaurant.com and bought it right away. Then to my dismay I could only find two restaurants that qualified as prospects. I may have to sit on that one for a while or just let it expire in a year. Not a big loss, but a lesson learned.
The thing is, there are so many great domains available there is no need to buy a domain with limited potential. It just takes a little research before you pull the trigger!
OK, now I want to share my secret source for finding great domains. While I love Gene’s expired domain sites and filtering software, I decided I did not want to limit myself to expired domains only. So I started experiment with some other tools and found this really cool free tool.
http://www.namestall.com/domain-name-brainstorm
At the site I can paste in my list of first names on the left and my list of businesses on the right. It then spits out all the available domains. Give it a try, you’ll love it! The potential uses are limitless. For example, instead of first names, consider pasting a list of states or cities into the left column. Use your imagination and you’ll find some great dot coms!
In fact, I found so many good names I do not have time to research them all for profitability let alone register them all. So here’s my last from last week. Most of these are probably still available so consider grabbing a few if you can find a pool of potential buyers. Just promise me you’ll post a comment below when you turn a profit!
KevinsPizza.com
WilliamsPizza.com
JoshuasPizza.com
WaltersPizza.com
JuansPizza.com
AlansPizza.com
SeansPizza.com
BenjaminsPizza.com
AllensPizza.com
StephensBar.com
JoshuasBar.com
JeremysBar.com
SamuelsBar.com
LeesBar.com
RobertsLiquor.com
DavidsLiquor.com
Josephsliquor.com
Danielsliquor.com
Stevensliquor.com
Stevensliquors.com
Briansliquor.com
Briansliquors.com
DonaldsRestaurant.com (Maybe you can sell this one to Trump!)
MattsRestaurant.com
JoshuasRestaurant.com
GeraldsRestaurant.com
BrucesRestaurant.com
AaronsRestaurant.com
BrandonsRestaurant.com
EugenesRestaurant.com
BryansRestaurant.com
ShawnsRestaurant.com
PhillipsRestaurantcom
LeonardsRestaurant.com
CurtsRestaurant.com
TroysRestaurant.com
LeroysRestaurant.com
FranciscosRestaurant.com
MarcsRestaurant.com
CalvinsRestaurant.com
GordonsRestaurant.com
GlensRestaurant.com
DustinsRestaurant.com
HermansRestaurant.com
BrentsRestaurant.com
KarlsRestaurant.com
CoreysRestaurant.com
JaredsRestaurant.com
AllansRestaurant.com
IansRestaurant.com
JamiesRestaurant.com
MarionsRestaurant.com
DorothysRestaurant.com
KimberleysRestaurant.com
BrendasRestaurant.com
JanetsRestaurant.com
HeathersRestaurant.com
KatherinesRestaurant.com
MarilynsRestaurant.com
LorisRestaurant.com
TammysRestaurant.com
JudithsRestaurant.com
JanicesRestaurant.com
KathrynsRestaurant.com
BonniesRestaurant.com
JacquelinesRestaurant.com
PaulasRestaurant.com
PeggysRestaurant.com
CrystalsRestaurant.com
SheilasRestaurant.com
CarriesRestaurant.com
RhondasRestaurant.com
AmbersRestaurant.com
JoannesRestaurant.com
EleanorsRestaurant.com
AliciasRestaurant.com
SuzannesRestaurant.com
KristensRestaurant.com
StaceysRestaurant.com
CarolinesRestaurant.com
LeahsRestaurant.com
BeckysRestaurant.com
MaesRestaurant.com
Have fun! And remember, if you ever need any help getting an income source set up online, come here.
I’ll show you everything I do the earn a full time living in my spare time.
Is Gene’s course still available to purchase?
Hi Vivienne,
Sorry, the firesale is over and the products are off the market right now. I expect to be able to post a links to the individual products, not the 3 for 1 package deal within a week or two though. I’ll repost here when that becomes available.
Hi Jim! Love the revamped website and I am happy to see that you are still here and doing all you can to help others succeed.
Of course, that is a big part of why you have been around so long.
Thanks for this new helpful information and continued success!
Yvonne Finn
Hello Jim,
Hope all is well. I have been a subscriber to your newsletter for many years, since January 1999 – as far back as I can see from my email clients. Thank you for all the work you do. You don’t just promote products, you actually use them and report back with exactly how to use them and your results.
I missed out on the firesale on Gene Pimentel’s domaining strategies back in April. I own http://www.mortgage.ms for as long as I’ve been a subscriber. I am the original owner and purchased it when it initially became available to the public. I believe the domain is valuable although I have done some research and have not been able to find comps for the DOT ms extension. Mortgage.com sold for $1.8M and reversemortgages.com sold for $600k back in 2000. I wanted to get your thoughts on how to proceed. Are DOT ms extensions desirable? Should I pay for a domain appraisal? Could you recommend a Domain Broker or should I sell it myself? I would gladly pay you a Broker fee if you want to assist me in selling it. Your thoughts are much appreciated.
Thank you… Mark.
Hi Mark,
Thanks for posting Mark. I love hearing from long time subscribers!
I love your domain name! Dot com’s are definitely the highest valued and I don’t have a handle on how much mortgage.ms could bring. I would definitely get an appraisal or two. Then I would consider listing it with godaddy via auction or their premium listing service.
Also, check your email as I sent you a gift just for posting here at my blog. 🙂
Jim