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were
dividing up their assets and going their separate
ways. As part of the deal, Clements, a
veteran domain broker, got 100% ownership of
Latona's popular domain sales newsletter
(and its 15,000 member subscriber list).
Clements sent out his first newsletter to
subscribers today. The list included 32 domains,
many of them one-word .coms. You can sign
up for the newsletter at TobyClements.com
(Clements said a full site in also coming to
that location soon).
To
find out more about what Toby has planned now
that he owns the operation (as well as why he
and Latona
parted ways after so many years) I hooked up
with Clements for the interview below:
DN
Journal: First, let's address
the obvious question. You and Rick have been
like peas in a pod, have been long time friends
and remain so. Why did you part company at this
point in time?
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Toby
Clements |
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Toby
Clements: There really isn't one specific thing that led me to
the decision. I had been thinking about it for a while and one day I simply woke up and called a meeting
with him. We negotiated for a few hours and parted on good terms. As you mention, Rick and I have
known each other for a long time and our friendship is rock solid.
DN
Journal: Most in the industry are familiar with the domain sales newsletter than you have taken over.
Will you be making any changes in the format people have seen in the past?
Toby
Clements: Overall the newsletter will remain the same. The fact is that it was an incredible way for us
to reach anyone in the industry to sell names or make announcements. The subscriber base is massive
with over 15,000 users ranging from small, medium and large buyers within the industry as well as
end users and many Fortune 100 companies.
The newsletter will have a "New Domains" section as well as the
"Reduced Until Sold" section. I
am also debating on adding a "Traffic and
Revenue" section as well, being these types of names are
always a hit.
DN
Journal: How can people submit names for inclusion in the newsletter and what are some of
the prerequisites you look for in names for the letter?
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Toby
Clements and his wife Stephanie
at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Amsterdam (June 2009) |
Toby
Clements: My site is still under development, therefore people can simply email me their
names (with prices) and I will review them. Please send any domains to
[email protected] along
with prices and I will get back to you.
As for the types of domains, only premium names need
apply. I want to be known for high
quality domains, therefore I am going to be picky. Anyone who has dealt with me knows that I shoot from the
hip and am about as direct of a person as you will ever meet. I will look at anything and simply give
my opinion. Obviously, .com is king. Other TLD's I prefer are .net, .org, .co.uk, .de. In all of my years of
selling names, these sell the best. |
DN
Journal: Rick often included domains of his own in the newsletter. Do you also have a personal
portfolio that you will be selecting names from for the letter?
Toby
Clements: We used the platform to sell our names quite often in the past and I know that some
people frowned on that, but I never understood why. It's a subscriber base that we worked on building
for years and years in order to sell more domains, therefore we used it ourselves. I will say that my
portfolio isn't something that I am looking to populate the newsletter with overall, therefore it won't
happen that often. I would rather work on helping other people maximize the selling price of
their names on a regular basis.
DN
Journal: We are reporting a lot of sales in our weekly reports but we didn't see any 7-figure
blockbusters in the first quarter of this year. Buyers seem to be focusing on
value and manageable prices. What is
your impression of the current state of the domain aftermarket?
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Toby
Clements: Times are tight and a lot of people are holding on to their wallets with a firm grip. I can
remember buying and selling like crazy in 2007 and 2008. We threw money around like there was no tomorrow,
but clearly that's not the case in today’s market. I think people are being more savvy with the less
expensive names overall. Names from $1,000 up to $50,000 are the sweet spot with our subscriber
base. To get a deal in the seven figures you really have to have all the planets line up, but on the
smaller sales they tend to work with no problem. It's my intention to list the six and seven figure
names, but overall I will focus on what works, which is value oriented names. |
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DN
Journal: Do you have any plans to branch out into other services beyond the newsletter?
Toby
Clements: Not at this time, but I have been fielding some ideas and offers being that people know I am
on my own now. For me, the newsletter is fun and it works. The sellers make money and the buyers
get great deals. I will still offer financing on domains as well, but there are no immediate plans to do
anything else. If you or anyone has an idea I would be happy to talk about it. I have every intention of
listening to my audience, the domain community.
DN
Journal: Is there anything you would like to add before we go?
Toby
Clements: Just that I am excited about my new venture and hope that
everyone is happy with the results. Being I ran the newsletter in the past it's really like riding a bike
for me. Looking at submissions, fielding the emails and phone calls and selling names is all in a
day's work!
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