I will go out on a limb and clarify my points of difference.

Domaining Business vs. Business of Domaining

If you register domains, buy, park, and sell domain names then you are in the domaining business.

If you do the above plus actively work at marketing, networking, and promoting the domaining business as well as yourself then you are in the Business of Domaining.

I often use the words Domain Game to identify this pursuit but to many, this ain’t no game!

I want to focus on the Business of Domaining.

As we have recently seen posted by many domain bloggers, many in this industry are stepping things up a notch or two. In the Business of Domaining these people are either working on or perfecting the Art of Domaining (more on this later). We are seeing some very nice sales early into 2009 despite economic indicators pointing to a downturn in all sectors. And, rightly so, we are also seeing major media outlets such as TV and print picking up and running with many domain success stories.

The Business of Domaining is a form of business in which there is an integration of additional skill sets or services by the domainer into the Domain Business.

Simply registering or buying a domain name to sell, park or make a couple of web pages is not enough to these people. Anyone can buy, swap, sell, park domain names. Those who have entered into (and even created) the Business of Domaining tend to incorporate marketing and creative skills, other professions, and knowledge gained in various backgrounds into their domain name(s). More importantly they are marketing themselves along with a product.

In a piece that Elliot Silver wrote the other day regarding partners, I want to stress something that is key to this concept of the Business of Domaining – what do you bring to the table?

If you just want to ride on someone’s coattails and success then the door will be closed. If you have marketing, writing, developing, promotional, creative, artistic skills along with a plan then you are likely to have a receptive ear. I am seeing attorneys of different legal backgrounds, brokers, people with MBA’s and medical professionals getting into the Business of Domaining as a source of genuine interest. And I do want to stress genuine interest. Most of these people were in the Business of Domaining before an economic downtown, not as a result of it.

If a Renaissance man is a person of wide knowledge and intellects then we are in the midst of a Domaining Renaissance. Suddenly the domain industry is waking up. And fortunately we have some wonderful people at the forefront to represent the industry as a whole.

They are not only selling domains. They are selling a package. And inside that package are these different skill sets I mentioned along with the main ingredient – self. Above of all it, the success relies on the individual self and selling of the individual self.

Think about it; in the preliminary set-up we posed the question of what do you bring to the table? Now, as we enter the end-user market, that question is again posed by the client – what do you bring to the table?

What do you have and why do I want it. That should be the question we ask ourselves in our own decision making process because ultimately that is going to be what is asked of us.

That is what distinguishes the differences of the Domaining Business and the Business of Domaining. Along with the Domaining Business side (buying, selling, parking) comes added value, services and marketing to reach the end user (even if the other end user is a domainer).

A well planned, thoughtful, feature rich presented package.

What did you bring to the table?

Coming up –

Don’t Say a Word: The Art of Domaining