Just about every time a big company announces the launch of a new product, people buy related domain names for a multitude of reasons. Some buy them with the hopes of selling them to another company, others want to capitalize on potential popular typos, and yet others want to offer services, forums, special offers or other information related to the product.

On November 8th, Verizon Wireless began selling the Motorola Droid, a new smartphone that has had a whole lot of positive press and reviews. I’ve seen dozens of commercials for the Droid (if not more than dozens), and they seem to be directly taking on the iPhone and other smart phones. Needless to say, the Droid will be in high demand, and people will think they can make money by buying and selling Droid domain names.

However, with this particular trademark, you really need to be very careful of the usage of related domain names. On the bottom of Droid-related pages on Verizon Wireless’ website, there is a legal notice, “DROID is a trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. and its related companies.”

By registering domain names with the term “droid” in it, you will probably be stepping on the feet of Verizon, Motorola, and Lucasfilm. Keep this in mind in the event that you think you might be able to make money with this mark. Obviously there are way to use “droid” in a domain name without potential liability, but I am sure there are plenty of people who don’t realize the risk of owning these with the intent of profiting off of the Droid mark, by selling, parking, or otherwise monetizing phone-related Droid names.

I was doing some research today and came across a domain name I think is pretty good and priced well. Although I personally don’t listen to country music, I know that’s it is one of the most popular genres of music. BuyDomains.com is selling CountryMusicBlog.com at a list price of $1,488.

Both CountryMusicBlog.net and CountryMusicBlog.org are developed websites, showing that people want to develop this term in other extensions. People who like this type of music want to see what different artists are doing, when albums will be released, find song lyrics…etc, and this domain name is perfect for that endeavor. I don’t have an affiliate or advertising deal with NameMedia, but found this name and think it’s a fair price.

If you don’t have a contact with NameMedia/BuyDomains.com, drop my representative Sonia Doubet an email and she will take care of you.  Yeee haw.

On a few of my recent domain purchases, negotiations went on much longer than others have in the past. I don’t know why that’s been the case recently, but I suppose some of it might have to do with the economy and the domain owners not really wanting to part with their names but knowing that the offer is fair and they can use the cash for other things.

If you really want a domain name, your job is to convince the current owner he should sell it. Use all of the tools at your disposal to do this. Use recent sales comparisons to show why your offer is fair, let the owner know how you can and will make the transaction easy, and show the domain owner you are a serious buyer and aren’t just wasting his time.

I have found these tactics work well:

• If you haven’t received an offer as good as mine since (199x) when you registered the domain name, why do you think you’ll get a better offer in the next 10+ years?
• If you do get a better offer in 5 years, can it really be better than what you can do with the money from my offer in the meantime?
• I don’t buy domain appraisals. It’s in the appraisal company’s best interest to give you a high offer. You are more likely to buy future appraisals or use their sales services if they give you a high appraisal number
• A domain name is worth what someone will pay for it. Based on comparison sales, I think we can agree my offer is very fair.
• I have ADD and really want to develop this domain name. If we can’t close a deal on this ASAP, I am probably going to forget all about this project and will never think about it again, so my offer is off the table.
• If you change your mind in two weeks and decide to sell it, I will probably have purchased another domain name and have less to spend on yours.

Most of my arguments are true and the point is to either close a deal or move on to another deal. If you get into the late stages of negotiations with a domain owner, I’ve found some of these strategies to work well. If you put your cards on the table and let the owner know the offer is for a limited time, it might help close a deal.

As always, money talks and BS walks, so if you want a good domain name, you probably should make a good opening offer. Chances are good that others have tried (and obviously failed) to buy the domain name in the past.