Hello and welcome to another exciting Flippa Friday! This week we have an active Flippa user with some great information to share based on his experiences. Here’s a bit more information about the author: Thomas Smale is the co-founder and brokerage director of Flipping Enterprises. He is an experienced buyer and seller of online businesses and also works closely as a website broker with private clients looking to buy or sell online properties. Thomas runs a number of sites in the industry and is best contacted through his website at www.flippingenterprises.com.
With the ever increasing popularity of Flippa, it is becoming more and more important to stand out from the crowd and differentiate your profile and auctions from the masses of one-time sellers and turnkey site “flippers”.
I’ve been selling on Flippa since it launched and in that time have seen my fair share of different tips for getting that extra exposure you’re looking for. The problem with most is they ignore the basic fundamentals and therefore many people overlook these.
Probably the single most important thing you MUST have to sell a website is trust. If the buyer doesn’t trust you, they aren’t going to buy, regardless how great the site may be. You could be the best copywriter in the world but to build a sustainable business trust is essential.
First impressions count, so it’s important to build up perceived trust from the outset.
If you don’t have a Flippa account already (if you already have an account, the below is still relevant) I would recommend the following when opening your account:
– Use a professional username. No-one wants to deal with a seller called “beerdrinker84” (as much as I like beer – this does not give a great first impression!) they want to deal with someone who sounds trustworthy. Use your company name or real name (assuming you feel comfortable with this).
– Build up the “trust” ranking on your account. Use a trustworthy phone number to verify the account (landline is ideal).
– Add an established LinkedIn profile to the account. If you don’t already have one, it takes 5 minutes to set one up. Top tip: to build an established profile with connections, check out TopLinked.com – you can get free access to a list of people who will “connect” with you even if you don’t know them. Once you have 500 connections (will take a day) link it to your Flippa profile to boost trust rank.
– Add a Facebook profile to your Flippa account. No-one can see this profile, it just adds to your trust rank so feel free to use a personal profile.
– Add a personal picture as an avatar. If you value your personal privacy or have a face best suited to radio (like myself!) use a company logo instead. If you don’t have one, you can easily get one made for $10 over at a forum like DigitalPoint.
– Add a website in your profile. A company website is ideal, but if not a personal blog is okay too. People like to know who they are dealing with and are more likely to trust you if they can find out a bit more about you (on a personal and business basis).
Once you’ve done all the above steps you should have a nice high trust rank (around 9) and can get started with your auctions.
I could write about the auction layouts all day long, but I don’t think there is a “best” way to do it. It’s important to be original and professional so don’t be afraid to be unique.
If I could give you my top three tips for getting that extra exposure and trust on your auction they would be as follows:
1) Write a catchy title! There are thousands of auctions running simultaneously so if your title doesn’t stand out no-one will ever see what you have to offer. Include the key points in the title: revenue/profit, niche, key feature (top Google rankings etc.)
2) Include personal contact details. Your success rates for auctions will be a lot higher if people can contact you directly. I won’t give out my phone number publicly, but I make clear that I am happy to arrange a call or Skype chat with anyone who is interested. Buyers will always feel more comfortable if they can speak to you live rather than by email.
3) Make the most of Flippa upgrades. Front page featuring is almost essential to get the exposure you need to sell your site. It costs $40 but you’ll almost always get a return on your investment.
People often ask me “what’s your secret?” and I always tell them there isn’t one! The real secret is to build trust with people and build a brand and a reputation for yourself or your company. Even if you’re a part-time seller, act professionally and spend a little extra time getting your auctions setup.
