In advance of HostingCon 2009, taking place from August 10 to 12, 2009 in Washington, DC, the WHIR is conducting interviews with some of the speakers presenting at the event and conducting interviews to give readers a sense of what to expect from the sessions, and help them decide which to attend.
In an email Q&A with the WHIR, Adam Eisner, director of domain services at Tucow discusses the key strategies for success, how to use products and services to edge out competitors, and the many advantage of the growing domain marketplace.
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — In a saturated marketplace such as the hosting industry, companies are consistently seeking new ways to get ahead of the competition.
In his presentation, “20 Ways to Outsmart Your Competitors”, taking place Tuesday, August 11 from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m., Adam Eisner, director of domain services at Tucows will address these vital strategies to ensuring a successful business through the many online tools available today.
As stated in the title of his presentation, Eisner, who has over 10 years of experience in Internet marketing and services, will outline the 20 ways a company can outsmart their competitors to significantly increase their revenues.
Participants will learn how to use the many products and services available to build their portfolio for maximum profits, as well as insider tips on building a successful business to gain a competitive edge against the rest of the marketplace.
This week, in an email Q&A with the WHIR, Eisner previews his session with a discussion on the top strategies for success, how to use products and services to edge out competitors, and the many advantage of the growing domain marketplace
The WHIR: What are some key strategies for companies to stay ahead of their competitors?
Adam Eisner: It sounds cliche, but “thinking outside of the box” is extremely important. I am shocked at how many web hosting companies still act and market like web hosting companies did ten years ago. The hosts that get ahead these days are the ones that have ditched the “gold, silver, bronze” mentality and instead ask the question: how do I solve my customers’ problems?
What are some common misconceptions or mistakes companies have or make in the domain marketplace?
AE: I think a lot of hosts venture into the business without a solid understanding of just how important service is. Good customer service is the key to getting customers, retaining them and being able to make money as well. Many hosts don’t realize customers are willing to pay a premium for a good service with solid support.
Many hosts also make the cardinal mistake of assuming visitors to their website already know what FTP or a gigabyte are. The most successful hosts these days are talking less about technical features and more about value proposition.
What kinds of products and services are available for companies to increase revenues?
AE: First of all, I think hosts need to look at the domain name aftermarket to supplement hosting sales and revenues. Some of the biggest hosting companies and domain name registrars on the web are gaining high-margin customers by selling premium domain names geared toward small businesses. I also think approaching domains and hosting from a more “consumer-friendly” perspective – that is, realizing people can use domain names to link the many online accounts and presences they now have – also generates real results.
How effective are these tools in increasing revenues?
AE: Customers who purchase premium domain names are generally small business customers predisposed to purchasing high-margin value-adds like design or SEO services. I think a “consumer-friendly” approach to domain names will allow hosts to reach new markets they hadn’t necessarily had much luck with before: clients like self-employed individuals or customers that aren’t necessarily Internet power users.
How is the domain marketplace changed in the past few years in terms of available tools for increasing revenues?
AE: When many of the Internet’s first wholesale domain name registrars started out, they were most concerned with selling as many names as possible and little else. However, as the market matured, registrars started to get better at helping hosts in turn sell to their own customers. We just launched a new sub-reseller system, for example, which helps web hosting companies with their own reseller/affiliate programs sell domain names. This is in response to wanting to help our hosting customers sell names through their reseller network. Most registrars also have value-added services like DNS and WHOIS Privacy as staples in their offering. A few years ago, this wouldn’t have been the case.
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