The Value of Privacy

I may have screwed up.

Two weeks ago I purchased a domain name for a new venture, opting to leave my registration information public.

It’s what I’ve done for the past 20 years, and little thought was given to this decision.

Yet I forgot how accessible this domain information is today. Developers around the globe would naturally see me as a hot new sales prospect.

Building a website can be a very personal thing, and many people want a relationship with the developer to establish better messaging, trust, and quality control.

And while the rates of someone 8,000 miles away might be considerably cheaper, there are many extra challenges associated with the process.

And is that Russian developer REALLY named Jack, or does he use that name so that I feel more comfortable?

Nevertheless, the moment I allowed that information to become public I started getting emails and phone calls from website developers throughout India. So far I’ve heard from 68 of them, and there’s no end in sight.

I don’t blame these developers for wanting to hustle new business. Logically, someone buying a new domain should be ripe for building a new website. My making my contact information public invites them to pitch the account.

Were I in their shoes, I’d probably be doing the exact same thing.

My father has always said it costs you to learn, and this is the perfect example. Next time I’ll probably spring for the ten bucks to keep my information private.

Meaning I’ll spend $18 for my domain and another $10 to hide my personal information in the public WHOIS directory and minimize domain-related spam.

Until now I’d considered that charge to be extortionate; now I’m having second thoughts.

Whatever business you’re in, the best days see you in a groove, creatively solving challenges for yourself and your clientele.

But every time the phone rings…every stray email…can be a distraction from that creativity and productivity.

And I left myself WIDE open for the mother of all distractions.

So…what’s your time worth? Because if you’re billing $175/hour and those 68 developers each take up 12 seconds of your time, those distractions just cost you $40 in lost productivity.

Suddenly that ten bucks seems downright cheap while seeking ways to grow your profitability.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

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Find missing sales opportunities at www.askmrmarketing.com.