Okay, this tip is going to blow a lot of people's minds. I just discovered an incredibly easy way to "intercept" online prospects who are actually looking for your competitor. As controversial as it sounds, it is quite straightforward yet very, very clever.

It is well known that many people will type the name of the organization they are looking for directly into their browser address bar. What is not well known however, is that many will also put the Web address into the search field of major search engines. Incredibly, "google.com" is a common search term within Google (my 15-year-old daughter would say to this "like duh --you're already there!")  It is the application of this knowledge using pay-per-click (PPC) search engine positioning that forms the basis of this tip.

For example, let's say you are a RE/MAX agent in an area where Coldwell Banker is a major competitor. You could purchase the search phrase "coldwellbanker.com" on the top PPC search engine Overture.com (which feeds many other search engines). As of this writing no one has done this (not even CB!) which means it would only cost 10 cents per click to be in the top position! To give you an idea of the power of this method, "coldwellbanker.com" was used as an actual search phrase 30,684 times in the month of February 2004 alone!!!

The table below shows the search count (on Overture for February 2004) for most of the major real estate franchises and independents using their Web address as the search phrase (it also shows the minimum bid, as of this writing, required to be in the top position if you were to purchase the phrase):
 

Search Phrase	Count	Top Position Bid
century21.com	50,326	$0.10/click
coldwellbanker.com	30,684	$0.10/click
era.com	8,695	$0.10/click
helpusell.com	4,753	$0.10/click
kellerwilliams.com	4,009	$0.10/click
longandfoster.com	8,604	$0.10/click
prudentialrealestate.com	1,083	$0.10/click
realtyexecutives.com	1,626	$0.10/click
realtyworld.com	843	$0.10/click
remax.com	60,702	$0.11/click
weichert.com	7,052	$0.10/click

Clearly, this is virgin territory with respect to opportunity!  However, there are a few potential pitfalls, and I strongly urge you pay heed to them before going crazy with this new idea.

CAUTION - Get Competent Legal Advice Before You Do This!

First of all, if you try to send people directly to your Website this way (i.e. via a search on your competitor's Web address), it will probably never make it through Overture's editorial review.  Also, you will likely be hearing from your competitor's attorney in a heartbeat.

However, if you were to create a well-written comparison of your services with that of your competitor's (i.e. the one whose Web address you purchased as a search phrase) then you are likely to have no problems with Overture allowing it. However, be sure you consult with your attorney before moving forward with this just to make sure you are not inviting a law suit.

Also, there is the practical issue in that these clicks, by definition, will not be geographically targeted in most cases. This means you will need to budget your PPC spending carefully (even at 10 cents a click it can go fast!). And, it would be wise to have a referral network set up to handle any leads you generate for other areas.

Snooze You Lose...

This is one of those rare ideas that once you hear about it you need to act quickly before everyone jumps on the same bandwagon. If you do decide to do this and it works out as I think it will —e-mail me with the details and we'll make you the next ePOWER NEWS Success Story!