When it comes to buying websites – or anything else for that matter – online, many of us have the same issue: trust. We’re not sure how we can trust the people we’re buying from. We don’t know how to verify what they’re saying is true, and this often leads us to avoid taking action on buying a website altogether.
Obviously, we here at WebsiteBroker.com recommend against letting trust issues prevent you from taking action. But that doesn’t mean you want to forget good business practices – and it certainly doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to verify that you’re buying your website from a reputable source. So here are a few time-tested principles for ensuring that you’re working with a website seller you can trust.
Trust, but Verify: One of the best attitudes to have when working with other people online is to use the old slogan “trust, but verify.” That is, you should be willing to trust other people because your business might depend on it – but that doesn’t mean you should leave common sense at the door. Verify a website’s numbers on your own; don’t just take anyone’s word for it. That will help you feel more secure about what you’re doing – and if you find in your research that someone is untrustworthy, then you’ve done yourself a big favor.
Avoid Repeat Offenders: One of the first things you’ll want to do when discovering a “repeat offender” is to make a note – either mental or on record for yourself – that you don’t want to deal with that person in the future. Sometimes, it’s as simple as finding out a specific username and keeping an eye out for it. But if you find someone who seems committed to troublemaking, you’ll simply want to go ahead and avoid them in the future.
Working With Trustworthy People: On the flipside to the tip above, a good idea is to make sure that you work repeatedly with people you trust. Establishing a good business relationship is one of the best ways to ensure good business in the immediate and long-term future; you’ll be amazed how much help you can get out of a long-term relationship with someone. These trustworthy people could be among the best people you ever work with in business – be sure that you keep tabs on them and that you even contact them from time to time to keep the relationship fresh.
Independent Research: If you’re going to follow the “trust, but verify” credo – and we recommend that you do – then you’re going to have to get good at the “verify” part. That means you’ll do your own independent research to confirm the statistics quoted to you by other people at WebsiteBroker.com.
Try not to be especially combative about the fact that you’re doing this – instead, keep much of your research to yourself. Instead, make sure that your research is truly independent – and that you’ve acquired the right numbers by yourself. You’ll be glad you did.
