Differences Between Tyre Kickers And Potential Customers

[BrandFlu]

We all suffer this kind of customers,

Knowing the difference helps save time and close more deals, i have found this article, and i thought it's worth to share,

link to original article https://www.pipedrive.com/en/blog/tire-kickers

The key differences between tyre kickers and potential customers​

It can sometimes be difficult to tell if a promising lead is a tire kicker or if they’re just decision-averse. Some prospective buyers can simply take a long time to close because, despite knowing what they want, they’re afraid of making the wrong buying decision.
This comparison table will help you determine the key differences between tire kickers and potential customers, so you don’t accidentally boot prospects who just need a little extra nurturing out of your pipeline.

Potential customers	Tire kickers
Meet one of your established, validated customer personas	Don't look like your other clients in terms of their attributes or buying habits.
Are more likely to seek you out during the consideration rather than the awareness stage of the buying process.	Ignore valuable information resources like your company website in favor of chewing up large amounts of time getting the same information from you.
Respond to firm but considerate sales guidance by taking steps that move them gradually closer to signing a deal.	Continue to interrogate you about your product or service without being able to describe what isn't working for them right now.
Give you a reasonable purchase price range that demonstrates their knowledge of realistic costs for a product or service like yours.	Can't tell you what their budget is for this purchase.
Have an urgent problem or challenge they need to resolve as quickly as possible.	Can't give you an idea of their timeline to purchase.
Have introduced other decision makers into the mix and understand your product's role as a vehicle to your success.	Either don't have final purchasing say or are looking for unreasonable proof of what your product or service will help them accomplish.

 

[Helmuts]

domaining is a unique game - tyre kickers can often turn into buyers. Since the average domain holding time is long, it’s worth keeping an eye on them. Every now and then, they might get the funds to buy your domain. While managing your time is key, I always try to keep in my mind that they’re still leads and potential fans of my domain. If they want it badly enough, who knows? What do you think?

 

[BrandFlu]

Thank you Helmuts for sharing your perspective, it’s always interesting to hear different takes on this. However, based on my own experience, I must respectfully disagree with the idea that tyre kickers are potential buyers.

While I agree that some individuals might initially appear indecisive and later become genuine leads, true tyre kickers are a different breed. They often lack either the intent or the means to make a purchase, no matter how much time or effort is invested in nurturing them.

In the domain industry specifically, I’ve found that the time spent on tyre kickers rarely translates into a sale. Instead, it often results in frustration and wasted energy that could have been better spent pursuing serious buyers. For me, identifying tyre kickers early and redirecting focus to qualified leads has been critical to improving efficiency and closing deals.

Of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, and some may have success with a more patient strategy. That said, I personally prefer to allocate my time to those who show clear buying signals, such as offering a realistic budget, demonstrating urgency, or involving decision-makers in the process.

Do you have had experience with tyre kickers turning into actual buyers? I’d be curious to hear more about the strategies that have worked for you!

 

[ukbackorder]

I agree - I've never had anyone lowballing or timewasting that turns into a sale. The thing is to identify them quickly and spend as little time on them as possible. Usually free email accounts, vpns, etc.

 

[Helmuts]

Usually free email accounts, vpns, etc.

oh yes - this is a red flag..

--

this thread reminds me of a .co.uk domain name I was interested in 10+ years ago > the seller (most probably our member here) wanted £15k, and I didn't have that cash then. Still, I was asking about that domain name.

2-3 years later the name got sold for 2 or 3 k (the same year I bought a name for 8k). .. the seller was ignorant and never saw me as a lead and lost out. Since that, I keep a file of leads interested in my LL cctlds.

.. yes, I wasn't using gmail then

 

[Skinner]

I agree - I've never had anyone lowballing or timewasting that turns into a sale. The thing is to identify them quickly and spend as little time on them as possible. Usually free email accounts, vpns, etc.

This was literally the point I made to Afternic a few hours ago, only to be advised I need to go through 100s of names, work out what I dream of selling at and set higher minimum term.

I deliberately have a low minimum because it means I can just ignore those people.

 

[ukbackorder]

Sounds to me from what that and what you said in the other thread that afternic are a waste of time.