A meeting with Harrods
- Thread starter the Chocolate
- Start date
J
JohnnyCash
You should try and buy the other domain name without the hyphen...
Someone talking in person or on phone says "Visit The Chocolate dot com, they have some great stuff". Person types it in without hyphen and you've just lost a potential customer.
The longer you leave buying it and the bigger your company grows, the more its going to cost you as they'll know they can hold you to ransom. So if your website is going to play a large part of your marketing efforts you really need to sort this asap if possible.
Someone talking in person or on phone says "Visit The Chocolate dot com, they have some great stuff". Person types it in without hyphen and you've just lost a potential customer.
The longer you leave buying it and the bigger your company grows, the more its going to cost you as they'll know they can hold you to ransom. So if your website is going to play a large part of your marketing efforts you really need to sort this asap if possible.
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From the picture it doesn't immediately look like gold. I imagined them to be gold-plated chocolates 
Your web-site needs a "buy" button on the homepage.
Your web-site needs a "buy" button on the homepage.
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Is the £50 box for one truffle - and the box?
If so,, I would say, keep the lovely box, and send me more truffles.
Pops ~xx~
If so,, I would say, keep the lovely box, and send me more truffles.
Pops ~xx~
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L
Lee Jones Jnr
Oh.....you would have to love someone an awful lot then
Pops ~xx~
You mean not enough to buy the full box!!!
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L
Lee Jones Jnr
Revered? Hmmm think you are over selling the significance of a very tiny 'organisation' but your product still looks good.
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J
JohnnyCash
For now.
Assuming best case scenario and your business goes brilliantly, you're leaving the ability for someone else to set up a "the chocolate" site purely to piggy back on your success.
IMO, you have made a spectacular blunder as far as online promotion goes. Someone already had the "real" domain there and you have went for the poor second choice. You'd have been far better off choosing a brandable domain that was never going to be mistaken for someone elses site.
While that other site has no content its no big deal... what are you going to do when he fills it with content offering chocolate for sale? He'll be perfectly within his rights to do that. At that point you've got confusion... people thinking they're on your site but they're really on something else getting offered $5 candy bars.
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Well one hand on heart, and the other holding my hankie, as I cry....not even the small box of 1 here
(we need a sobbing face) please Sift!Mind you, if someone did just buy me the 1, I would think 'struth', what planet are they on - who buys just 1 chocolate!
.Also, if only getting to sample one, how do you know if you liked it - it usually takes me at least half a dozen (boxes that is).
Pops ~xx~
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Seriously though, get that domain name sorted as others have said. You wouldn't believe some of the things being done to mine even though I thought I had secured all the variants.
And make it obvious where to buy. It really isn't.
Let us know how you get on at the meeting and good luck.
And make it obvious where to buy. It really isn't.
Let us know how you get on at the meeting and good luck.
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1a)As already said, that's relying on Google - it's not a unique term so you cannot possibly guarantee it will remain this way, even without anyone deliberately trying to get in on your game.
1b)When you say "just type..." do you mean on Google? Or on every single search engine people use?
2)Lots of people don't work by just typing into google, they want a URL.
The non-hypen version doesn't seem to be used properly so you NEED to prioritise at least getting a shot at it.
I'll take one chocolate as payment
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1a)As already said, that's relying on Google - it's not a unique term so you cannot possibly guarantee it will remain this way, even without anyone deliberately trying to get in on your game.
1b)When you say "just type..." do you mean on Google? Or on every single search engine people use?
2)Lots of people don't work by just typing into google, they want a URL.
The non-hypen version doesn't seem to be used properly so you NEED to prioritise at least getting a shot at it.
I'll take one chocolate as payment
4th on the list with Yahoo.
Pops ~xx~
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- Original Poster
- #67
1a)As already said, that's relying on Google - it's not a unique term so you cannot possibly guarantee it will remain this way, even without anyone deliberately trying to get in on your game.
1b)When you say "just type..." do you mean on Google? Or on every single search engine people use?
2)Lots of people don't work by just typing into google, they want a URL.
The non-hypen version doesn't seem to be used properly so you NEED to prioritise at least getting a shot at it.
I'll take one chocolate as payment
Thanks for the advice.
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M
MASSEY
Well now i'm not sure if you registered them but look at the following
http://www.thechocolate.com/
www.thechocolate.co.uk
I think Johnny could have been a bit more tactile in advising you of this
You aren't a trademark either so if the owner of that site was to set up a company called the chocolate you could potentially lose your site..
Luckily they arent likely to be indexed by google because with very little work those domains could outrank your site when someone does a google search.
Also i notice on your site you put "the Chocolate" Shouldnt it be a capital T seen as it is tha name of your product.
For someone selling individual chocolates a 50 buff a pop you are missing finer business details.
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- Original Poster
- #70
Massey
Re our name.......................... the Chocolate is the brand. You have been on the website and commented we are getting "the finer details wrong" May I ask you to look at the product more clearly - the name of this luxury brand is the Chocolate, it can be seen on the box and bag. This is not a mistake this has been carefully chosen. Another fine example of this is the product - dunhill.
Re our name.......................... the Chocolate is the brand. You have been on the website and commented we are getting "the finer details wrong" May I ask you to look at the product more clearly - the name of this luxury brand is the Chocolate, it can be seen on the box and bag. This is not a mistake this has been carefully chosen. Another fine example of this is the product - dunhill.
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I designed the cages in their pet department. I can honestly say they were the most difficult and irritating company I have ever dealt with, except possibly BT.
I think because they are perceived to be a gold mine, they have their guard up about everything to ensure they aren't ripped off. In the same way rich people get very upset if they suspect they are being over-charged because there is a Ferrari on the drive.
That said, if the product sells well I imagine they will be great customers for a very long time!
I think because they are perceived to be a gold mine, they have their guard up about everything to ensure they aren't ripped off. In the same way rich people get very upset if they suspect they are being over-charged because there is a Ferrari on the drive.
That said, if the product sells well I imagine they will be great customers for a very long time!
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You know that, and some of us on here know now that, but to countless millions chocolate is chocolate, the 4 for a £1 variety from the supermarkets.
I think you are assuming that people will get 'the' part of your name, that is a huge assumption to make....and could cost you xxx amount of money.
It is hard to see the mistakes, when you are so involved with something, but for the sake of admitting a mistake, and working to put it right, what is it going to cost you - peanuts, compared to what you could lose.
I know people who when they go shopping say, 'I am just going to the shops'.....which shops, they never clarify.
Not everyone uses Google, and you do not come top of the list of all search engines.
To be honest if someone said to me, 'the chocolate' my first response would be 'which' chocolate.?
Pops ~xx~
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L
Lee Jones Jnr
No but Harrods want to see them, so all must be right!!
Harrods isn't the only corner shop that sells chocolate...
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OP ignore all the negative posts.
I am delighted you have been invited to talk to them.Hope it all goes well.
I am delighted you have been invited to talk to them.Hope it all goes well.
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J
JohnnyCash
Yes, ignoring all the negative feedback is a great way to start a business
There is far more value in the comments saying you're doing something wrong (and explaining why) than someone else saying "wow, great idea"
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This is chocolate that can't be discussed without making people look stupid - that's not a good characteristic in a brand.
'Can you pass the the chocolate?'
'What chocolate is that?' - 'It's the new the chocolate chocolates'.
'How much are those the chocolate chocolates?'
'Which chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?' 'forget it, I'll have a bar of galaxy.'
Maybe the Harrods won't see this as an issue.
'Can you pass the the chocolate?'
'What chocolate is that?' - 'It's the new the chocolate chocolates'.
'How much are those the chocolate chocolates?'
'Which chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?', 'the chocolate please.', '...no... what chocolate do you want?' 'forget it, I'll have a bar of galaxy.'
Maybe the Harrods won't see this as an issue.
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Yes, ignoring all the negative feedback is a great way to start a business
There is far more value in the comments saying you're doing something wrong (and explaining why) than someone else saying "wow, great idea"
The OP asked for some advice on how to handle the initial meeting.
Nothing more than that.
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