How much would Camelot ( Nat. Lotto ) buy a website for?

[Hitsuin]

Hello everyone, I'm a amateur in the world of business and I need some advice. I'll have to be a vague about this but basically, I've got a website that will increase national lottery sales. However, you can't patent a website which really doesn't help my plan to sell it to the Camelot Group. I think I still can but not for much. Which is sad seeing as they literally have a revenue of £4.7 billion and sites sell for millions every day.

My question is, how much do you think I should try to sell it to them for?

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

Hello everyone, I'm a amateur in the world of business and I need some advice. I'll have to be a vague about this but basically, I've got a website that will increase national lottery sales. However, you can't patent a website which really doesn't help my plan to sell it to the Camelot Group. I think I still can but not for much. Which is sad seeing as they literally have a revenue of £4.7 billion and sites sell for millions every day.

My question is, how much do you think I should try to sell it to them for?

That's one of the most unanswerable questions I've come across in a long time.

I'll have a punt: £394,485,583.38

 

[Dawg]

How much?
2 tickets in next week's draw.

 

[RoyaleGraphics]

Hello everyone, I'm a amateur in the world of business and I need some advice. I'll have to be a vague about this but basically, I've got a website that will increase national lottery sales. However, you can't patent a website which really doesn't help my plan to sell it to the Camelot Group. I think I still can but not for much. Which is sad seeing as they literally have a revenue of £4.7 billion and sites sell for millions every day.

My question is, how much do you think I should try to sell it to them for?

My guess is Camelot don't need the help in selling extra tickets. I think most people if not all will have heard of the National Lottery, so why would they want your help as you've already said your an "amateur in the world of business"

 

[Hitsuin]

National Lottery, so why would they want your help as you've already said your an "amateur in the world of business"

Well, the creator of facebook was a college drop out, even einstein was, but what matters that for the most part, what they put out there works. The site works, its very effective, and honestly, EuroMillions aside, which isn't even based here, their games have been steadily making less and less.

I hope that answers your question and potential insult.

 

Well, the creator of facebook was a college drop out, even einstein was, but what matters that for the most part, what they put out there works. The site works, its very effective, and honestly, EuroMillions aside, which isn't even based here, their games have been steadily making less and less.

I hope that answers your question and potential insult.

As said there is a finite amount of people wishing to play and everyone knows where to buy there ticket by now.

So I may be wrong but 10 pence sounds about righ or coals to newcastle.

Of course if you are going to double the prize money where do i sign.?

Earl

 

[sanjiv]

Show us the website at least.

 

[crossdaz]

My guess is Camelot don't need the help in selling extra tickets.

They have an affiliate scheme so my guess is that they do need help selling extra tickets?

 

[crossdaz]

My question is, how much do you think I should try to sell it to them for?

As much as you think it's worth.
If you join their affiliate program then you can sell tickets for them - if your idea is as good as you think it is then you'll get lots of commission and they may well try and buy it off you then?

 

[Hitsuin]

I'll have a punt: £394,485,583.38

Even one percent of that would do.

Show us the website at least.

Just as soon as they buy it.

As much as you think it's worth.
If you join their affiliate program then you can sell tickets for them - if your idea is as good as you think it is then you'll get lots of commission and they may well try and buy it off you then?

Thanks a lot for pointing me in the right direction. You're my new guru.

 

[sanjiv]

Even one percent of that would do.



Just as soon as they buy it.



Thanks a lot for pointing me in the right direction. You're my new guru.

Why only reveal after they might buy it?

What harm can be done by revealing the website. Surely you want more visitors and no-one here knows who you are.

 

[ADW]

I think over the years The National Lottery has had all the publicity it needs. Their falling sales is due people eventually realising that it is unlikely to be them who wins and the realisation they are wasting money which most punters can't afford.

As has been said, if you believe you have a site that can bring in customers then use someone like Comission Junction or one of the other affiliate companies. There are still customers to convert over to internet purchase.

 

[Hitsuin]

[FONT=&quot]

Why only reveal after they might buy it?

What harm can be done by revealing the website. Surely you want more visitors and no-one here knows who you are.

You're probably a good guy who nothing that bad as happened to, however, my personal experience with people is screaming at me that there is bound to be least one person on this site who not only has no problem taking my idea as their own but will also literally be more than happy to do it.

As I've only completed 90% of it and I'm not the most fanatical web-developer. It wouldn't surprise me if someone else made it edgier, catchier and whatever other good things ends with "ier" as well as using my own work as a platform to add their own innovations to it and profit from it even more. If at that time, I'm at home this Christmas telling everyone that milk is for cereal and NOT for drinking, I'd feel even dumber than life makes a point of showing me I am.

Their falling sales is due people eventually realising that it is unlikely to be them

Is that a play on their old motto I see? That realisation is exactly what I'm counting on. I didn't know about Commission Junction. I'm checking them out now. Thanks for that.[/FONT]

 

[Mike W]

As much as you think it's worth.
If you join their affiliate program then you can sell tickets for them - if your idea is as good as you think it is then you'll get lots of commission and they may well try and buy it off you then?

Great idea!

 

[Mike W]

As said there is a finite amount of people wishing to play and everyone knows where to buy there ticket by now.

So I may be wrong but 10 pence sounds about righ or coals to newcastle.

Of course if you are going to double the prize money where do i sign.?

Earl

For someone who normally seems quite a switched on bloke, I'm pretty surprised you could consider that a business, especially a big business, wouldn't be interested in exploring alternative ways* that could increase revenue.

Without having a clue what they're doing, even I know that they'll have a marketing department working all the time to increase their sales.

*That doesn't mean to say that the OP will be successful - I doubt he will be - but it also doesn't mean that he shouldn't give it a go.

Mike

 

[garyk]

Well, the creator of facebook was a college drop out, even einstein was, but what matters that for the most part, what they put out there works. The site works, its very effective, and honestly, EuroMillions aside, which isn't even based here, their games have been steadily making less and less.

I hope that answers your question and potential insult.

Yes but the big, nay *massive* difference is they brought something new and unique to market. As others said, do Camelot care? Nope, they generate massive sales already.

 

[Mike W]

As others said, do Camelot care? Nope, they generate massive sales already.

lol. I've never heard such rubbish! Name me any (big) company that isn't interested in increasing it's turnover or profits or both.

 

[Partnership Telecom]

Join the affiliate scheme, sell lots of tickets, get their attention, then multiply the revenue generated by your site by a factor of 10 (then add 10%). Suggest a price, then barter !!

 

[downsouth]

cant see any business being interested in a 90% completed website, no visitors, no customers no nothing. What is there to buy???? apart from an idea.

Why couldn't camelot go and build their own site, no need cos they already have one.

plenty of affiliates make tons of cash purely acting in that capacity so i'd keep it in that sector personally

 

[sanjiv]

[FONT=&quot]You're probably a good guy who nothing that bad as happened to, however, my personal experience with people is screaming at me that there is bound to be least one person on this site who not only has no problem taking my idea as their own but will also literally be more than happy to do it..[/FONT]

Anyone who goes on your website can quite simply copy it. Do you not want anyway to go on your website?

Sounds a bit crazy unless I am missing something?

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

lol. I've never heard such rubbish! Name me any (big) company that isn't interested in increasing it's turnover or profits or both.

It all comes down to what this website will achieve. If it's helping Camelot make hundreds of thousands or millions of pounds extra, then they may be interested.

However, if it's something far more minor (which I'd strongly suspect due to Hitsuin's self-admitted lack of business nous) then Camelot probably won't care.

Affiliate schemes are available purely so the small fries in it can have a shot at earning quite small sums which benefit both Camelot and the affiliate.

PS: If the website has no sales, no SEO value and no proven record of actually providing sales, then Camelot will not even bat an eyelid at it, never mind give you any money (unless it's some incredible, genius, never-before-seen website concept which could revolutionise sales for them).

 

[Hitsuin]

Yes but the big, nay *massive* difference is they brought something new and unique to market. As others said, do Camelot care? Nope, they generate massive sales already.

It is new. At the very least everyone will try it once, otherwise I wouldn't bother.

cant see any business being interested in a 90% completed website, no visitors, no customers no nothing.

Wow, you're pretty pessimistic, I guess people try and hand you BS all the time. Personally, I'd take it as a sign that they didn't respect me. What I'm trying to say is there is no way anyone in their right mind would approach a company with something incomplete. To be fair, it already functions and wouldn't be out of place in on a display mac in an apple store. However my saying 90% is just me being a perfectionist and looking for anyway I can to make things even better.

As I said earlier I don't want to publish it yet until I'm 100% happy with it and I know it can't be criticised in even the smallest way. The only reason I'm here now is because how I approach something like Camelot could be a life changing thing if I handle it right so I want to hear any ideas I may miss in advance and not make any decisions in rashly.

 

[Hitsuin]

Anyone who goes on your website can quite simply copy it. Do you not want anyway to go on your website?

Sounds a bit crazy unless I am missing something?

I'm aware of anyone copying a site which is why I'm thinking I should approach them first and do the affiliate thing IF they decline. Who knows they could come crawling back. maybe.

PS: If the website has no sales, no SEO value and no proven record of actually providing sales, then Camelot will not even bat an eyelid at it, never mind give you any money (unless it's some incredible, genius, never-before-seen website concept which could revolutionise sales for them).

I'm saying it is exactly that. Luckily my previous exp. programming came in very handy. This is why I'm cautiously optimistic.

 

[crossdaz]

As I said earlier I don't want to publish it yet until I'm 100% happy with it and I know it can't be criticised in even the smallest way. The only reason I'm here now is because how I approach something like Camelot could be a life changing thing if I handle it right so I want to hear any ideas I may miss in advance and not make any decisions in rashly.

If you approach camelot with a good but unproven idea than it is highly likely that they'll just say they are not interested - then miraculously do something very similar the week after.

If you go the affiliate route then you could get on their radar and you don't have to be doing very big numbers for this to happen. The key here is to make sure your business model can also be used to promote another lottery company or similar - that's how you become attractive.

You may find that you do OK from the affiliate thing anyway - or you might not - only one way to find out?
http://www.national-lottery.co.uk/player/p/affiliates.ftl

I think they pay a set fee of about £4 for every new person who registers to buy tickets on-line. That sounds easy - but I can assure you it isn't.

Good luck with it.

 

[sanjiv]

Camelot would not be interested in an idea, and if they were, wouldn't they just do it themselves? They would have a much bigger marketing budget and would get the website done cheaper. You yourself compared yourself to the creator of Facebook and you don't have much business sense.

I don't mean to sound so blunt but that's just how it seems to me.

 

[Hitsuin]

Camelot would not be interested in an idea, and if they were, wouldn't they just do it themselves? They would have a much bigger marketing budget and would get the website done cheaper. You yourself compared yourself to the creator of Facebook and you don't have much business sense.

I don't mean to sound so blunt but that's just how it seems to me.

The world seems flat to all of us but reality says otherwise. Futhermore, I mantain that facebook is a mere myspace tweek that anyone could have done. Frankly, I'm surprised it took that long. We all wanted more of our reallife friends networking with us online. So no I'm not as good as the creator as facebook, I'm better He is just richer and happier right now.

I think they pay a set fee of about £4 for every new person who registers to buy tickets on-line. That sounds easy - but I can assure you it isn't.

Good luck with it.

Thanks, I was on that exact page the second you mentioned that program earlier today. I looked into both the companies the lottery referred pricing to and noticed that both traderdoubler and affiliatewindow didn't make any quotes price-wise. Apart of me hopes you are right about the fee, the rest of me knows that even if I get 2 million unique views I'd be lucky to get registered 50 users from that. However, £200 is better than the collection of 2 pences I have now.

Tradedoubler had some good reviews, Affiliatewindow was a bit like marmite. Does that sound like the experience you've had with them?

 

[crossdaz]

Thanks, I was on that exact page the second you mentioned that program earlier today. I looked into both the companies the lottery referred pricing to and noticed that both traderdoubler and affiliatewindow didn't make any quotes price-wise. Apart of me hopes you are right about the fee, the rest of me knows that even if I get 2 million unique views I'd be lucky to get registered 50 users from that. However, £200 is better than the collection of 2 pences I have now.

Tradedoubler had some good reviews, Affiliatewindow was a bit like marmite. Does that sound like the experience you've had with them?

Affiliate Window is the better of the two to be honest - you'll also get paid a lot quicker.
You don't need to have a mountain of traffic to make an impact so long as it is targeted. You might also find that some other lesser known lottery and gaming schemes work better for your business - don't put all your eggs in one basket.

 

[sanjiv]

The world seems flat to all of us but reality says otherwise. Futhermore, I mantain that facebook is a mere myspace tweek that anyone could have done. Frankly, I'm surprised it took that long. We all wanted more of our reallife friends networking with us online. So no I'm not as good as the creator as facebook, I'm better He is just richer and happier right now.

Erm... ok. The world is kind of different because you aren't God or have to power to create the big bang or whatever other beliefs anyone has.

 

[Mike W]

If you approach camelot with a good but unproven idea than it is highly likely that they'll just say they are not interested - then miraculously do something very similar the week after.

Camelot would not be interested in an idea, and if they were, wouldn't they just do it themselves?

Ever heard of a 'Confidentiality Agreement'? I'm not saying that Camelot would sign one but there is such a thing for exactly these situations.

 

[sanjiv]

What if they are already developing a similar idea? They wouldn't want to sign an NDA and also you would need to get a contact within Camelot too.

 

[TailorMade]

You will find the National Lottery affiliate programme runs through Tradedoubler.co.uk, not Commission Junction. Beware though - I have been getting emails for the past few months from TradeDoubler about a "Tracking Problem" with the National Lottery affiliate ads which mean people may not be getting paid properly - last time I read it they were still "working to resolve the issue, blah blah".. so check it out by all means, sign up etc - but make sure they are tracking your clicks and referrals properly!

 

[TailorMade]

To quote an email I got recently -

"
Dear Saif,

As you are aware The National Lottery are currently experiencing a tracking issue whereby the number of sales being recorded is artificially inflated thus what you are seeing in your account for July is not a true reflection of your performance.
We have however used the average conversion rate on the programme to calculate a true reflection of your performance for July and have approved and declined sales accordingly.

We appreciate this situation is far from ideal and appreciate your continued support and patience during this period.

Just to give you a quick update, The National Lottery are still continuing to find a fix to this issue, again your patience on this matter is hugely appreciated. We hope to get this issue sorted as soon as possible to ensure the programme returns back to normal which will allow you to have better transparency with regards to your actual performance."

Sounds a bit like pin the tail on the Donkey to me!

 

[TailorMade]

also just noticed - that message was from July - maybe its fixed now!

 

[Mike W]

What if they are already developing a similar idea? They wouldn't want to sign an NDA and also you would need to get a contact within Camelot too.

That sort of thing can be covered off ....if drawn up properly.

Getting the right contact is a different matter entirely.

 

[akhtarkasia]

Whats more amazing about this post and the replies is that one thinks he/she has made it even before making a single penny. Starting business is easy. Running a business and making a profit from a running business is even harder. Selling business or idea before you even can prove that your idea will work is just not possible. Its good that you are trying, and trying you must. But before even thinking about selling make it work for you. If your idea or business has big.....potential, than camelot and others will come to you. Thats when you make big money. Going to them with your idea or concept is not.....

 

[oldeagleeye]

QUOTE.

Thanks, I was on that exact page the second you mentioned that program earlier today. I looked into both the companies the lottery referred pricing to and noticed that both traderdoubler and affiliatewindow didn't make any quotes price-wise. Apart of me hopes you are right about the fee, the rest of me knows that even if I get 2 million unique views I'd be lucky to get registered 50 users from that. However, £200 is better than the collection of 2 pences I have now.

Frankly guys I wonder why any of you are taking the OP remotely seriously.

He starts off by saying that he is an amateur in business then professes to have designed a web site that the mighty Camelot would be interested in order to generate more sales. Lets get real. Camelot who have the dosh to employ the most creative marketing pro's in the world.

The other problem the OP has is that it is only 90% complete. Never been tested and has had no seo whatsoever yet in latest post he is already talking 2 million unique users. Hmmm. I now wondering if he means per year - month or per hour because this guy goes from one extreme to the other.

From talking about companies paying millions for a web site to as he puts it

" However, £200 is better than the collection of 2 pences I have now.

Now I would normally at this point say this guy is just another wannabe dreamer who sits in his bedroom dreaming of coming up another Facebook. I think there is a really serious point to be made here however.

The OP is I believe from an earlier post a a programmer. A pragmatic professional by any standards and yet this 'celebrity' culture where so many young people either want fame of fortune seems to have got him too.

Sad - so very very sad.

My advice OP would be stick to the day job. See if you can earn a lot of dosh overseas and squirrel it away and then keep your head down.

Rob

 

[Hitsuin]

Erm... ok. The world is kind of different because you aren't God or have to power to create the big bang or whatever other beliefs anyone has.

As tempting and immature it would be for me to start talking about quantum mechanics and the measurement problem, I'll simply say that my response was aimed at the fact that even though things may seem one way to you, or to all of us, its very possible to be wrong, especially with unknown factors in play, which is exactly what the contents and functions of this site is to you. I hope that doesn't sound too harsh especially after you asked to see it. However, I merely wish to convey what I meant as I believe you misunderstood me.

Ever heard of a 'Confidentiality Agreement'? I'm not saying that Camelot would sign one but there is such a thing for exactly these situations.

You're right, they probably wouldn't but its good to look at all possiblities which is exactly why I came here. Thanks for that.

 

[TailorMade]

Whats more amazing about this post and the replies is that one thinks he/she has made it even before making a single penny. Starting business is easy. Running a business and making a profit from a running business is even harder. Selling business or idea before you even can prove that your idea will work is just not possible. Its good that you are trying, and trying you must. But before even thinking about selling make it work for you. If your idea or business has big.....potential, than camelot and others will come to you. Thats when you make big money. Going to them with your idea or concept is not.....

Have to agree with Akhtar and others - get your site completed. Get visitors. Converts Visitors to Camelot Customers (also consider Irish Lotto and other lotteries in Europe - depending what your site about).

In my experience on this site you are more likely to get some good nuggets to help your business move forward, than to have your concept stolen and done better by another person. If your idea really is good and you are cash strapped - maybe someone like SirEarl will hep you make millions by providing SEO in return for a Dragons Den style slice of your pie..which at the moment is actually some unbaked shortcrust pastry without the filling..

 

[sanjiv]

As tempting and immature it would be for me to start talking about quantum mechanics and the measurement problem, I'll simply say that my response was aimed at the fact that even though things may seem one way to you, or to all of us, its very possible to be wrong, especially with unknown factors in play, which is exactly what the contents and functions of this site is to you. I hope that doesn't sound too harsh especially after you asked to see it. However, I merely wish to convey what I meant as I believe you misunderstood me.

There is always a chance but it just seems so unlikely, you will probably be better off focusing on something else.

 

[Hitsuin]

Whats more amazing about this post and the replies is that one thinks he/she has made it even before making a single penny.

I've very aware that getting or starting something is not the same as maintaining it. Maybe I've written too much and its lost in the words but I thought I was pretty clear that I don't think I have "made it" quiet the opposite if anything what I'm worried of is getting next to nothing for something that camelot and others will profit from.

Again, as for the site. By most peoples standards it is finished, just not mine. I want to make sure that it is not lacking in any way before it goes online and that I've taken the time to add anything else I can to it to "raise the bar" so to speak.

It makes more sense to me to come to this forum now before publishing it and picking everyones brains now and taking what would be best course of action when the time comes. As opposed to doing whatever I believe or want to be best only to find I should have done something else.

1. I don't think I've made it. I only hope to make as much as I can, however much or little that may be.

2. I don't like meeting a respectable minimum and thinking that I've earned more than I truly have.

3. By being here I'm just trying to be prudent, seeking ideas and advice just like everyone else who makes a thread.