For You Guys That have Run With Groupon- Preferably Mobile Guys-

ShineTimeDetail

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So I am considering running with Groupon her on Dec 20th. I think it may do semi well(Over 100 Packages) Since it will be right before Xmas and people will be looking for last minute gifts. Also the best thing is I can clean cars when the temp goes below freezing and I won't be wet like a traditional wash or a rinseless wash. I know I bought a bunch of massages through Groupon last year just a couple days before Xmas as last minute gifts.

My question is- How were the customers err clients(Flash has got me!) Did they all expect a full in and out detail? All I'm running is an express detail and that's vacuum, wipe dash and center console, wipe door jams, wheels, tires, body and windows. Do I do more to keep the customer happy? I plan on blowing out all the vents and blowing under their seats and between them as a, 'I also did this for you today' as a thank you.

My plan for offering the mobile detailing is to pick days for certain areas. This way I will not be driving all over the St. Louis area and wasting all my fuel. I am running 3 other daily deals this week and with all of those I don't really see anything over 50 packages. My goal is 500 but that's unrealistic right now so I'm hoping for 250 packages- That would get me through the winter I believe.

Any help would be nice:props:
 
I've yet to work with Groupon. But, I've done deals with LivingSocial, and Couptopia. All three companies are the same in the way they operate.

Except, I hear...that Groupon will work with unestablished businesses. Where as LivingSocial most the time will not. Groupon apparently only agrees to a deal if you sell beyond a certain amount. That's just what I've heard.

Anyways....make absolutely sure you stick to what your service is that you're offering. They know what they're buying...don't let them play dumb, cause they will sometimes.

My first mistake when I worked with a half off company like Groupon...was that I offered an in and out package. If I were you...I would keep interiors out of the mix. There's too many "ifs ands or buts" to interior work. I've found that people have NO clue how bad their vehicle is, or the work it takes to fix the problem.

That aside...I can say, that I've had great success as far as building clients with companies like Groupon. It brings in a lot of work, and new faces. Do you get gipped on money? Sure you do...but you accumulate customers quickly. A lot of times, one job leads to another that is NOT discounted.

What I usually do...is offer something like a Wash & Wax service. It's fast, easy, and straight to the point. If they would rather use the coupon as cash value towards a higher service...then so be it.

One more thing...make sure you have some sort of database for your clients. There's no point in accumulating all these new customers if you don't keep track of them, or allow yourself to market your deals and specials in the future.
 
Did 50 of them last time and not sure it was worth it.

As you are aware, you end up with a small fraction of the total cost of the package.

If you are established enough, I wouldn't bother. If you do a lower end package, like it seems your trying to do, it may be worth your time. Just remember, if you can't upsell a service, you may spend 1-2 hours on a job, after your costs, may profit VERY little money.

These are great for start ups but not for people who stay busy enough with out them. Also be aware that a chunk of the Groupons will wait until the last few weeks before expiration to have you do their ride.

I have found that most Groupon details that I did were not ALL as bad as expected. It was about half/half. Some where easy enough while others were told I would have to charge extra. Almost all of the Groupons tipped after the detail however.

As far as the expectations of the detail, I always made sure that the "Grouponers" knew what was involved in the package so there would not be any confusion at the end.

Some of my thoughts...
 
I've yet to work with Groupon. But, I've done deals with LivingSocial, and Couptopia. All three companies are the same in the way they operate.

Except, I hear...that Groupon will work with unestablished businesses. Where as LivingSocial most the time will not. Groupon apparently only agrees to a deal if you sell beyond a certain amount. That's just what I've heard.

Anyways....make absolutely sure you stick to what your service is that you're offering. They know what they're buying...don't let them play dumb, cause they will sometimes.

My first mistake when I worked with a half off company like Groupon...was that I offered an in and out package. If I were you...I would keep interiors out of the mix. There's too many "ifs ands or buts" to interior work. I've found that people have NO clue how bad their vehicle is, or the work it takes to fix the problem.

That aside...I can say, that I've had great success as far as building clients with companies like Groupon. It brings in a lot of work, and new faces. Do you get gipped on money? Sure you do...but you accumulate customers quickly. A lot of times, one job leads to another that is NOT discounted.

What I usually do...is offer something like a Wash & Wax service. It's fast, easy, and straight to the point. If they would rather use the coupon as cash value towards a higher service...then so be it.

One more thing...make sure you have some sort of database for your clients. There's no point in accumulating all these new customers if you don't keep track of them, or allow yourself to market your deals and specials in the future.

I like all that ^

Especially the part in RED ;)
 
I've yet to work with Groupon. But, I've done deals with LivingSocial, and Couptopia. All three companies are the same in the way they operate.

Except, I hear...that Groupon will work with unestablished businesses. Where as LivingSocial most the time will not. Groupon apparently only agrees to a deal if you sell beyond a certain amount. That's just what I've heard.

Anyways....make absolutely sure you stick to what your service is that you're offering. They know what they're buying...don't let them play dumb, cause they will sometimes.

My first mistake when I worked with a half off company like Groupon...was that I offered an in and out package. If I were you...I would keep interiors out of the mix. There's too many "ifs ands or buts" to interior work. I've found that people have NO clue how bad their vehicle is, or the work it takes to fix the problem.

That aside...I can say, that I've had great success as far as building clients with companies like Groupon. It brings in a lot of work, and new faces. Do you get gipped on money? Sure you do...but you accumulate customers quickly. A lot of times, one job leads to another that is NOT discounted.

What I usually do...is offer something like a Wash & Wax service. It's fast, easy, and straight to the point. If they would rather use the coupon as cash value towards a higher service...then so be it.

One more thing...make sure you have some sort of database for your clients. There's no point in accumulating all these new customers if you don't keep track of them, or allow yourself to market your deals and specials in the future.

Exactly my experience. After running groupon twice, we are now in a position to customize the detail the way we want. Exterior ONLY!! People can be sooooo dumb and sooooo cheap sometimes, but the good ones you get an email and send them your OWN deals. We are going to be running a third one and it will be Exterior Only and an optional interior priced after an estimate.
It really has made our business, we did it when we were starting out, and now we have great regulars. It also gave our website a huge boost, now we are on the first page of Google. Also have the good Customers (we can all tell who those are) leave a review on your site. Plus many of them will tip!! Thats how you know they are keepers.
 
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