Gift certificates?

[CarolinaShine]

How many of you offer gift certificates for your services? I want to get on this quick as the holiday season approaches. Paypal has a pretty simple set up to get the payment online. My concerns are -

- Customers have to print out the gift certificate. If it was me, I'd rather give someone a nice looking gift certificate. I guess I could give them an option to print off or have me mail them a hard copy. Or both?

- Gift certificates are for a dollar amount, this is fine with me but I'm assuming most people want to give them as gifts so that the recipient doesn't have to pay anything. I can sell them a gift card, but if the car is filthy when I get there I am going to charge more. Not sure how to get around this..


Any ideas? How do yall handle gift certificates?

 

[VP Mark]

Yep. I order mine from Vista print. They look great and come with envelopes.

When people ask for gift certificates I usually recommend they purchase a whole package but if they just want to do a dollar amount that is fine also.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using AG Online

 

[CarolinaShine]

That is what I would like to do. Do you sell them online? I can't figure out a good way to sell online, which I think would be convenient.

 

[jdbillin]

I offer gift certificates I just have them send me a check and then I mail them out. I just made a template in word I just type there name and the amount into

 

[VP Mark]

That is what I would like to do. Do you sell them online? I can't figure out a good way to sell online, which I think would be convenient.

I don't sell them online. Most people want to call and ask a few questions first anyway. :xyxthumbs:

 

[drvnbysound]

I offer them for my business (non-detailing). I designed the GC myself and print it out on presentation paper or similar (heavy weight) for local customers or will email it out as a PDF and/or jpeg for online customers. The GCs I offer have the customers name printed on them; they are not generic. This shows an additional level of custom service and only takes a few seconds for me to enter their name.

 

[sickk21]

I offer them for my business (non-detailing). I designed the GC myself and print it out on presentation paper or similar (heavy weight) for local customers or will email it out as a PDF and/or jpeg for online customers. The GCs I offer have the customers name printed on them; they are not generic. This shows an additional level of custom service and only takes a few seconds for me to enter their name.

I really like the sound of this. That's a great idea not making them so generic

 

[KMG]

I actually just issued my first GC yesterday for an interior detail. We put something together in photoshop since I have not had anyone request one before. So now I have a template set up and posted that they are available on my facebook page and still need to put it up on my website. I was able to take his payment by phone and run it through my square account, and once that was done I emailed him a PDF of the cert. that he could print and give his father for X-mas.

 

[drvnbysound]

I really like the sound of this. That's a great idea not making them so generic

This is basically exactly what I did (below)... although I didn't use Photoshop, but I did use a professional level graphics program. Once the template is done, it's as easy as typing in the customers name.

I actually just issued my first GC yesterday for an interior detail. We put something together in photoshop since I have not had anyone request one before. So now I have a template set up and posted that they are available on my facebook page and still need to put it up on my website. I was able to take his payment by phone and run it through my square account, and once that was done I emailed him a PDF of the cert. that he could print and give his father for X-mas.

How do you like the Square?

I've got the PayPal Here reader, which is linked directly to my standard PayPal account.

 

[KMG]

I haven't used it too much yet, but so far I like it. The nice part is that the money is deposited into my checking account the following day. You do have to pay a 2.75% fee, which they just take out before the deposit in your account. Most people either pay me in cash or check anyways, but this is a handy option to have available.

 

[Romans5.8]

If it were me,

I'd sell coupons for service. Wash/wax coupon, paint correction coupon, etc. And either put limits, or a disclaimer that there may be surcharges for things like severe defects, very dirty vehicles, etc. I would make sure the coupons are very clear with some fine print on the bottom. Like a coupon for single step paint correction (various prices for various car size), with a disclaimer underneath that a single step paint correction will not correct serious defects and will only partially correct moderate defects (underpromise, overdeliver). And, maybe a plug that the coupon/voucher can be used TOWARDS more intense services like multi-step corrections, coating, etc.

 

[drvnbysound]

If it were me,

I'd sell coupons for service. Wash/wax coupon, paint correction coupon, etc. And either put limits, or a disclaimer that there may be surcharges for things like severe defects, very dirty vehicles, etc. I would make sure the coupons are very clear with some fine print on the bottom. Like a coupon for single step paint correction (various prices for various car size), with a disclaimer underneath that a single step paint correction will not correct serious defects and will only partially correct moderate defects (underpromise, overdeliver). And, maybe a plug that the coupon/voucher can be used TOWARDS more intense services like multi-step corrections, coating, etc.

Why do it this way when you know that every vehicle may need varying levels of work?

This GC is for (1) Paint correction *
* GC excludes level III water spots, severe swirls, etc.

That sort of coupon is so vauge. How do you explain to a customer that his car has 'severe' swirls and someone else's are deemed 'moderate'. That would be like McDonalds selling me a coupon/certificate for a McRib. What if the person I give it to doesn't want a McRib?

It just seems simpler to me to offer standard dollar amount gift certificates that the customer can redeem for that amount of service, whatever the service may be... multiple washes, a correction, a wash & wax, or whatever.

 

[drvnbysound]

I haven't used it too much yet, but so far I like it. The nice part is that the money is deposited into my checking account the following day. You do have to pay a 2.75% fee, which they just take out before the deposit in your account. Most people either pay me in cash or check anyways, but this is a handy option to have available.

I guess the auto deposit part is cool.

I've been using PayPal for my business for ~10 years. Once I saw the offer for a free reader, I went ahead and requested one. The PayPal fee is similar (it varies slightly depending on if the card being swiped or if the card number was manually entered), but I have to go in and select to withdraw that money to my bank account (if I want to).

That said, so many places also accept PayPal now, it's sometimes just as easy for me to leave it in there. If I were in the detailing business, I could get paid with it, then use the PayPal balance to directly pay my AutoGeek bill

I've only used my reader a few times though. A couple of customers who wanted to use a card, and a friend who was paying me back for something and didn't have cash readily available (knowing that I could take a card).

 

[Romans5.8]

Why do it this way when you know that every vehicle may need varying levels of work?

This GC is for (1) Paint correction *
* GC excludes level III water spots, severe swirls, etc.

That sort of coupon is so vauge. How do you explain to a customer that his car has 'severe' swirls and someone else's are deemed 'moderate'. That would be like McDonalds selling me a coupon/certificate for a McRib. What if the person I give it to doesn't want a McRib?

It just seems simpler to me to offer standard dollar amount gift certificates that the customer can redeem for that amount of service, whatever the service may be... multiple washes, a correction, a wash & wax, or whatever.

That sounds reasonable to me!

 

[Pureshine]

I sell them all the time during the holidays great money maker for me. I won't sell a dollar amount cause its easier if they pick a service. The only down side of this is that you don't get to see the car first.

 

[KMG]

Yeah my gift certificates don't show a dollar amount on them either. It calls out the service for which they are entitled to receive.

 

[drvnbysound]

I sell them all the time during the holidays great money maker for me. I won't sell a dollar amount cause its easier if they pick a service. The only down side of this is that you don't get to see the car first.

That's exactly what I was trying to point out above. Why do this rather than the dollar amount?

You may have to put in a lot more time because of an unknown vehicle condition. However, if you used a dollar amount, it wouldn't matter, because for $X amount, you provide $X amount of service/labor.

The only way that I'd not use a dollar amount, would be for a service that I KNEW would require a set amount of labor. That's the only way that I can properly put a value on my time. This is really no different than quoting a job without first seeing the vehicle. Do you guys quote full correction jobs over the phone, without first seeing the vehicle?