Giving it a shot - Groupon type deal

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Well guys, wanted to let you all know that here in 6 weeks we are running a Living Social deal (similar to groupon). Last detailer in the area to do one sold 271 details in a day. Im curious how this will go - headache, worth it, not worth it, etc. Luckily I have a small shop now that the customers will have to come to - leaving out gas, drive time, and wear and tear on vehicle. We are only offering a full interior detail - mainly cause that is where the least amount of product cost is used for us. Also I am starting this right before winter and it expires right before Spring - hopefully this will keep clients in and out the doors through the slow months and keep my guys getting hours. Also create a large regular customer base - hopefully lol.

Just wanted you guys to know that I will keep you posted on how it goes and if it is worth the hassle. Any good or horror stories about running a similar deal?!?!?!?!??!
 
I have heard of one horry story but I think it was the fault of the business owner. Let us know how it works for you
 
Hey B&B I have done 2 Groupon deals and a Living Social deal... They all went well... Make sure that they put in the fine print what you want... Or you will have customers coming and fighting you on stupid little stuff... Also Broker the deal with them so you get more than 50% of the cut... with Groupon I am getting 60% and with LS I get 55%...

Have fun and be ready for the calls to start coming in on the day the deal runs...

I have only had 3 pain customers out of the three deals that have been ran so no horror stories from me as of yet...

Also be cautious of the people calling that "haven't bought the deal" and are wanting the same price the company can be sneaky and do that and if you give in to that price they may cut the deal and "ban" you from running...

Also don't expect huge numbers as LS told me that I would get about 250 sales out of the deal but only ended up with just under 100... Groupon didn't give me any numbers and off of each of those I got between 120 and 140...
 
CrownKote said:
Hey B&B I have done 2 Groupon deals and a Living Social deal... They all went well... Make sure that they put in the fine print what you want... Or you will have customers coming and fighting you on stupid little stuff... Also Broker the deal with them so you get more than 50% of the cut... with Groupon I am getting 60% and with LS I get 55%...

Have fun and be ready for the calls to start coming in on the day the deal runs...

I have only had 3 pain customers out of the three deals that have been ran so no horror stories from me as of yet...

Also be cautious of the people calling that "haven't bought the deal" and are wanting the same price the company can be sneaky and do that and if you give in to that price they may cut the deal and "ban" you from running...

Also don't expect huge numbers as LS told me that I would get about 250 sales out of the deal but only ended up with just under 100... Groupon didn't give me any numbers and off of each of those I got between 120 and 140...
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Good info here man, thanx! I did talk them into a 60/40 - which I am assuming is good. Fudging numbers seems kind of scandalous - if that is what they are doing. Im hoping to do some up selling as well - were you successful doing that?!?!?!?
 
B&B Tennessee said:
Good info here man, thanx! I did talk them into a 60/40 - which I am assuming is good. Fudging numbers seems kind of scandalous - if that is what they are doing. Im hoping to do some up selling as well - were you successful doing that?!?!?!?
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Dang! They wouldn't budge from the 55% mark for me... Ugh...

IDK if they were "fudging" the numbers or if they were going off of the tunnel wash type of deals...

I up sell about 50% of the customers that come in generally in the amount of $25.00 (usually they want carpets or seats steamed or they have an SUV that adds to the cost)...

It has kept me going and I have gotten a some repeats from them... The big problem with these deals is the customer is generally the cheapskate type that will go where the bargains are and they don't tend to stay loyal to anything but the coupon... I have changed the mindset of a bunch though...
 
CrownKote said:
Dang! They wouldn't budge from the 55% mark for me... Ugh...

IDK if they were "fudging" the numbers or if they were going off of the tunnel wash type of deals...

I up sell about 50% of the customers that come in generally in the amount of $25.00 (usually they want carpets or seats steamed or they have an SUV that adds to the cost)...

It has kept me going and I have gotten a some repeats from them... The big problem with these deals is the customer is generally the cheapskate type that will go where the bargains are and they don't tend to stay loyal to anything but the coupon... I have changed the mindset of a bunch though...
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I think the 60/40 came from me saying no to them a couple of times - they kept pressing me and I told them the percentage was way to high.

Good to hear about the upselling - I think it will be somewhat easy to upsell an exterior -

I will have a customer form to fill out that will allow me to add them to a customer database and hopefully be able to offer them similar discounts in the future minus the 40% cut. Also I will offer 15% off a future cleaning/detail if they write a review of their experience. Im hoping this will shoot my review numbers up - and provide for future business even if they are just looking for a great deal.

Thanx for the great info man - getting an idea of what to expect is VERY nice to have :dblthumb2:
 
I'm doing one the first week of December...I'm doing a 3 month deal instead of the 6 Months.
 
FWIW I use Groupons all the time and I've found some really great deals and places to eat. I think as they get more popular, it won't just be the cheap people any more. With this economy everyone is looking to save money, but most still prefer top notch service.

Good luck
 
Jenn1270 said:
FWIW I use Groupons all the time and I've found some really great deals and places to eat. I think as they get more popular, it won't just be the cheap people any more. With this economy everyone is looking to save money, but most still prefer top notch service.

Good luck
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We use them too... Some customers tend to think that for the price that they pay their car will be better than new... The Groupons that we have run are for basic maint cleanings not paint corrections not interior restorations not show car prep and readiness... people don't think a lot of times when the purchase things and they also don't tend to read the "fine print"...
 
Sounds like a solid plan Anthony. I just checked out Groupon for the first time a second ago. The deal: Bowling!! Seriously, bowling? At least throw me some food deals. I can get excited about that. Me bowling looks like someone having a seizure with a 15 lb ball flailing about. Not good.
 
Good luck with the deal, Anthony! And congrats on getting a shop established! Haven't seen you around in a while.
 
Groupon sent me over the information to sign up with them in regards to running a deal. I'm still trying to figure out how to best run a deal without losing money. From what I understand, with Groupon you discount to the consumer 50%+, then off that discount rate Groupon takes almost another 50%. So if I run an ad based off normal priced service at $120 I'll just take home $30 it seems which will have to cover gas, supplies, and labor. Most of my clients tend to live at least 30-40 miles away from me so round trip I'm already spending 15-$20 in gas! I am fully mobile and just use the garage space at my house when a client must drop it off to me.

I'm curious as to how yall have run these deals in the past. My advertised rates on my website are based off of a $45/hr rate and just state the starting prices for a normal 4 door sedan. I don't want to run an ad based on these prices and then get stuck with a bunch of suv's and vans that will take double the work. Should I run the ad with 3 sets of prices consisting of 1 for regular sedans, 1 for regular trucks, suvs, and then 1 for large suburban types and extra large trucks? How do yall run these ads to account for all the various vehicles that require extra attention due to size?

On my website I advertise a polish and wax package starting at $160. This package consists of a wash & wax, interior detail, steam cleaning of carpets & upholstery, and a light engine bay cleaning. This is the package I'll probably use for a Groupon special.
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
Good luck with the deal, Anthony! And congrats on getting a shop established! Haven't seen you around in a while.
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Thanx man - it has been awhile - BEEN : :buffing::buffing::buffing:

Flash Gordon said:
Good luck buddy :)
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Pershiate it :)

sahrcar said:
Groupon sent me over the information to sign up with them in regards to running a deal. I'm still trying to figure out how to best run a deal without losing money. From what I understand, with Groupon you discount to the consumer 50%+, then off that discount rate Groupon takes almost another 50%. So if I run an ad based off normal priced service at $120 I'll just take home $30 it seems which will have to cover gas, supplies, and labor. Most of my clients tend to live at least 30-40 miles away from me so round trip I'm already spending 15-$20 in gas! I am fully mobile and just use the garage space at my house when a client must drop it off to me.

I'm curious as to how yall have run these deals in the past. My advertised rates on my website are based off of a $45/hr rate and just state the starting prices for a normal 4 door sedan. I don't want to run an ad based on these prices and then get stuck with a bunch of suv's and vans that will take double the work. Should I run the ad with 3 sets of prices consisting of 1 for regular sedans, 1 for regular trucks, suvs, and then 1 for large suburban types and extra large trucks? How do yall run these ads to account for all the various vehicles that require extra attention due to size?

On my website I advertise a polish and wax package starting at $160. This package consists of a wash & wax, interior detail, steam cleaning of carpets & upholstery, and a light engine bay cleaning. This is the package I'll probably use for a Groupon special.
Click to expand...

Im doing a full interior including all cracks, crevices, steaming of carpets and upholstery, leather, etc. Full Shabang Interior basically for 115 - small cars..... 125 mid sized..... and 135 Large Vehicles. This will be a 50% off and a 60/40 split in favor of B & B. That leaves 37.50 a ride on average. Doesnt seem like much - but it will keep my guys busy, create new contacts, and produce a little bit extra for the business account in the slow season. I will hopefully be taking care of my normal clients and have the manager of the shop and other employees taking care of the deal. If all goes well...... if is a big word here...... then B & B will somewhat profit, my guys survive the winter, and some regular clients will be produced. All in all I think it will be a good deal.
 
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