Clean It Up

UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: clarkson on October 31, 2011, 09:01:35 am

Title: groupon strike
Post by: clarkson on October 31, 2011, 09:01:35 am

 hi
 well they have struck in Leicester, 29.00 for three bedrooms. lost 2 jobs already.

 worst is its one of my main competitors. only hope is he gets to busy with them and leaves me more customers.

 john
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: robert meldrum on October 31, 2011, 09:29:52 am
What's really worrying about Groupon is.............they are now getting greedy and marketing directly over the internet,  plus and this could be worse................they are placing adverts on Local Services Type web sites.

They are really presenting a major threat now and you ain't gonna stop them by claiming to be better trained or use better machinery because they have people in ALL categories using them.
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: fitz2kleen on October 31, 2011, 09:38:51 am
john

can you give me a call please mate

Marc
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: garry22 on October 31, 2011, 11:51:38 am
There's another danger here.

They are setting a price point in peoples' minds of £ 29.00
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: robert meldrum on October 31, 2011, 01:52:17 pm
I'm afraid it's a case of BLANKET MARKETING can make people act spontaneously..............a bit like the SMART marketers in all walks of life.

Grab their attention and give them a reason to call right away........Ain't rocket science and one of the regular posters on here has done it for years with success.
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: clinton on October 31, 2011, 02:46:15 pm
Thats a big yes with the price mindset and for people that have never had cleaning done before..
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Gary Humphreys on October 31, 2011, 04:04:15 pm
This Groupon thing will settle down eventually because in every town there are only so many carpet cleaners and the ones that try  Groupon will either be put out of business by it or be put off by working their nuts off for no profit.
Yes it may put a price in some peoples mind of £29 for 2 carpets but FFS how many people will actually believe that a professional tradesman will only charge £29 for their services.
And dont start thinking that because you didnt get a couple of telephone enquiries that its because of Groupon.
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Doug Holloway on October 31, 2011, 10:26:37 pm
Hi Guys

John, look on the brightside, when this guy is fully booked working for nothing, your bargaining position is strenthened.

Cheers

Doug
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: derek west on October 31, 2011, 10:34:39 pm
don't see the problem really, most of my customers want it done yesterday. good luck getting it done in that time scale with a groupon deal.
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Steve Gunn on November 01, 2011, 05:34:40 pm
Not cc related but the wife and her mates booked some Microdermabrasion through groupon normal price £360 down to £100 for 6 sessions, anyway picked her up and asked shop owner if it had worked for her.Her response was it was great she had spent a lot on advertising to get people through the door with little success groupon  been fantastic as lots of customers was a little taken back when I asked about how much groupon take she did not know as far as she is aware they don't get anything ::)
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: garry22 on November 01, 2011, 05:43:21 pm
No wonder she has had no success with her marketing. That's scary.
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: John Kelly on November 01, 2011, 06:13:14 pm
Whats that saying, theres one born every day. I think its a lot more than one.
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Neil Williams on November 01, 2011, 08:00:38 pm
when I asked about how much groupon take she did not know as far as she is aware they don't get anything ::)

OMG
Does she seriously not realise that what she thought was £100 will actually be nearer £40 after deducting vat and 50% sharing.......and it's normally £360
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Steve Gunn on November 01, 2011, 08:05:32 pm
when I asked about how much groupon take she did not know as far as she is aware they don't get anything ::)

OMG
Does she seriously not realise that what she thought was £100 will actually be nearer £40 after deducting vat and 50% sharing.......and it's normally £360

yep didn't have a clue
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: John Kelly on November 01, 2011, 08:32:15 pm
did you elighten her?
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: derek west on November 01, 2011, 08:50:24 pm
wonder how much britney will get ;D
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on November 01, 2011, 09:02:16 pm
I guess it depeds on what success she'd had with advertising, if she's spent £500 on advertising and got no response then that's worse than groupon.

Shaun
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Simon Gerrard on November 03, 2011, 07:40:30 pm
   
I wouldn't worry about it. In Southampton both companies that have done groupon have ended up going bust, so it's all good for their competitors. Groupon is the kiss of death for most.

Simon
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Steve Rothwell on November 03, 2011, 07:42:30 pm
Only 1 Simon

I still here only went bust for groupon not real customers.  :o :o

 ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Simon Gerrard on November 03, 2011, 07:51:35 pm
Hector,
You'd best check your website, someone's been telling your customers porkies. ;D

Simon
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Steve Rothwell on November 03, 2011, 07:54:53 pm
 ;D ;D ;D


not the main website, most of the views before I used it for groupon were in USA Russia and China
 ??? ???
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Simon Gerrard on November 03, 2011, 08:04:58 pm
Hector,
Christ, I thought it was your main site and you were telling the whole to gtf ;D
just no more groupon, eh?
Simon
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Paul H on November 03, 2011, 08:15:22 pm
i play most of my golf through groupon deals...what next builders giving it build 2 houses for the price of 1 on groupon?
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Steve Rothwell on November 03, 2011, 08:18:44 pm
That is it mate No more groupon






ever









ever













ever
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Simon Gerrard on November 03, 2011, 08:19:44 pm
Oh, do stop being such a wimp, do another hundred, you know you want to ;D
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Steve Rothwell on November 03, 2011, 08:36:09 pm
as this is a public forum (well moderators watch things) I shall refrain from my immediate response...










but the response does involve spherical objects  ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Neil Williams on November 03, 2011, 09:56:35 pm

I wouldn't worry about it. In Southampton both companies that have done groupon have ended up going bust, so it's all good for their competitors. Groupon is the kiss of death for most.

That's going to happen in Reading too unless it's a master plan just to get into homes in order to hard sell to the unsuspecting customer.
110 sq/ft for £19

110 sq/ft is nothing...... an 11 ft x 10 ft room :o

On the subject of dodgy people I had Enterprise working two doors down from where I was working yesterday.

Just when are Trading Standards actually going to do something about these hard selling dodgy characters, and yes I do include those who use groupon to 'fool' people just so they can get through the door.
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: jasonl on November 03, 2011, 10:14:20 pm
The vast majority of Groupon customers I deal with are not fooled , they WANT us in the door , they WANT  to try a cc company for little cost or risk , they ask me to quote other works and expect to pay good fair money for it.     I have owrked in the finest homes in Sheffield for the past 3 weeks , customers like the lack of risk, they love deals . They are no mugs ,most own or operate businesses of their own , or are retired people who used to own or operate businesses, they know it is a foot in the door , and just want to get to know a carpet cleaner. Out of 46 jobs completed , I have had 3 rough skanks, a small price to pay.
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: AshWhite on November 03, 2011, 10:24:27 pm
Jason, just mailed you re: something totally unrelated to this thread  :)
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on November 03, 2011, 10:26:57 pm
A well known restaurant in Sheffield has just done Groupon and they stated a 3 course meal for a cheap price soup to start, most mains, ice cream for 3rds, if while you are there you fancy changing your meal then you pay for the upgrade which as aimed at the starter and dessert, is that classed as upselling or bait and switch?

To understand Groupon you need Jason to show his rules on pricing based on his Groupon deal.

Shaun
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Neil Williams on November 03, 2011, 10:42:15 pm
To understand Groupon you need Jason to show his rules on pricing based on his Groupon deal.

Jason got it right and I don't have an issue with him over it.
The issue I have is that 99% of the service industry who get involved in groupon have to heavily upsell or go bust or die trying to keep up with the work. Look at the example Steve Gunn put on here or what Hector has said about his experience.
I don't classify restaurants as the service industry, they are knocking out a product where people are being paid to work there wether 10 customers come in or 100 come in. They are still being offered a 3 course meal which if they deviate off the set meal (which they can produce on mass) means you have to pay more for (fair enough).......that's totally different to a carpet cleaner turning up to do a £29 clean knowing all too well he has to sell sell sell to make any money. That is what I have a problem with. 
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on November 03, 2011, 11:20:11 pm
I agree that restaurants calculations are different there are far far more that go under than carpet cleaners ever will their overheads and on goings are totally different.

Understanding groupon and how to master it is more important but with focus the principles are simular, it is IMO a glorified free room offer the real trick is how to make the service mouth watering enough for customers to buy add ons the £28 (or what ever) is irrelivant, if I were to do it (which I am not!) I would have a dedicated website with details of what you get and all the extras you may want to add a bit like a menu (pun intended)

Shaun
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: wynne jones on November 04, 2011, 12:51:38 am
What I don't understand (I haven't looked into it) is can you somehow dictate the type of customer you get? If  I do a free room Joe Polish stylie it's highly targeted, even street level. You can't do that with Groupon, or can you?
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Mr Dvae on November 04, 2011, 05:17:26 am
Just what the industry needs (groupon that is) it will generate interest in the carpet cleaning industry and create new customers, my phone has rung already with groupon customers and i hav't even advertised with them well done groupon. Groupon are only scratching a very tiny proportion of the potential market and doing what we should be doing, promoting our industry. If anything they will create customers not lose them.

Dave

We welcome competition.
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: AshWhite on November 04, 2011, 09:00:27 am
Courtesy of the WC side:

Http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15574954
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Dennis on November 04, 2011, 10:28:46 am
I like it!

The numbers - which at first were found to have understated operating losses by $120m, and later to have inflated revenue by $400m - sent jitters through investors, forcing Groupon to offer a discount deal of its own by cutting the company's IPO value by almost half.

Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Simon Gerrard on November 04, 2011, 01:14:01 pm
Groupon called us the other day so my wife quizzed him. In the end the guy all but admitted that groupon wasn't really for carpet cleaners because of the long repeat time before people want it done again. Different ball game for nail and hair jobs etc where you can recoup your losses a lot more quickly, with a lot less risk of people forgetting you. Also admitted that it had been the kiss of death for many in our trade. :o

Simon
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: AshWhite on November 04, 2011, 01:44:53 pm
Bet your wife is fun to live with Simon ;P
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: Shaun_Ashmore on November 04, 2011, 04:32:22 pm
I know Jason has done ok/well out of it I think it's down to how you plan the jobs and upsell to the customer offering extras at value, cleaners with the most to lose are ones which already have customers.

Shaun
Title: Re: groupon strike
Post by: cannon on November 04, 2011, 09:51:43 pm
I can imagine this will be happening a lot, a fella local to me was doing a groupon 2 rooms £26.

http://www.gumtree.com/p/business-services/2-rooms-any-size-carpet-cleaned-for-26/88863569

 Here he is again the advert says 65% off, but i can quite imagine this is his normal rate,