[Steve Rothwell]

 


not the main website, most of the views before I used it for groupon were in USA Russia and China
 

[Simon Gerrard]

Hector,
Christ, I thought it was your main site and you were telling the whole to gtf
just no more groupon, eh?
Simon

[Paul H]

i play most of my golf through groupon deals...what next builders giving it build 2 houses for the price of 1 on groupon?

[Steve Rothwell]

That is it mate No more groupon






ever









ever













ever

[Simon Gerrard]

Oh, do stop being such a wimp, do another hundred, you know you want to

[Steve Rothwell]

as this is a public forum (well moderators watch things) I shall refrain from my immediate response...










but the response does involve spherical objects 

[Neil Williams]

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

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.

[jasonl]

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.

[AshWhite]

Jason, just mailed you re: something totally unrelated to this thread 

[Shaun_Ashmore]

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

[Neil Williams]

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. 

[Shaun_Ashmore]

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

[wynne jones]

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?

[Mr Dvae]

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.

[AshWhite]

Courtesy of the WC side:

http://Http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15574954

[Dennis]

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.

[Simon Gerrard]

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.

Simon

[AshWhite]

Bet your wife is fun to live with Simon ;P

[Shaun_Ashmore]

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

[cannon]

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,