Groupon deals

[sjayp]

Grr I'm really not happy at the moment, theres only 2of us in my area offering Hd brows, but with the groupon deals,she is selling this treatment at a stupid price on a regular basis. I paid a lot of money to do this course, but how can I compete with this, I'm a one man band so would not be able to offer this, even though I'm busy with other treatments,I would like more hd clients, any advice would be appreciated

 

[izzidoll]

I would take consolation in the fact that for every HD client you do, then your competition has to do at least 4 to make the same profit.
Wait it out, she can't keep using this as a loss leader for long.

 

[sjayp]

Thanks for a quick reply, I did think this, but she's does this offer a lot, it do annoy me though.

 

[angelina221]

I would contact Hd Brows as I'm sure they would not be happy about this as it cheapens the brand!

 

[Unreal]

If she herself is one man band, there is no way she'll be able to sustain this. It's been proven that Groupon does not get you repeat clients. The only way you can make any decent money out of it is to upsell something else when you get them through your door - either products or services at full price. Most people who use Groupon are very savvy and they know this and they don't tend to buy the full price offerings. Hang in there and get creative with your own services. Maybe offer HD Brows at full price with a half price spray tan or other treatment?

Liz

 

[phatgirl18]

Why don't you consult with groupon and see if they offer good deals for you too. Bring in a good competition.

 

[dylanpops]

as said before in a previous post these offers don't always bring you repeat custom. i have tried various offers at my salon (not on groupon) and found them not to work out for me. maybe something like a loyalty card, ie 5 treatments with your 6th free or recommend 3 friends and receive a free treatment. the amount of treatments they have before they redeem their freebie is up to you. this way you keep your customers and maybe get new ones without having to give lots of treatments at low cost. the free treatments could be for something the clients don't have already which is another way to introduce them to other services you offer. overall though i think the quality of your services and your reputation should win out and thats from my personal experience of a groupon offer.

 

[louisenewell]

Ok,I'm NOT a beauty therapist but a nail technician....anyway i will tell you a little about my experience when i done an offer using groupon.....

YOU DON'T MAKE A PENNY OUT OF IT!!!

As already stated,hun, you don not get ANY repeat clients....you get lots of complaints of clients wanting refunds.....trying to book in when their voucher has expired.....generally trying to get more "free" work out of you then is included in the offer.....

Yes you get a stampede of clients BUT these are NOT loyal clients...these are clients that WILL travel miles for a cheap/freebie deal and will do their best to not spend a penny more...these are clients that would NEVER indulge in a luxury high quality service...and in turn DO NOT appreciate your talent

and also.....she WONT be making a PENNY out of her offer....groupon tell you that you need to offer your deal at least 60% off(least thats what they told me)...AND THEY TAKE 50% OF THE OFFER PRICE....PLUS YOU HAVE TO BE TAX ON VOUCHERS REDEEMED...so if she is offering a treatment at say £15...she will only get paid out £7.50 from that BEFORE THE TAX...

I WILL NEVER do a groupon again....i have had nothing but grief,rude clients and time wasters out of it....More fool her...she will wake up and smell the coffee....really hun...dont stress it...

 

[LyndaM]

I did a Groupon earlier this year....

I would say that approx 3/10 have become clients. However the remaining7/10 clients are
not the type of client i would wish on my worst enemy... As stated in the other post they really are out for as much as they can get out of you.

In hindsight i looked on it as a form of advertising which worked for me.

Although I did have some shocking clients, fungal infections, people with false vouchers, booked then didn't turn up and in the last week tried to rebook! (i kept all numbers against voucher numbers to cross reference them with a name), the ones who turned up late etc. The abusive yeller's who couldn't get what they wanted...i really do not respond well to being yelled at, afraid i'm rather stubborn and dig my heels in more to that kind of thing...

I received 60% If you decide to go ahead LIMIT YOUR NUMBERS!!!, BE VERY STRICT ABOUT THE APPOINTMENTS . i.e so many slots per week etc ***PLUS CHOOSE A QUICK TREATMENT OR SINGLE TREATMENT*** Good luck and hope it works for you x

 

[Mbzh]

I wouldn't worry about it even though it is really annoying that she is cheapening the service. Like other posters have said she is not making money from these treatments and is putting herself at a loss and sooner or later she is going to realise this.

Look at it in another way the clients going to her are only after a discounted service, most of them have no intention of booking in again and are most probably on their next discount search. You want loyal clients who respect the work you do and respect the fact that you are running a business not a charity. So hang in there, it will get better :hug:

 

[Dolly6410]

2 of my local salons offer HD brows and one is quite alot cheaper than the other, but the more expensive one has put pictures of models on their website, facebook page and advertisment flyers, seeing their work would def sway me towards the more expensive place, maybe you could do this? or do an offer on the treatment like 'first treatment £**, follow up treatments carried out in ** weeks of first treatment only £**', when people ask i always say that eyebrows are a form of art and not just anyone should be trusted with them :wink2: i said this to a client once and now shes paranoid about going anywhere else incase they mess them up lol x

 

[babyelephant29]

dont waste your time doing a groupon deal!.......... as stated above, you dont make a penny!.......... groupon were pestering me to do a permanent make up offer on there ages ago.......... they wanted me to put it on at £120! they take half leaving me with £60 it costs about £40 to do a treatment and then you have to pay vat!!!.......... they also expected me to do the top up within the price!!!!!!.........so working it out id be spending 3hrs with each client for about £5!!!!! no chance!!!!
to be honest when i see groupon deals it just makes me assume (rightly or wrongly) that the companies offering things at such a low price are desperate for business.
i wouldnt buy a groupon deal if my life depended upon it!
stick it out hun, they will soon get tired of working for no money! xx

 

[andrea27]

louisenewel I completely agree with your post. In my experience most of our groupon clients were late - but still accept to have the full treatment, or lots of them don't even show up because they know they can rebook.
Most of them travel miles and miles so there is no way they will come back to your salon unless you have another deal on.
Please don't do it and rather make your own deal/discount. You will do yourself a favour. I really don't like these groupon/kgb deals, they attract the wrong type of clients.

 

[Tan Envy]

A really good article about Groupon in general:

Will Groupon Really Boost Your Local Business? | Social Media Examiner

 

[Suzanne1118]

I know I'm going against everything when I say this but groupon worked great for me, however I would not do it again as I now have a very loyal client base. I had only opened my salon and for me it was advertising well spent, it put me on the map. You dont make money from it but it is a way of advertising.

I did an eyebrow wax for €5 and capped it at 200 people for 6 months. As it only takes up a small amount of time I could still fit all my full paying clients in!

However, the reason I would not do it again is because I am now on the map, have my loyal customers and I would not be able to fit everyone in if I done this now. Also, now that everyone knows the salon, it would make us look cheap. :Love:

 

[Bijoux]

I hate group on deals we use them in the salon I work although I do think it is a good way to get you on the map when starting up but you have to be prepared to keep selling deals to these customers as they all want a deal!!