[jasonl]

Wait until this launches properly

http://bagthat.com/main/how_it_works.php

Customers bid - presumably low prices , for goods and services , the vendor then decides at what price he will fulfill the order , and all those who have bid at or above the offer price get to buy .
Thy launch properly in January , and they have big money backing , this, and sites like it  will be a whole new genre "social purchasing"   watch this space.

[AshWhite]

But the vendor decides the price?

[Colin Day]

They're all much of a sameness IMO. There's only ever one winner....

[jasonl]

The vendor decides what level to actually sell at , so he can choose how many units to fullfil .

[Jim_77]

Just holidays, spa weekends and a few end of line items on there at the moment... all things sold with a massive mark-up and frequently knocked out at slashed prices to shift them.

When's your deal going live Jason?

[Neil Williams]

Ah who cares.
Their all much the same and the word is getting around businesses now that getting involved with these things carries extremely high risks.
In the end it'll end up with the only sellers being 'newbies' to their business sectors whilst established ones will know how to bring in custom at a price that pleases everyone.

Don't we have a saying that goes something along the lines of 'buy cheap buy twice.' Just ask those passengers on that airline where half way through the journey they all had to go to a cashpoint to help refuel the plane in order to get home.

Buy cheap expect cheap.

[jasonl]

This one is not about cheap , its about marketing . The fullfilled deals are not sold cheap at all.

Ill  be trying to get on here for sure . Groupon has worked for me , of course if you are stacked out with quality work it is a bad thing , but me who was quiet , I have gained lots of new customers far easier than any other method previously used.

[Colin Day]

This one is not about cheap , its about marketing . The fullfilled deals are not sold cheap at all.

Ill  be trying to get on here for sure . Groupon has worked for me , of course if you are stacked out with quality work it is a bad thing , but me who was quiet , I have gained lots of new customers far easier than any other method previously used.

I'm finding repeat and referral customers are filling my diary at the moment. I'd have thought you'd have had plenty of them in your many years of carpet cleaning, Jason.

Can I ask, if Groupon hadn't  worked for you, would you have been forthcoming? You are the ONLY person I know of, who's made it work for our type of business.....

I still wouldn't bother joining Groupon. I know a guy in my area who put an advert in the paper "£10 a room carpet cleaning".... In 2 weeks he only had 2 enquiries. Most people accept that you get nothing, for next to nothing....

[robert meldrum]

In marketing it's all about NUMBERS so you will find a certain percentage ( hopefully just around 20% ) will use the " offers " leaving 80% who will " do what they did before "

What the c/c industry needs is the backing / support of TV Interior Designers, specifiers and manufacturers SELLING SOFT FLOOR COVERINGS

[jasonl]

This one is not about cheap , its about marketing . The fullfilled deals are not sold cheap at all.

Ill  be trying to get on here for sure . Groupon has worked for me , of course if you are stacked out with quality work it is a bad thing , but me who was quiet , I have gained lots of new customers far easier than any other method previously used.

I'm finding repeat and referral customers are filling my diary at the moment. I'd have thought you'd have had plenty of them in your many years of carpet cleaning, Jason.

Can I ask, if Groupon hadn't  worked for you, would you have been forthcoming? You are the ONLY person I know of, who's made it work for our type of business.....

I still wouldn't bother joining Groupon. I know a guy in my area who put an advert in the paper "£10 a room carpet cleaning".... In 2 weeks he only had 2 enquiries. Most people accept that you get nothing, for next to nothing....

I have started up and sold on 4 chemdry franchises , 3 independent cc businesses and one Heavens best franchise , so I am now looking again to build another CC business , though next year I will open my Shop as a dry cleaners/ laundry/ rug cleaning centre.

I think groupon worked for me because I fitted the jobs round my existing , I have literature to give to customers , my price was a little more than most  and my deal did not allow stairs , so most jobs brought in £26 extra immediately.

[from edge2edge]

Fair play to you Jason being able to make a silk purse out of a pigs ear(sure thats right but dont quote me).The other 99 per cent of us cant or wont make it work (i looked at it and was pursued for a while but couldnt make it work for me).............Alan

[clinton]

You are doing something right colin as you are getting repeat work mate..

[Simon Gerrard]

I don't think these gimmicks are a threat to any well established, well run business. I know that I'd rather spend my time filling my diary with full price paying customers.

Simon

[Ian Rochester]

Went to price a job today, this business lady subscribes to Groupon and we got talking about it and the £26 for two carpet deals that are going around.

Even she couldn't understand how anyone could make any money from working like that, half an hour later and after a cup of coffee and a good chat I walked away with a £288 job booked in the diary for next friday and a contented customer who knows that she will not be getting short changed for her cleaning needs.

[Neil Williams]

Even she couldn't understand how anyone could make any money from working like that, half an hour later and after a cup of coffee and a good chat I walked away with a £288 job booked in the diary for next friday and a contented customer who knows that she will not be getting short changed for her cleaning needs.

Yeh, for every customer who thinks they can pay cheap for a full and proper job, there's another one who knows you get nothing for nothing.

I've had a similar discussion with a few customers (potential & booked) and all seem to understand what will happen if you book a £26 clean.

There's somebody out there for everyone, wether it be £10 a room, buy one get one free, £1/sqm or £5/sqm and I know which is my prefered customer.

[John Milnes]

I don't think these gimmicks are a threat to any well established, well run business. I know that I'd rather spend my time filling my diary with full price paying customers.

I would second that.
Why are so many guys on here so concerned about customers who are out to get a bargain or even a cheap job? Groupon and soforth.

A very downward slope to chase gimmicks and probably the lower end of the market where the jobs are more difficult