All these Groupon experts who have never done a Groupon deal , probably never spoken to a Groupon rep, or visited their vendor site.
To answer the questions asked .
Yes you can negotiate with Groupon , I was ready when the work came in , printed sheets detailing costs for extra work , stairs at £2 each equalled £26-30 on most jobs , upholstery at £20/ seating position on many jobs , fliers with the same offer ( but no groupon commission) a pile given to every customer , solutions spotter given away on every job , and 100% effort put into each job.
The key to getting the deal done is getting past and manipulating the Groupon compliance system.
They work on the basis of vendors offering massive discounts over normal retail prices, 70,80,90 % off I had a quickie website built with high prices on it , effectively setting up a new cleaning company just for the purpose of Groupon , these prices were the ones used to calculate the Groupon discounts. Compliance at their head office quickly passed the deal this way.
The small print must be firm and concise, some of my conditions were , no furniture , no rooms over 12m2 , no stairs , nothing over 2nd floor, etc , this removes most awkward/ time consuming jobs.
I did turn a profit , kept busy during a quiet time , and have retained some very good customers with large/multiple properties, including 2 lettings agents who send work my way every month. .
On the face of it , it does look like a suicide mission , but for me it was a lifeline.