Do you Groupon?

I promised a blow-by-blow description and report of my Groupon experience, and here we go!

I have only been aware of Groupon as a consumer for about 2 weeks or so. The first day that I checked it out (at my PR Guru's suggestion - thank you MJ from the bottom of my heart!!) (Just WAIT til you meet her in our webinar!), I filled out the online form for more info and a callback. I wanted in on this cool advertising promo vehicle! The next morning (impatient, I know) I called & got a hold of Lindsey Penfield (312-242-2029) who would become my accounts manager for my Groupon Deal of the Day.

Less than 2 weeks later, my ad ran for 24 hours, at no cost to me whatsoever. Lindsey kept me informed of all I'd need to know - how to track my progress and get the results reports from my deal, how I'd be paid, etc. She is great! (She is an accts mgr for Arizona, but she invited me to share her direct # above with you. She would be happy to speak with you and put you in touch with the appropriate Groupon Team member... and promises only to refer you to the most fun and friendly on their staff! )

I got 180 new clients directly from Groupon. They started using my online booking calendar immediately to book their appointments, and I am SLAMMED! I thought my schedule was full. Now I am F-U-L-L. Here's the basic facts + MORE:

My offer: (click on the photo to see the actual ad - they are funny at Groupon, that's their gimmick) A Demi Diva Lash FX Lash Extensions Set (35-45 lashes per eye) for $35 ($75 value), plus 10% off their first 2 week touch-up and an aftercare LashCare Kit. Also an option to UPGRADE to a Full Glam Set (60-90 lashes per eye) for an additional $75 at the spa.

180 were sold - my deal 'tipped' at 7:30AM. (You set a minimum. My minimum was 20, or the deal was not on. I hoped for 50 - I secretly wished for 200 - almost!!!) The Deal was on. the online calendar was hopping - my Blackberry kept pinging! The telephone at the spa was ringing off the hook! The discussion board linked to my ad was moving into 5th gear.

The Deal ended at midnight and I was able to access my groupon report page to see who had bought & how many, etc. It also shows their Groupon authorization code numbers, so you can distinguish/avoid reprints, etc. The next day I did 10 clients - 6 established + 4 Groupon new clients. Yesterday I did 10 clients too (only 2 were established. 2 were new/no Groupon and the rest were Groupon/new). Sunday (tomorrow) I do 11 clients!!! (2 will be established touch-ups; the remaining 9 will be new/Groupon clients)

I will get paid my percentage of the deal from Groupon in 3 installments. You pay NOTHING for the amazing exposure to subscribers, daily lurkers and to all the people that get the Groupon forwarded to them from friends that might think they need to know about this deal! About 20% are upgrading to the Full Glam set, so I am making better money on those sets. There are already an extra 6 people that called - they missed the deal, or do not like purchasing online, etc. I honored the deal, except it all gets paid directly to me. I expect there still to be a few more of these over the next week or so.

In the Phoenix Metro area, there are about 70,000 subscribers (guaranteed to see my ad - great exposure, even if the deal did not tip! I made sure to have before/af pics in the ad and links to our booking calendar, website, etc). InChicago (where Groupon originated) they have more like 250,000 subscribers. Groupon has been getting national media attention on shows like The Today Show, CNN & more.

Here's the math: I will receive over $3000 (plus gratuities, plus upgrades possibly) to have 180+ clients walk into my shop for a 45 minute service. Its my job to awesomely ROCK their beauty outlook & turn them into regular clients - at my prices, that means $625+ OR $1125+ PER CLIENT annually. If I do my job, my annual income just went up between $28750-$35000. I will ask them to refer me to their friends to keep the circle of life rolling - we all know that some will continue; some will drop off the books.

Groupon was pleased with the outcome & they asked to run the deal again in 4 months - heck yeah. And we have a Massage therapy Deal slated to run before Mother's Day - they predict that one to do 3-5 times better than this one. (Please refer any massage therapists looking for work to me! ha ha)

So, there had been only one other eyelash extensions groupon run before mine - in the Dallas area - they resulted a stronger number, but Dallas is so much more a beauty mecca than Gilbert, AZ.

Lastly, especially for those of you who consider yourselves newbies: How much faster/better and more finacially secure would you be if you had 180 guaranteed clients filling your eyelash extension book? It could single-handedly build your portfolio AND your book. The collection of before/after pics will also be great - what a photo album "look book"!

You do not pay for the advertisement, as you do in print or online advertising. You reach subscribers (their demographics are exactly who you want to target); not spamming people or running ads that may or may not be seen. You pay for  the success of the ad by doing those deals at a steep discount, yes, but between the upgrades and the gratuities, and your established clients, you are simply setting yourself up for success. For a short while (my expiration is 6 months, but only because I want it spread out only for that time frame), you are working harder. In this economy, I would be fine with working harder, as long as I am succeeding and setting myself up for better days.

Things to consider:
upgrade to Authentic Minks for an additional $XX
upgrade to a full set for an additional $XX
buy a gift certificate for a friend at XX% off, only available at the first visit
rebook at your first appointment for a free gift or XX% off
pre-pay for a 4-pack of touch-ups for $XX
add on a facial (or other service) for $XX
revitalash special, Instantly Ageless face Lift in a Bottle special (I sold two of these yesterday to Grouponers - no special)
... and more ideas to make the "deal visit" more lucrative, less a risk

I think I should stop now. This is our logest article to date. Please feel free to leave any comments, ask questions, etc.
Love ya/Lash ya,
jp