Aloha,
As Groupon promotional vouchers start to expire, I am faced with a greater challenge than anticipated. While I carefully planned the amount of vouchers sold so I could fulfill them all, there are more vouchers left to redeem than I have the capacity to take on… Please read below to find out how to book some of the appointments still open.
In case you get overwhelmed with online scheduling, I am finding that emails and text message are much more efficient to help you schedule your session. While massaging and in between sessions, I simply cannot play phone tag as it only lengthens the process of booking. This is why I installed the first-come/first-serve online booking mechanism in the first place. It has worked very well. It does not discriminate between regular and promotional patients (service options are for billing purpose only). I sincerely apologize if I have yet to return one or more of your phone calls.
Furthermore, I am both a Groupon merchant and a Groupon user. Becoming a merchant gave me some new perspective on the pros and cons of embracing the daily deal culture. When Groupon approached me, the sales representative initially offered to sell 900 massages over a period of six months. I refused as it was greatly over estimating my ability to schedule so many massages. We settle for 400 massages which was a much more reasonable number (less than 70 Groupon massages a month, 15-20 massages a week).
What I did not anticipate as much was the fact that people waited until the end of the promotion to redeem the voucher (just as I do with the Groupons I purchase). That habit works for restaurants or products/services that can be redeemed in bulk; however, massage is a one voucher at a time service.
I also realized that many Groupon buyer bought my deal without looking into what they were buying. The Groupon page and my website are pretty clear that I am a male therapist and I currently do not have a staff. I continue to get requests for multiple appointments at the same time and female therapist treatments. I initially thought that I could bring on a female therapist to partner and fulfill those requests. This idea was sadly shut down by the financial math of it.
I realized as well that most Groupon buyers have no idea that Groupon typically takes 50% of the service or product they pay for. The math is simple: You purchase a discounted service $49 instead of $100. You pay Groupon $49 and Groupon pays the merchant $24.50. Operational costs (i.e. $10 room rental, $2 lotion, $2 sheets, etc) have then to be deducted from Groupon’s payment. I candidly thought that gratuities would help make up for some of the loss… While many Groupon patients were generous, the majority did not tip and it basically scared away any potential female therapist deal.
My decision to offer a Groupon promotion was an investment to showcase my work, build new relationships and convert many into regular patients. As time runs out, I feel like I will miss an opportunity to meet many of you that could have really benefited from my treatment. I am working on a solution to convert Groupon Vouchers into Gift Certificates redeemable within the next year (If interested email groupon@epanui.com so I can get in touch with you).
I am thankful for the responses I received through Groupon’s feedback engine. 100% would recommend my services. I am energized to continue on and work on improving my operational processes to serve you better.
Looking forward to see you soon,
Arnaud
