Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/918051
options. There's no reason to sell multiple vouchers to the same person if your goal is to attract regular clients who will pay your full fee (or benefit from your incentives). USE A REP Groupon has added another feature since I did my first deal in 2014. Now you can create your own deal online. As convenient as this may sound, you'll get better results working with a rep because you can customize your deal the way you want to, instead of being confined to a template. To get started, go to www.groupon.com/ merchant. You can submit an online contact form or call the number that appears as you scroll down the page. If you decide to call, do so shortly after they open or within 30 minutes of closing to minimize hold times. NEGOTIATE Once you get the ball rolling, you can go with whatever Groupon recommends, or negotiate. Honestly, I haven't negotiated much with Groupon because I didn't know you could when my campaigns were active. A rep recently told me that since massage deals sell so well, Groupon is willing to negotiate the split with independent massage businesses. If they won't agree to everything you ask for, it's likely they'll meet you somewhere in the middle as long as you stay firm. If the thought of having to negotiate scares you, don't worry. I've had great success using the other strategies mentioned in conjunction with the deal being offered. You can also assign a business director to communicate with Groupon on your behalf. KNOW THE PROCESS Having a clear idea of how the process works eliminates the fear of being caught off guard. In a nutshell: • Contact Groupon and explain what you want for your deal. • Once the initial details have been discussed, you'll receive an agreement by email. The agreement includes what the deal is for, your monthly maximum limit and maximum voucher sales for the entire campaign, the full offer value (your regular fee), amount paid (what customers pay Groupon), promotional value (the difference between full offer value and amount paid), promotional value expiration date (from purchase), remittance amount (your split), and the fine print. It also contains all the terms and conditions. Be sure you agree with and understand everything before you sign it so there are no surprises later. If there's anything you want to negotiate, this is the time to do it. • You'll also provide your banking information to receive automatic deposits. While the deal is active, you'll receive 80 percent of total sales 80 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k j a n u a r y / f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 8 twice per month from each sales cycle. Once your deal has paused/ended, you'll get the remaining 20 percent of each sales cycle twice per month until your compensation is complete. • After you sign the agreement, you'll get a campaign preview by email. You can edit the description and some of the other elements to read the way you want them to. You can also request a different photo (or you may be able to use one of your own if it's the right size and resolution). There may be a bit of back and forth here. When you're satisfied, click the approval button. Your deal should go live within a few days. • When Groupon clients come in for a massage, they may have a paper voucher or an electronic voucher on their phone. You can redeem the electronic vouchers instantly from their phone. Paper (or forgotten) vouchers are redeemed through your merchant center account. There's a mobile app, as well as a PC version. • Entering a tip amount within the merchant app does not charge the customer's credit card. Any additional spending has to be processed as you normally would.