Online Personals Watch: News on the Online Dating Industry and Business

Old-style Matchmaking Supplies A Personal Touch

THE INQUIRER -- Nov 5 -- Great Date Now is a matchmaking company with 10 offices along the East Coast. Premier Match is another matchmaking company with an office in Philadelphia which has seen its clientele almost double, from about 1,000 clients in 2003 to nearly 2,000 in 2008. Premier Match offers yearlong contracts that start at $4,500 but go as high as $50k. For Great Date Now, the range is between $600 and $10,000. Premier Match matches people based on intuition, details about a client's lifestyle, and a client's energy levels. Most matchmaking companies - Great Date Now and Premier Match included - avoid showing clients photographs.  "About 50 to 60% of the marriages we have arranged wouldn't have happened if people had seen pictures first," said Great Date Now's owner Gary Ferone.

The full article was originally published at The Inquirer, but is no longer available.

Mark Brooks: If you're interested in this side of the dating industry check out the Matchmaking Industry Pre-conference on Jan 21st in Miami, just before iDate. (Full Disclosure: The Internet Dating Conference is a client of Courtland Brooks)

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Matchmaking Service - Great Date Now

THE JOURNAL NEWS -- Oct 28 -- The U.S. online dating market made $649 million in 2006. The number of Internet users who browsed dating sites dropped for the 3rd time in 4 years, according to Jupiter Research. Each Great Date Now office has a matchmaker, who spends an hour getting to know the client, and follows up with conversations after each date. Matchmakers do background checks. The founder met his wife on Match.com after spending hours online every night and a year dating women who didn't quite match their profiles. Great Date Now has nine locations in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. Brings in $200,000+ a month, and spends $100k-$150k a month on advertising.

Mark Brooks: The initial sales interview at matchmaking services typically lasts an hour. In that time they interview, sell and close the client candidates. A key differentiator for matchmaking services such as The Right One is that they reduce the number of surprises at first dates by authenticating people's looks, identities, marital status, and clean crimial record. How is your internet dating service helping singles reduce the 'surprise factor'?

What's Old is New Again: Matchmakers

PR NEWSWIRE -- Dec 19 -- Great Date Now is a professional matchmaking service in New York and Connecticut. Personalized introductions from a matchmaker who cares is the preferred method of dating for today's busy professional.  Services include interviewing and screening all prospective clients, selecting appropriate potential partners, arranging dates, gathering client feedback, and then refining the search.

Mark Brooks: I'd love to see more service unisons between real world matchmakers and online dating companies.  There's a natural affinity here. Who will figure it out first?