match makers

NORWELL -- In Paul Falzone's world, love truly is a battlefield -- and, lately, it's been a war of bricks versus clicks.

The following information in this article should be exactly what you are looking for and I hope it helps you.

As CEO of Norwell-based The Right One and Together Dating, with 60 locations nationally (currently, more than any other off-line chain) under two separate brand names, Falzone has achieved $40 million in revenue for 2003 and 125,000 members by serving singles the old-fashioned way -- through traditional brick-and-mortar offices that provide personalized screening and matching of members facilitated by trained match makers.

The company recently moved its headquarters to Norwell, after many years in Hingham, doubling its space to 6,200 square feet. Falzone currently employs 300 trained match makers nationally (40 in Massachusetts) and projects revenue growth of between 5 percent and 10 percent this year.

Apart from personal ads and independent match makers, his was a model that went largely unchallenged until the arrival of online dating services in the mid-1990s. These days, the success and sheer volume of sites -- Falzone estimates there are about 2,500 at this point, including heavy-hitters Match.com and Yahoo Personals -- is a major point of concern for off-line chains like his.

"Our market share over the past few years has dropped between 10 percent and 20 percent, depending on what part of the country you are in, due to the online companies' growth," he admits.

And his situation is not unique, according to a study published in April by Tampa, Fla.-based Marketdata Enterprises Inc. The study suggests that while the dating service industry is on target to earn $1.08 billion in 2004, most of the growth is being felt by the online companies.

The rather unromantic reality, says study co-author John LaRosa, is that while off-line chains do have enduring consumer appeal because of an "in-person" approach that promotes careful screening and background checks, both their operational costs and the cost of the match makers service itself (Falzone's rates range from $2,000 to $5,000) are disadvantages.

For the 47-year-old, happily married Falzone, it's a stark reminder of how much the industry has evolved from where it was 15 years ago -- pre-America Online and the explosion of TV dating shows.

*cont dating service

This information was a culmination from many different places and resources. You should never just believe one resource and you should study a subject from a few different perspectives.

match makers

More match makers articles: