Top 20 questions to ask a potential Matchmaker: Make sure they are the right “match” for you!

woman interviews a matchmaker on the phone
So you’ve found a certified matchmaker in your area, but you have no idea what to do next or what to expect when you meet with them? I’m here to help! Remember that the process of working with a matchmaker puts you in the driver’s seat of your love life alongside a supportive, encouraging, and knowledgeable guide, but you have to make sure you ask the right questions to get the right match. The initial phone call you made is one of the most proactive steps you can take. A great matchmaker should quickly put you at ease, and ask a few basic questions to evaluate if they are the right person for you to work with. Be prepared to answer questions like-- How did you find out about our service? Have you been married before? What are your relationship goals? Read more

Thinking Of A Career Change? Use New Year’s Eve To Test Your Matchmaking Potential

Be a matchmaker with friends on new years
Only five days until we ring in the New Year! How will you be spending your night? If you have been toying with the idea of becoming a matchmaker, New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to make it happen.

Here’s why:

New Years Eve is party central. Singles will be out at these parties feeling alone, but also festive and open. They will be looking their best, ready to have fun, and feeling friendly. These gatherings are a prime time to chat up enough people to build your database. Building a database is one of the first, and most important, tasks you will need to accomplish when starting your matchmaking business. Having an extensive database of singles to work from is imperative. Without a database you are not able to take on paying clients; you would have no one to match them up with! For new matchmakers the prospect of creating a database from scratch seems like a big undertaking, but with the right approach you can build most, if not all, of your database on New Years Eve alone.

Here’s how to make it happen:

Before the party… Know who you are looking for. If you want to work with male clients (clients are the individuals who pay for your matchmaking services), then I recommend you start off with a strong database of 30 single women. To take on female clients you will need to recruit 30 single men. If you are interested in working with both genders your database should begin with 20 men and 20 women. Once you decide on the gender of your clientele, you also need to pinpoint an age group. It is much easier to say you will match people age 20-30 than 20-80. By narrowing your market you will ensure that there are enough options in your database for your clients. You will also be able to target appropriate singles when recruiting for your database. At the party… “Are you single? I have really great people to introduce you to, can I get your information and we can talk after the New Year?” You could also say something along the lines of, “I don’t know if you are single, but I am getting into matchmaking and am looking for people to introduce to my clients.” If you have more time you can get into lengthier conversations with people, but don’t get caught in a half-hour long conversation with someone about his crazy ex-girlfriend! You will lose precious time that you could have spent meeting multiple other people. The name of the game is to talk with as many people as possible. Feeling nervous? Use your role as a matchmaker to spark your bravery. Before I was a matchmaker I was extremely shy and hated talking to people I didn’t know. My identity as a matchmaker is what made me more confident than I ever imagined I could be. I found that people loved talking to me about their relationship status, and were flattered that I wanted them to be part of my database. Don’t make the same mistake I did! Get everyone’s contact information! Don’t hand out your business card and expect people to get in touch with you. I learned the hard way most people wouldn’t always follow up when I gave them my card. By getting their contact information I was able to reach out to them myself after the party. Got 30 names, but don’t know what to do next? If you find that you were a natural at the party, and want to learn more about running a successful matchmaking business, we have a weekend long Live Training on January 23rd at the Matchmaking Institute. This training is an amazing opportunity for matchmakers of all experience levels. Visit the Matchmaking Institute website for details. Sign up to secure your spot today! Twitter: @MatchSchool Facebook: Matchmaking Institute

#AskPatti: Matchmaker help on a budget, first date outfits, non-negotiables & more!

Ask Patti Stanger
Hello, my loves! I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with food, fun and lots of love. Personally, my holiday was a little too much food and the perfect amount of fun and love. I really have so much to be thankful for this year and it’s so nice that a big part of the holiday season is appreciating the year that’s just past. Enough with the mushy gushy stuff and on to this week’s #AskPatti questions! Read more

Can I work with a client who is “separated”?

Can a matchmaker work with a client that is separated?
Wondering if you could give me your opinion on this Lisa-- I am a matchmaker, and from time to time get a client who is separated from their spouse, but not divorced yet. How do you handle clients that are separated? Do you work with them? Wondering what the industry standard is. 
Read more

The Benefits of Working with a Certified Matchmaker

I mention the benefits of working with a Certified Matchmaker often, so I want to take some time to explain why working with matchmakers that are certified is so beneficial.

A little back story:

When I left my career in social work to become a matchmaker, I found a huge gap in the matchmaking industry in terms of support, networking, and industry standards. As a social worker I was used to attending conferences, taking advantage of ongoing training opportunities, and having a network of peers and co-workers to consult with on a daily basis. In my new career none of this was available to me. I had to learn on the fly, and made many mistakes along the way. To amend this, I co-founded the Matchmaking Institute in 2003, two years after starting my matchmaking company VIP life.  I am proud to say that the institute is the first state licensed school for matchmakers with an approved curriculum. The Matchmaking Institute offers a professional matchmakers trade association, matchmaking workshops, and a yearly world-wide professional Matchmakers and Date Coaches Conference.  Read more