THE NEW YORK TIMES — Sep 30 — People burnt out by the lies and lack of privacy found on dating sites are turning to one of this country’s 1,600 matchmakers who prescreen potential matches and focus on long-term compatibility rather than short-term chemistry. Mark Brooks of Online Personals Watch has pointed out that the problem for matchmakers has always been casting a wide enough net; for online sites the problem has been narrowing the pool. He advised both to find common ground. The latest crop of hybrids (online dating sites that offer matchmaking services) seems to suggest some are doing just that. Elove.com, one of the larger New York-area hybrid offerings, is an Internet service that gives each participant a 90-minute in-person interview, and then follows up with criminal background and marital status checks. Once approved, photographs and videos are taken and posted by the matchmaking service. Subscribers are then given a password to search elove’s database. FULL ARTICLE @ THE NEW YORK TIMES
Category: eLove
The Right One/Together Dating, Paul Falzone – CEO Interview
OPW INTERVIEW — Sep 28, 2007 — The Matchmakers Conference is happening right now. I interviewed Paul last August 2006. Here's my second interview with Paul Falzone of The Right One/Together Dating. – Mark Brooks
How quickly has The Right One/Together Dating been growing, and how does your growth compare to other matchmaking companies?
Over the last three years, our growth rate has been about 130%. We recently have been named to the Inc. 5000. Regionally, we’re the 31st fastest-growing, privately-owned company in the Boston area, according to the Boston Business Journal.
The industry, as a whole, is growing somewhat. Some internet dating services are shrinking and some are experiencing growth, but I don’t think anybody has had the exponential growth that we’ve been achieving. Quite frankly, our marketing is a key part of that and we’re constantly focused on new marketing ideas. We have a lot of internet marketing campaigns that have been giving us great multiple returns on our investment. I don’t know if a lot of the other matchmaking companies are as savvy or have the resources to be able to play in those fields.
What does The Right One/Together Dating do differently?
We have WIT and that’s the attitude we all need to keep. It’s called Whatever It Takes. All my people have it and it’s important that we do. We give great personal service. We keep our lines of communication open between our matchmakers and our members. It’s so important to hear what your members need and want and we’re constantly refining our membership, as a result of that. We want to make sure that the members are getting a great experience at any of our offices.
In how many cities is The Right One/Together Dating?
We’re in approximately 60 cities nationwide. There certainly are different markets that have their challenges, but we’ve had great success over the last few years and we’re continuing it. We just did our first and second quarter numbers and they’re tracking very closely to last year. Maintaining the growth and the margins that we’ve had is a goal of ours and achieving that goal is important to us.
How come other internet dating companies haven’t tried to launch matchmaking companies?
They have and they found out it’s not that easy to do. Even Match.com is trying to do it these days and I don’t know how successful it is. I haven’t heard a whole lot from them about their matchmaking company. Maybe it’s just my personal opinion, but if you’re not hearing a lot about it, I don’t know how successful it really is. You would think that if it was really successful for them, they would be beating the drums a lot more. I think it’s a very, very difficult area for people who aren’t used to matchmaking to jump into. It’s a totally different type of business model and once they start getting involved with it they realize, “Wow, this is so much different than just getting costs per clicks and my numbers up.” There’s a lot to making sure these people are very happy and achieving the success that they’re looking for.
What can other internet dating companies do to partner with The Right One/Together Dating?
We are more than willing to partner with dating sites for lead generation and we have partnered with a few companies. It just has to be a win-win situation for both companies. It’s as important that the internet companies are successful partnering with us as we are with them. We’ve recently been doing some things with a company called Loveaccess, which has proven to be very significant and has worked out well for us.
I understand you’ve been doing some lead generation. How has that been working out?
We have. We’ve partnered up with a few other people out there to do lead generation and, quite frankly, it’s done really well. We’re watching which online companies are giving us the best lead generation and will focus more on the better ones and hope to form tighter relationships with them. We’re looking at bringing some of these companies under our wing and building out a larger, better Right One/Together and eLove.
eLove, by the way, is our hybrid. It contains a physical location component where you go in and spend approximately 90 minutes with a trained matchmaking counselor. We check criminal background records and divorce decrees on everybody. Once everything has been okayed and the individuals decide to join, they are put into the system and given a password. They then go into the site themselves, enter their criteria, and find their match. It’s a hybrid of online and offline services and it’s one of the first of its kind.
What are your goals for The Right One/Together Dating for 2007 through 2008?
Over the next 12-18 months, we’re in an acquisition mode. We’re talking seriously to an online company right now about bringing them under our wing. We’re also looking at expanding our offline exposure and we’ve got another company that we’re serious about partnering up with along those lines, as well.
In the next 6-12 months, I think you’re going to see a couple of mergers coming through that will bring our already-strong numbers up exponentially. I just want to look and take the best of the best that’s out there and build a bigger and better company.
Matchmakers Conference Next Week
OPW — Sep 17 — The first ever Matchmakers Conference is happening next week Friday 28th September, and Saturday, with an optional Sunday matchmaker training session. The conference suits prospective matchmakers, current professional matchmakers and those interested in learning more about the matchmaking business. I'm doing the keynote sesssion "State of the Dating & Matchmaking Industry: Statistics, Trends & Market Overview." Dr Helen Fisher from Match.com/Chemistry.com, Paul Falzone from The Right One/Together Dating, Julie Paiva from Table For Six, Patrick Perrine from myPartner.com and many others will be presenting. See the program. Press, please call me at 212-444-1636 asap to arrange your press pass.
Don’t Overdo A First Vacation With Your Mate
MEDIA SYNDICATE — July 31 — When it comes to taking a first vacation with your date, less really is more. Paul A. Falzone, dating guru and CEO of The Right One, Together Dating, and eLove.com, suggests a 2-3 day mini-vacation over a more complicated, lengthy, and/or overseas one. He advocates planning the trip together, discussing budgets, and coming up with a daily game plan. And remembering the Trifecta rule of dating: Never talk about dogs, death, or dating.
The full article was originally published at Media Syndicate, but is no longer available.
Mark Brooks: Paul is one of a small number of genuine, time served matchmakers in the USA. He'll be talking at the Matchmakers Conference in September.
The Right One/Together Dating Growing Fast
PRESS RELEASE — June 10 — The Right One and Together Dating Service, has been named to the Boston Business Journal's elite Top 50 Fastest Growing Companies list. With 2006 revenue of $18.1 million, more than double that of 2003, The Right One and Together Dating captured 38th position on the BBJ's list. The company's revenue has grown at an average of $3.5 million annually since 2003. The Right One and Together Dating Service has four offices in Massachusetts, located in Norwell, Newton, Shrewsbury and Woburn. CEO Paul A. Falzone said, "We've experienced phenomenal growth over the last several years, due in part to increased consumer interest in traditional dating services over online dating services." Catering to 300,000+ members at 60 locations throughout North America, The Right One and Together Dating are the largest bricks and mortar dating services in the industry. FULL ARTICLE @ NEWSWIRE
Mark Brooks: Online dating companies need to monetize their communities ever more. One of the easiest ways to add significant revenue is to do lead generation for the top matchmaking outfits. They offer CPL’s (Cost Per Lead) in excess of $8.
Together, The Right One and eLove Merger
BUSINESS WIRE — Dec 14 — Mountains West will acquire Together Dating, The Right One (offline dating) and eLove.com (their online initiative). Together, The Right One and eLove has been a dominant player in the off-line dating business since 1974 and has a total of 59 physical office locations across the U.S. (24 corporate owned and 35 franchise locations). Paul A. Falzone, CEO of The Right One stated,"Our ROI for marketing expenditures has increased significantly because our cost per acquisition of new members has decreased greatly. We now compete for leads with the online services because our conversion rates are very similar, but our memberships are at a much higher price point. This is the first step in what I believe will be the future transformation of our business and industry." Said Bradford Megahan, president of Together, "We now can provide different levels of personal service to single people of all ages with various price points."
Mark Brooks: Online services should consider reaching into the real world and providing higher levels of service to maintain the highest levels of profitability. i.e. matchmaking services. At the end of the day, singles want dates with compatible singles. Whoever gets them there quickest, cheapest, wins. The Right One serves punters at the $3000 pricepoint. So does Great Expectations. So does It's Just Lunch. So does Table For Six. Match is toying with matchmaking services. Love Access is committed to offering high end services. Who's next? Spark should consider them for JDate. TRUE could do well with higher end services.
Together, The Right One and eLove Merger
BUSINESS WIRE — Dec 14 — Mountains West will acquire Together Dating, The Right One (offline dating) and eLove.com (their online initiative). Together, The Right One and eLove has been a dominant player in the off-line dating business since 1974 and has a total of 59 physical office locations across the U.S. (24 corporate owned and 35 franchise locations). Paul A. Falzone, CEO of The Right One stated,"Our ROI for marketing expenditures has increased significantly because our cost per acquisition of new members has decreased greatly. We now compete for leads with the online services because our conversion rates are very similar, but our memberships are at a much higher price point. This is the first step in what I believe will be the future transformation of our business and industry." Said Bradford Megahan, president of Together, "We now can provide different levels of personal service to single people of all ages with various price points."
Mark Brooks: Online services should consider reaching into the real world and providing higher levels of service to maintain the highest levels of profitability. i.e. matchmaking services. At the end of the day, singles want dates with compatible singles. Whoever gets them there quickest, cheapest, wins. The Right One serves punters at the $3000 pricepoint. So does Great Expectations. So does It's Just Lunch. So does Table For Six. Match is toying with matchmaking services. Love Access is committed to offering high end services. Who's next? Spark should consider them for JDate. TRUE could do well with higher end services.
Traditional Dating Service Gains
THE OPEN PRESS — Nov 3 — According to Paul A. Falzone, CEO of bricks and mortar dating service, The Right One and Together Dating (300,000 members at 60 lccations), "Online dating is not new and it's not trendy anymore. And, there are too many problems with misrepresentation online. …It's like the Wild West." Now celebrating their 32nd anniversary, The Right One, Together Dating and Elove.com gross $45 million a year.
The full article was originally published at The Open Press, but is no longer available.
OPW Interview – Together Dating/The Right One co-CEO Paul Falzone
OPW INTERVIEW — Aug 18, 2006 — Paul Falzone is co-CEO of Together Dating/The Right One, one of the countries top offline dating agencies. They also run e-love.com.
How were Together Dating and The Right One started?
Together Dating started in 1974 by Chester Chase in upstate New York. As time went on the assets of that service were sold to another gentleman who grew the company. In 1989, I personally got involved in the industry and ran some of the offices. In 1997, it was a very large, built out organization with about 150 locations worldwide…with a less than sterling reputation. It was a huge mistake of the old franchise not to address PR and customer service issues. Anyway, as time went on, I broke away from the chain. I had 14 locations in the Midwest and New England and I founded The Right One on September 4th, 1997, and started to franchise the company. I invented the company from the ground up and put everything on the line.
In November 1997, the CEO of the Together Dating organization, the old franchiser, threw the company into bankruptcy. He had so many complaints, and issues with his franchisees. The creditors eventually (January 1999) awarded the assets of the reorganization to my business partner, Brad Megahan, and his business partner. They got on the phone with me and said, “How would you like to merge with us? We need you.” Any good franchise needs an infrastructure and I didn’t have much of an infrastructure with 14 locations. Brad was a friend and mentor, as one of the most successful franchisees in the chain. He knew how to run a good operation, ethically. Brad and I are now 50/50 partners on Together Dating/The Right One and e-love.com, which is the most recent acquisition that we made.
How many owners are there?
Two owners represent half of all our franchises and there’s a dozen franchisees total. Brad and I know it takes a certain type of person to run a business like this and franchising really isn’t the best way to go. We kept the strongest people in our chain and pruned the rest to make it a stronger organization. We stopped selling franchises and started opening company stores or taking back under-performing franchises. That has proven to be a very smart move because of the strategies we have in place for the future.
How large is The Right One and Together Dating now?
The Right One and Together will do about $45 million gross sales in 2006. We’re at 60 locations. We feel it’s very important and critical to grow slowly with the right management in place. We used to primarily market by direct mail but we’ve switched over, in the last 18 months, to Internet marketing. We have vendors who are doing online marketing for us. We generate leads at $5 to $25 each. Our average direct mail lead cost was around $250 after 9/11. People were afraid to open envelopes because of the anthrax scares.
Just our own corporate stores are generating 15,000 leads a month and we used to get maybe a tenth of that when we were doing direct mail. So we’ve really increased our lead flow. We’ve got three good sized telemarketing facilities in the country now.
How much are memberships?
I can’t dictate what my franchisees charge but everybody is basically in the same ballpark. Smaller towns in the Midwest may not charge as much, but the programs start at around $2,000 to $3,000 and go up to $6,000 to $7,000.
What is e-love?
We recently acquired a company called e-love, which was the old Perfect Match product, out of a bankruptcy. We acquired some great technology. We’re the dinosaurs in the (dating) business, remember. We’ve been around for over 20 years and technology…, no it’s not our strong suit, but I strongly feel that if some of these online dating experts sat with us, and we could take what was in our heads and give it to them, and they took what they were strong in and gave it to us, it would be very dangerous.
I think they need to reach out and touch their clients more than just emailing them. We call potential clients, set an appointment and have them come into our office and spend about 90 minutes with them, going over all the details of what they want in a relationship. We’ll do a criminal background check, verify their identity and, if they’re divorced, check the divorce decree, and then once we feel that they’re going to be great for the membership, we plug them into the system.
The difference with e-love is that the consumer can go home, log in, and type in all the preferences they’re looking for in a person. Up pops nine people per screen and they can click on each person and look at their picture, that we took. It’s not a 20 year old picture. It’s something we just took. They can also click on an icon and check out their video. About 80% of all our members are choosing to do add video. hey can look at all the different aspects of the personality profile that they took with the company and see two bar graphs, one with each persons responses. They can see a visual of how the personalities match up. Users can hear a person, and see what things they have in common with that person. It’s very powerful. So that’s e-love.
What are your plans for 2006 through 2007?
We’ll continue to run a profitable and successful service. We’ll focus on giving great high-touch service, and get even more efficient at converting our online leads into members. You said it well when you gave your keynote speech in February at the Internet Dating Convention, Mark. You said, the offline people have the quality, we have the high-touch service. The online dating companies have the quantity. If only there was a way that offline and online companies could find common ground and grow together.
Our services are all about making people happy. Giving people the relationships they deserve. We have had, over the last 32 years, a profound, a very profound effect on many, many singles across this country and internationally. This company has helped a lot of people over the years and that’s where I really enjoy doing my job. Getting an email from somebody saying, you know, I’ve been divorced for five years and I finally got the guts to join your service. Thank you.
Niche Dating Sites Match Habits, Pets, Disabilities
