Becoming a Client

What makes a good potential client for Linx Dating?

Most importantly, it is someone who has typically dabbled with other approaches for meeting eligible singles (i.e. checking out what online dating is like, setups through friends, going out on their own, etc.) and certainly someone who meets the overarching standards for the “type” we work with (educated, accomplished, well-rounded, interesting, fit, and marriage minded.)

Beyond those overarching points, a good new member of Linx is someone who can relax their ideal match criteria, in the sense that they are not unreasonably restrictive – someone who has their core “value set” of what they desire in a match but, beyond that, can be extremely elastic with their criteria.  This does not mean that a member shouldn’t have standards… it means that they should know what is most important to them and optimize from there.

This week I’ve had to reject a fair number of “good on paper” prospective clients for membership. Today was a case of a 39-year-old woman based in San Francisco who absolutely would not go above 45 years in age for her target guy. The ugly truth is that the odds are stacked against someone like this due to pure demographics. A lot of guys between 35 and 45, who have never been married before, desire biologically younger. 

When I explained that casting the widest net is really important in this process and that, knowing my business so well, I recommend she go beyond that age, her response was “no.”  I knew immediately that this prospect would be difficult on a lot of levels.  Not only is she too restrictive, she is not matchable to our male population.  Seeing how uninterested she was in even trusting from the start (considering I am an expert), my gut knew it was not a good fit.

Linx is NOT always about matching clients to older folks where there is not commonality… quite the opposite. Rather, it is about focused search and openness.  Finding a perfect match is already hard enough.  This is why I try to discern whether a potential client has thought hard about what is most critical to them (or else help them get there), and to see if they can chuck that long list of “must haves” and realize that not everything on that list is a “must.”

This also goes to show that Linx is different from so many run-of-the-mill, “overnight” matchmakers. Pretty much the majority works with each and every type of person regardless if they are matchable. Little screening, zero vetting, and no methodology. There are so many steps that go into our process and, at this stage in the game, we have to make sure each person is a good culture fit.