Global Love Report – Mar 18, 2020
Written by: Jamie Lee
Covid 19 is hitting the offline matchmaking industry like a storm from Asia, Europe to America.
The effect and consequences on all offline businesses is dire – It has the potency to hammer new sign ups for matchmakers and will affect the level of clients’ willingness to go on dates. With the increasing media focus and attention, everyone is afraid. We have faith that the best businesses adapt and transform during moments of crisis and learn to turn challenges to opportunities to reinvent themselves.
In today’s article, we want to emphasize that your fears are not irrational and you are not alone. We’re in it together. You do not have to give up hope. The following are some ideas that can help transform our industry during these trying times.
1. Video Consultations
Even though personal meetings were the preferred method offline businesses tend to adopt due to its level of personalization and effectiveness, it is extremely important to protect ourselves as well as others by limiting face-to-face meetings during this time.
We can definitely learn from other international Matchmakers who have (before the pandemic) begun using this method of video chats to verify potential matches and resources for their clients. There are various free online conferencing video platforms available to support this. Setting up a conference video call and increasing video chats can help Matchmakers and Dating Coaches to screen and get to know new clients at the convenience and safety of their own home office, while at the same time not affect business operations.
Mastering video consultations may be a way to open up future new markets and opportunities.
2. Virtual Video Dates
We live in an advanced era where it is getting increasingly common to “Find the One” using unorthodox methods. Take for example the recent reality series, “Love is Blind” where participants date through a pod, and choose their life partner without even seeing each other before the big day! This concept had so much potential to backfire but who knew it sort of worked out for some couples?
While we are not encouraging you to put your clients in a pod and have them not meet each other till their wedding day, we noticed that using video calls to set up virtual dates may have a good potential to help your clients substitute any face-to-face encounters for now.
3. Focusing on Your New/Existing Date-Coaching Arm
With a decreased demand for clients to go on dates, it may be the best time to develop your coaching arm and work with your clients to help make them better at the art of dating. Say for example a client does not feel comfortable virtual-dating someone they have not built any personal rapport with or simply because they feel weirded out, you could use this time to coach them through their dating strategy and adjust any dating blindspots.
It is said that Sir Isaac Newton made his biggest breakthroughs when forced to do home-stay during a pandemic, essentially reinventing himself. The same can happen here for matchmakers and clients!
4. Media Angles
The adaptations and changes you make during this time could make a great media angle for your business to the local media outlets. We believe the media would be interested in how matchmakers adapt and change during this pandemic season and/or how it has changed dating. Be Creative! Share your observations or new daily practices. Reach out to the media and grow your brand during this time.
Summary
Being leaders and pioneers in the dating industry, we cannot control how and when this pandemic will develop and end but we can still control our responses and change our business for the better during this period. This pandemic will not last forever and when it finally ends, it’s important for us as an industry to arise from the crisis stronger, refreshed and changed for the better.
Please share with us how you’re dealing with this difficult situation, we would love to exchange tips and strategies. Write to us at media@globalloveinstitute.
