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food: a person’s response tells you a lot
about them, including the focus of their home life and
how cosmopolitan they are.”
The type of client has
remained constant, mainly
business and professional people. But while her clients
may not vary in type, she’s found that their expectations
have changed. “In the past, marriage was for life,
but people are now more independent and prepared to move
on from a relationship if it’s not perfect.”
Balfour is cagey
about revealing her company’s turnover. She once
quoted it in the FT. “Someone thought ‘This
is a good way to make money’
and set up a copycat agency. It went bust.” The
agency attracts 1,000 new clients a year, mainly |
through
word of mouth paying from £800 to £7,000 for
a range of services.
Last
year Balfour bought Only Lunch, a package for executives
who want everything about a lunch date arranged them, from
the restaurant to the companion. And Balfour has recently launched Loveandfriends.com as “internet dating for thinking
people”. Avoiding the extravagant start-up costs
of some dot-corns, the website was designed in-house at minimum
cost. “It will never make megabucks, but it compliments
our other services.”
The
company’s 16 staff have one essential qualification:
“Like me, they must all be passionate about happy
endings.” |
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ARY
BALFOUR CLAIMS
that successful people increasingly use |
specialists to help all aspects of their lives run smoothly.
“There
are personal trainers to keep them fit, concierge services to
find them a plumber, and introduction agencies to widen their
social circle” she says. Which is why Drawing Down the
Moon, a dating agency that caters for executives, is doing so
well.
“People
are more mobile, working abroad or travelling long distances
and working long hours.” Balfour says. "As a third
the population live on their own, there are few opportunities
meet new people.”
Twenty-five
years ago, Balfour, then head of a local adult education centre,
was looking for a career change. “I wanted a job that I
could do till I was 90. One day in Bloomsbury I saw a bookshop
called Drawing Down the Moon, and above the door a flashing
neon sign read ‘dating agency’. I always played matchmaker
friends so it seemed like a good business idea.”
A year later
Balfour bought the agency and moved it to Kensington —
leaving behind the neon sign. Since 1985 the business has grown
from 250 to 1,500 members - “the maximum size for a personal
service”. Balfour did little to alter the established
formula apart from changing one section of the questionnaire,
which all clients must complete.
“The
original questionnaire was quite bookish and we removed some
of the more erudite questions. Nowadays one of the most defining
questions is about |
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78
February
2002
...with thanks to Director Publications - thedirector.co.uk |
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