Matchmaker services can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, depending on your needs. Experts help you find compatible mates for dating and long-term relationships. However, you might not have to spend the money to find love. Here are five reasons why matchmakers aren’t the answer for everybody.

Matchmaker services have been around for centuries. A few generations ago, matchmaking involved friends and family working together to build compatible communities. People would scheme to coordinate a random meet-and-greet, then love would hopefully bloom.

Modern matchmakers are an entirely different breed. They use data and analytics to determine your perfect mate. They’re also more expensive than a blind date arranged by your relatives. However, finding love can be tricky, even if you hire an expert.

There may be too many fish in the sea, but you’ll never catch one if you don’t know how to swim. Countless singles depend on a matchmaker because they don’t know how to approach potential lovers successfully. Meanwhile, they empty their bank accounts in search of a soulmate.

Fortunately, you don’t always need professional matchmaking services to discover true love. Save your money and find less-expensive alternatives instead. Here is what you need to know before forking over the cash.

Table of Contents

What Does a Matchmaker Do?

Are Matchmakers Essential?

How Much Do Matchmakers Cost?

6 Reasons Why You Don’t Need a Matchmaker

#1. Love Isn’t Defined by Demographics

#2. Options Make the World Go Around

#3. You’re Not Getting Any Younger

#4. The Customer Service Is Lacking

#5. You Don’t Need to be Sold on Love

#6. You Need the Money for Dates

How to Find Love without a Matchmaker

Getting Out There

Gathering Friends

Going Online

Giving Back

Growing

Conclusion

What Does a Matchmaker Do?

Professional matchmakers use various tools to locate possible romantic matches and coordinate meetings. They take much of the guesswork out of getting to know someone new. Their methods involve digging through established networks, using algorithms, and publishing on social media for different clients.

That much attention to detail isn’t cheap. Most people spend hundreds or thousands of dollars reaching out for affection. Meanwhile, matchmaking is never a guaranteed service. You also don’t get much say in the who’s who of your dating pool. Recruiters help search for your following relationships through umbrella marketing tactics and other impersonal means.

If you think matching experts remove the personal touch from dating, it’s because they do. You can’t always review their entire network or audit their techniques. Some of their options might not be as compatible as you’d like, and contractual limitations could confine you. For many people, matchmakers are the last resort.

Are Matchmakers Essential?

Hiring a matchmaker is crucial in some circumstances, especially if you’re too busy for online dating. However, dating online is usually more convenient and less expensive than matchmaking services. You can also control whom you see and choose the people you interact with within chat rooms.

The movie “Hitch” might be partially responsible for people thinking they need help attracting partners. Some folks don’t think they have what it takes to attract others. Many lack confidence or misunderstand social cues, so they rely on a matchmaker to do the talking for them. However, this doesn’t help when thrust into real-world scenarios.

Matching services can only do so much. Their algorithms aren’t sophisticated enough to understand the subtle nuances of your personality. The game is different with online dating, however. Hands-on access to potential mates is always your best bet.

How Much Do Matchmakers Cost?

A matchmaker could cost you more than you expected. Some of their fees might not even come in the form of money. Because your success is never guaranteed, you’re gambling on a chance to find love. For many people, that price is already too high.

The Better Business Bureau reports an average cost for matchmaking to be around $5,000 per person. They also mention how several paying customers walked away single and unhappy. That price doesn’t include the extra charges for unsuccessful campaigns or enhancements. You essentially empty your bank account on a hopeful whim.

The cost of a matchmaker can vary depending on the circumstances of your love life. Prices are often contingent on various other factors, including but not limited to the following:

• Company reputation
• Network size
• Dating criteria
• Season
• Preferred outcome
• Timeline
• Budget

You usually have to sign an agreement or contract to get personalized dating services. With most dating apps and traditional methods, that’s not necessary. Thus, a matchmaker could cost you time, money, energy, and faith in humanity.

DID YOU KNOW: Many partner-matching companies use obscure techniques like horoscopes and numerology to find mates.

6 Reasons Why You Don’t Need a Matchmaker

Even the best matchmaker gets the occasional complaint. You can’t please everybody in a diverse dating pool. However, spending your hard-earned money on matchmaking services could be a total flop. For many people, though, that’s not the only concern.

Paying for professional matchmaking is a crucial decision in your social life. It can also have long-lasting consequences on your finances. Here are six reasonable excuses to avoid the charge at all costs:

#1. Love Isn’t Defined by Demographics

One of the biggest complaints about matchmakers is that they can ignore entire groups of potential mates. They often categorize their network members based on demographic data. Then they use that data to form groups, motivate meetings, and help people find love.

The problem is that your soulmate isn’t behind some curtain of imaginary differences. Many singles discover meaningful romance with someone from a completely different background. Meanwhile, you don’t get a chance to see what’s waiting in the wings. You paid this company to do all the work for you, remember?

#2. Options Make the World Go Around

Tailored dating services charge you a significant fee to locate lovers and make meetings possible. They also handle sifting through the options on your behalf. Just like their amenities remove specific demographics, they also prevent collaboration with certain personalities.

Many people complain that they only get a few dates instead of the expected dozens. Their options are stunted by software, and their love lives pay the ultimate price. If variety is the spice of life, matchmakers can turn romance bland. It always helps to choose from a broader range of people.

#3. You’re Not Getting Any Younger

Matchmaking experts try to help you move out of the Friend Zone. They’re meticulous about the methods and monitor outcomes for branding and marketing purposes. Some can become distracted by building industry recognition. Others take too long to get the ball rolling.

Meanwhile, you’re more than ready to step away from the singles scene. You don’t have time to waste, and your goals get closer every day. “I’ve spent months looking for romance, and I haven’t even gone on the first date” isn’t something you have to say. With alternative methods, you’re in charge of cruise control.

#4. The Customer Service Is Lacking

Imagine being one step closer to finding the love of your life, then being put on hold for the rest of eternity. That’s what happens when you deal with terrible customer service. Unfortunately, many matchmakers are too booked or careless to establish rapport with their clients.

Traditional dating methods, online mate-matching services, and apps give you more access to behind-the-scenes happenings. They also put you in control of various interactions, requiring customer service for little more than technical support. The question is, are you in the mood for love or elevator music?

#5. You Don’t Need to be Sold on Love

Dating in the modern world is already stressful enough. You don’t need high-pressure salespeople breathing down your neck about the latest and greatest deals. However, that’s what you typically get when you hire a matchmaker to find love. Agents might also try to find your wallet.

Aggressive sales tactics are uncomfortable at best. They affect your budget, fudge your timelines, and take you right out of the mood. You can define the costs, determine the speeds, and tailor the approaches with less concierge and more confidence.

#6. You Need the Money for Dates

Spend all your money finding a partner, then show up broke on your first date. That’s never a good idea, nor is it wise to start the relationship in debt. You don’t have to spend a fortune taking out potential mates, but you shouldn’t expect to split the bill either.

People have unique hopes and dreams, intending to experience those things with a lover. You might not be able to contribute or participate if you owe matchmaker thousands. Meanwhile, approaching relationships from a more hands-on perspective helps you create a stash for the sweet stuff.

Life is full of ups and downs, with twists and turns we can’t always predict. Matchmaking services help remove some guesswork but turn dating into a side gig. Services cost a small fortune and come with zero guarantees. The process also takes a while, limiting your prospects in innumerable ways. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your love life.

How to Find Love without a Matchmaker

You don’t have to pay a matchmaker to track your soulmate. True love has nothing to do with demographics, data analytics, or convenient timing. Some of the most romantic love stories happened serendipitously, and yours doesn’t have to be the exception. Save your money and find a partner without professional help.

Bad luck on the dating scene got you down? If you’re unsure where to begin, start with these surefire tactics:

• Get Out There
• Gather Friends
• Go Online
• Give Back
• Grow

These dating techniques have worked since the dawn of time. However, the subtleties aren’t always apparent, and you need excellent social skills for many of them. Let’s look at each strategy more closely:

Getting Out There

It’s tricky to meet new people when you never leave the house. Modern living also makes it easy to get delivery for everything and stay on the couch forever. You can’t stop pursuing interests and become complacent about socializing. Get out into the world to show your face, then bring home a snuggle buddy.

Gathering Friends

Did you know that an estimated 68% of romantic relationships begin as friendships? What’s more, friend-of-a-friend romances are responsible for a vast percentage of happy marriages. Having mutual cronies can help nourish blooming love or introduce people who would have never met otherwise.

Going Online

Online and long-distance relationships are more common today than ever. Dating apps help simplify interactions between partners across borders and other barriers. You can find free services or pay a nominal fee for automated matchmaking. Either way, you can find a soulmate without updating your passport.

Giving Back

Community outreach programs provide countless opportunities for meeting kindhearted people in your neighborhood. They also help showcase your skills, demonstrate your morals, and support your health. Giving back is a clever way of finding folks on your wavelength. You can also create a new charity campaign to locate quirky individuals.

Growing

Growth is sexy. Personal development is crucial. Your future lover deserves the best version of you, and they’ll be more attracted if you’re actively maintaining it. Other top-notch singles are probably doing the same thing. Meet the most self-assured, health-conscious people while living your best life. Kindness looks good on everybody, after all.

You can skip the matchmaker bill with friends, fun, technology, and tenacity. Spend the cash on something more exciting, like the first date with your first-round draft pick. Then take your time and preserve your dignity by keeping romance on a personal plane.

DID YOU KNOW: A Stanford University study says online dating is the most common way modern couples meet.

Conclusion

Matchmaker services can be expensive. They’re unreliable, results aren’t guaranteed, and customer support could be better. You also don’t get access to the full spectrum of partners, limiting your view and preventing you from finding true love. How much are you willing to pay for that?

Matchmaking isn’t an exact science. It depends heavily on several factors outside your control. Spend thousands and still go home alone. Or save your money and direct the flow of your dating pool with a hands-on approach.

About the Author

Claire Bahn has over 15 years of working as a personal branding expert, helping clients build authority and influence through their online profiles and social media accounts.

Her background includes branding, public relations, Social Media, marketing, and entrepreneurship. She has a passion to help executives, entrepreneurs, and influencers strategize and create their best personal brand.

She is currently the CEO and Co-founder of Online Profile Pros and Claire Bahn Group. Ms. Bahn recognizes that first impressions are made online, and the fastest way to achieve your goals is by taking command of your personal brand through your online profiles and social media. She started Online Profile Pros and Claire Bahn Group to help individuals create, maintain and protect their personal brands so that they achieve the authority, influence, and trust they need to succeed at online dating or their job search.

She’s been featured in numerous publications and news outlets, including Forbes and Entrepreneur magazines and many other publications and podcasts.

Ms. Bahn is a former model and actress appearing in national ad campaigns for major retailers. An avid fashion/lifestyle blogger, she’s a recognized influencer. Ms. Bahn holds a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and currently lives in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, CA, with her 2 red miniature pinschers, Beau and Trixie.