Thursday, March 19, 2009

Welcome to Gay Chicago!

I remember coming up to Chicago back in 2003 - 2004 for improv classes (yes, that's actually why I moved here) and all the times I wanted to go out and try different restaurants. The problem was, I didn't really know anyone here. But because food and I are BFF's, I would walk down the street, find a restaurant that looked good, march inside and sit down to a nice meal and glass of wine all by myself. Now, I can do that; but I know a lot of people who can't, or wouldn't dare. And certainly, I would've rather had company.

So I have an idea that's been rolling around in my head for a few months now, and I'm interested in your opinions about it.

I was thinking about all the gay men and women who travel to Chicago on business, and how I bet it would be nice if they had someone to have dinner with that was also a gay professional. They likely don't know anyone here except their straight colleagues, and they're tired of eating alone in their hotel room. I think it would be great if we could set something up where IGC provides a dinner companion. Not a "date", because the two people live in different cities/states; but someone they could talk to and have a nice dinner with, knowing that the person was educated, intelligent, stable and secure.

It wouldn't cost anything extra for my current clients (the ones who reside in the Chicagoland area) and these dinners wouldn't count towards their introductions.

I would have to be able to interview the out-of-towner in person so my Chicago clients would know that he/she is A-OK. But once I did that, for the rest of the year all the out-of-towner would need to do is call or email us ahead of time, and we can get to work on setting up the dinner(s).

Obviously there's a few kinks to still be worked out, but I feel like it might be a nice service to offer.

Thoughts?

Thursday, March 12, 2009

I Know Exactly Who You Need To Meet!

It's pretty rare that I meet a potential new client and think, "wow - I don't think I really have anyone for you." The vast majority of the time, I have plenty of people for someone to meet. The BEST though, is when I know EXACTLY who this new client is going to meet. Like, everything they say just points to ONE PERSON. There are a lot of other clients I'll introduce them to, but it's so much fun to have that feeling about one person in particular.

I try not to "oversell" it when that happens - after all, I can't predict chemistry. Sometimes I've introduced them to what I think is their perfect fit, and then both guys come back and say,"hey, nice guy, but no spark." But when I feel that I have the perfect match for them, I think, "I can't believe you guys haven't met each other yet, because you're totally looking for each other!" That is the best feeling in the world! Ok yes, I'm a bit geeky like that - but how could I do this work and not be?

And yes - sometimes that gut feeling is dead-on. The last commitment ceremony I went to was for 2 of my clients, and I specifically remember telling one of them when they joined, "oh I know EXACTLY what you want." They had one match, and that was it!

It also seems to happen mostly for my clients who sign up for a year membership. No - I'm not trying to up sell someone who is still thinking about joining (besides, anyone who's talked to me for 2 minutes can tell I'm a straight-shooter.) I think it has a LOT to do with sending that message to the universe....that this person is SERIOUS about meeting someone, and they aren't going to go about it half-assed. Now of course that doesn't mean that every client who joins is going to meet their life partner; if I could predict that, clients would get one match and we'd charge $10,000!! But I do think it makes a big statement to the universe - "This is what I want, and I'm going to go after it with gusto!" I've seen it happen so many times. Of course, it all goes back to having that positive attitude - but more on that in another post. :)

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Checking in

So I've been calling previous clients lately to check in with them, remind them we're still here, etc etc and I've been getting some really good updates. Some clients renewed their membership because they aren't dating, and some clients are still seeing people we matched them with! In fact, two guys I matched are planning their committment ceremony for July! Then I heard from another previous client that he's been happily dating someone for a few years now. He told me that he actually met his current partner through one of his IGC matches! I hear that kind of thing pretty regularly, so I'm always telling my clients to make an effort to get to know their matches. Even if it's just for 30-40 minutes! Because they never know who that person could be to them in the future.

Imagine meeting a potential date, and the conversation is fine but there's no physical connection. How great would it be to put your best foot forward, be respectful and polite, and get to know them a little bit? Even if there's no chemistry, that doesn't mean that person couldn't become one of your biggest clients, or a colleague. Or, as in the case of some of my clients, you might run into them at an event, they introduce you to a friend of theirs, and bam! THAT'S the guy for you. It happens more often than people think - so remember that IT IS NEVER A WASTE OF TIME TO MEET SOMEONE.


I love getting updates from current and previous clients. They remind me why we're here, and why a service like this is so needed in our community. And I always hear the same thing from my clients who have been successfully matched: "I don't know how I would have ever met him if not thru IGC."