Finding success in rising exec demand for dating July 2008

Ian Poh, Asiaone Business

All of us at one time or another have probably been presented with a lump sum hongbao by some distant relative clearly too busy to put more thought into a proper gift.

And therein lies the value proposition of first-date specialists It's Just Lunch (IJL) Singapore. The first overseas franchise of the US-based offline dating agency, started in 2004, prides itself on a personal touch in meeting the social needs of clients.

It starts the ball rolling by setting up one-on-one dates between pre-screened members, over lunch for about an hour, as the company name implies.

But instead of getting a generic card bearing well wishes from the company, a member may receive via courier, say, snorkelling gear if they are scuba-diving enthusiasts.

Surely a step better than uncle what's-his-name.

It's an overall philosophy that works - as recently as April 17, yet another pair of clients updated IJL Singapore on their plans to get married, bringing the total number of 'happy endings' to 41, says Anisa Hassan, CEO of the local franchise.

'We provide our services after a very careful analysis of clients' preferences, but that's not the end of it.' she says.

'It's a constant effort to really get to know them. You're going to get more than just complimentary vouchers from us.'

IJL company measures success not simply by the number of successful pairings achieved but more intangible benchmarks like follow-up dates and positive feedback from clients.

The firm settles all the preliminaries: making reservations and pairings and clearing the matches with customers. All clients have to do is turn up.

Ms Hassan's venture into the executive dating market is an ongoing one.

On March 20, the owner of IJL's pioneer international franchise opened her second office in Thailand.

Not a big surprise given her business acumen and background as a broadcast journalist, which has imbued her with useful qualities to have in this client-centred business - inquisitiveness, curiosity to get to know people and empathy, among other things.

So far the Singapore franchise has been doing well. Membership has grown steadily from an encouraging 400 in the first year to the current 2,500.

And that's despite pricing having gone up 44 per cent - it's now $1,800 for 12 dates over a year, compared with $995 for the same package previously.

Still, these are 'bargain basement' rates compared with those in the United States.

Ms Hassan attributes the company's progress to a growing trend of busy executives becoming increasingly comfortable with the idea of consulting a dating agency and letting it settle their social needs while they spend time spent on their high-flying careers.

The unofficial income bracket of IJL clients is 'upwards' of US$80,000 for men and US$60,000 for women. Also, half of all clients are non-local, up from the previous three out of 10.

Ms Hassan was confident of the strength of IJL's people-oriented core competency from the start.

She used bank savings and loans to buy into a franchise she believed could 'hit the ground running'. And she looked to international CEO Irene Decotta 'literally every single day' for mentorship.

IJL Singapore's approach is modelled very closely on the original set-up, which began in Chicago in 1991 and has grown to 100 locations worldwide.

An official referral programme, unofficial word of mouth in the same vein as the fitness industry and an unceasing media campaign since 2004 - these are all components of the company's success in retaining and building its client base.

The focus on quality service is shown in regular training programmes. People management training sessions are conducted twice a year, and Ms Hassan personally attends conventions and passes on the lessons she learns to her staff through regular meetings.

Looking ahead, IJL Singapore hopes to become a household name for no-frills socialising - and the indications are that it has done a decent job so far.

In December 2006, Ms Hassan was one of two women given the Malay Entrepreneur Award by the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

This reinforced her belief that her franchise idea has worked out well and aroused plenty of curiosity in the social dating scene.

Now she wants the business to be a benchmark that people will look at as a successful case study.

This is part of a more immediate ambition to 'cross the million-dollar mark', something that could be possible with the opening of IJL Thailand, Ms Hassan's second brainchild after long consideration of different Asian cities that offer the best potential and the greatest challenge.

However, she knows complacency would be 'foolhardy'. She believes firmly in sticking to the 'company vision', following the franchise support system and not letting service standards deteriorate.

'The service industry is always judged by clients,' she says.

'So at every step we will continue our practice of collecting feedback and making sure each pair go on their first date to begin exploring possibilities, for example.'

In a nutshell, what made IJL Singapore's success possible?

'I followed the franchise system to a 'T',' says Ms Hassan.

This article was first published in The Business Times on 1 July 2008.

proposition of first-date specialists It's Just Lunch (IJL) Singapore. The first overseas franchise of the US-based offline dating agency, started in 2004, prides itself on a personal touch in meeting the social needs of clients.

It starts the ball rolling by setting up one-on-one dates between pre-screened members, over lunch for about an hour, as the company name implies.

But instead of getting a generic card bearing well wishes from the company, a member may receive via courier, say, snorkelling gear if they are scuba-diving enthusiasts.

Surely a step better than uncle what's-his-name.

It's an overall philosophy that works - as recently as April 17, yet another pair of clients updated IJL Singapore on their plans to get married, bringing the total number of 'happy endings' to 41, says Anisa Hassan, CEO of the local franchise.

'We provide our services after a very careful analysis of clients' preferences, but that's not the end of it.' she says.

'It's a constant effort to really get to know them. You're going to get more than just complimentary vouchers from us.'

IJL company measures success not simply by the number of successful pairings achieved but more intangible benchmarks like follow-up dates and positive feedback from clients.

The firm settles all the preliminaries: making reservations and pairings and clearing the matches with customers. All clients have to do is turn up.

Ms Hassan's venture into the executive dating market is an ongoing one.

On March 20, the owner of IJL's pioneer international franchise opened her second office in Thailand.

Not a big surprise given her business acumen and background as a broadcast journalist, which has imbued her with useful qualities to have in this client-centred business - inquisitiveness, curiosity to get to know people and empathy, among other things.

So far the Singapore franchise has been doing well. Membership has grown steadily from an encouraging 400 in the first year to the current 2,500.

And that's despite pricing having gone up 44 per cent - it's now $1,800 for 12 dates over a year, compared with $995 for the same package previously.

Still, these are 'bargain basement' rates compared with those in the United States.

Ms Hassan attributes the company's progress to a growing trend of busy executives becoming increasingly comfortable with the idea of consulting a dating agency and letting it settle their social needs while they spend time spent on their high-flying careers.

The unofficial income bracket of IJL clients is 'upwards' of US$80,000 for men and US$60,000 for women. Also, half of all clients are non-local, up from the previous three out of 10.

Ms Hassan was confident of the strength of IJL's people-oriented core competency from the start.

She used bank savings and loans to buy into a franchise she believed could 'hit the ground running'. And she looked to international CEO Irene Decotta 'literally every single day' for mentorship.

IJL Singapore's approach is modelled very closely on the original set-up, which began in Chicago in 1991 and has grown to 100 locations worldwide.

An official referral programme, unofficial word of mouth in the same vein as the fitness industry and an unceasing media campaign since 2004 - these are all components of the company's success in retaining and building its client base.

The focus on quality service is shown in regular training programmes. People management training sessions are conducted twice a year, and Ms Hassan personally attends conventions and passes on the lessons she learns to her staff through regular meetings.

Looking ahead, IJL Singapore hopes to become a household name for no-frills socialising - and the indications are that it has done a decent job so far.

In December 2006, Ms Hassan was one of two women given the Malay Entrepreneur Award by the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

This reinforced her belief that her franchise idea has worked out well and aroused plenty of curiosity in the social dating scene.

Now she wants the business to be a benchmark that people will look at as a successful case study.

This is part of a more immediate ambition to 'cross the million-dollar mark', something that could be possible with the opening of IJL Thailand, Ms Hassan's second brainchild after long consideration of different Asian cities that offer the best potential and the greatest challenge.

However, she knows complacency would be 'foolhardy'. She believes firmly in sticking to the 'company vision', following the franchise support system and not letting service standards deteriorate.

'The service industry is always judged by clients,' she says.

'So at every step we will continue our practice of collecting feedback and making sure each pair go on their first date to begin exploring possibilities, for example.'

In a nutshell, what made IJL Singapore's success possible?

'I followed the franchise system to a 'T',' says Ms Hassan.

This article was first published in The Business Times on 1 July 2008.