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Internet-based matchmakers like Match.com have changed the world of dating by creating endless new opportunities for singles to meet. Now, Guys and Girls Next Door, a Seattle-based company, thinks it can use the power of social networking, the comfort of group meetings and the potency of quick feedback to improve the success rate of online dating.

Angel Cruzado and Mary Starks, the company's founders, came up with the idea after watching an episode of "Millionaire Matchmaker." They decided that a similar service, which includes immediate feedback on failed dates, would vastly improve the internet dating experience of regular people.

Angel Cruzado (left) and Mary Starks started Guys and Girls Next Door with the idea that
personalized service can improve the experience of online dating.

"Research indicates that people are unhappy with online dating," says Cruzado, who left a job as a management development consultant for Microsoft to launch the company in April 2009. His partner, Sparks, has a master's degree in psychology. "We felt that, with our combined experience, we could do a better job than what's out there."

Other Seattle companies such as Executive Seattle Dating and Sophisticated Matchmaking help match clients with a large database of clients using interviews and other techniques. But Guys and Girls Next Door, which has a waiting list, may be among the first to offer that kind of personalized service in the far more open context of online dating.

After paying a fee, a new client takes the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a personality assessment. The company's services include a Facebook makeover to put the client in the best light as well as Tweets to promote the individual. If the client finds a potential partner, the organization will help the two counterparts meet in the low-stress setting of a group event. If a follow-up date doesn't work out, the agency debriefs the counterparts and offers tips to improve the client's behavior on future dates.

The feedback helps individuals get rid of bad habits and improves their future chances of success. Says Cruzado: "We're having an impact on people's lives." 

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