Lisa Pearson and Robert Bentsen, single professionals living 60 miles apart were searching for answers to those questions and for compatible mates. Both had been married and divorced. Both wanted to marry again, but this time, hopefully to find partners hips built on ingredients that would last a lifetime.
Lisa, a marriage counselor living in Boca Raton, Florida decided to take the advice she'd been offering others; make your destiny, don't wait for it to happen. She began reading the personals and was intrigued by the impressions twenty or thirty words co uld create. After careful study, she composed an ad that would both attract men she wanted and discourage men who did not meet her qualifications.
When the mailbox overflowed with responses, Lisa was stunned by the sheer volume of men who were also using personal ads to fulfill dreams. While the prospect of meeting these "applicants" was appealing, the screening process was consuming too much of he r time.
First, she would evaluate their communication skills, re-reading letters for indications of ego problems or undesirable habits. Then, she would call those who made the first cut. During phone calls, she used her interviewing skills to determine if a mee ting was worthwhile. Once a meeting was arranged, it would be only for coffee, 30 minutes at most, to determine if there was any potential for chemistry. In two years of applying her rough system, she received 340 letters, talked with a hundred men by p hone, met 50 and dated two or three but still hadn't found the perfect match.
Robert Bentsen, a computer programmer, temporarily living in Miami while completing a contract, saw Lisa's ad late in the summer of 1988 and was captivated by certain images it created for him. He wrote her a three page letter.
Lisa vividly recalls the morning his letter arrived. "I read the first paragraph and I got chills. I was so impressed, I think I stopped breathing. I read and re-read that letter 10 times before the sun set," she continued. "Integrity, wisdom and sens itivity poured from his words. I think I knew then, that I had found my match."
Conflicting schedules postponed an initial meeting. So, for 10 days they talked by phone for several hours daily, gathering valuable information about each others' background, habits, character and lifestyle. Satisfied with the responses to sensitive qu estions, they knew the last ingredient was chemistry -- that indescribable element that bonds or breaks even the best beginnings.
Robert was waiting at the restaurant when she arrived. She knew him instantly. And in the 30 seconds researchers say it takes to fall in love, they did.
Knowing what they wanted in a partner helped Lisa and Robert pare down the often overwhelming process and eliminate the dating stressors. So when they eventually found one another, romance moved swiftly to a marriage three months later.
Because of their joy in having found each other, they decided that other singles could benefit from their experiences and began developing a logical, practical, reasonably-priced system to help singles find compatible partners.
Lisa conducted surveys polling singles about dating habits and preferences. The result was an index describing mind, body and spirit for seekers to complete about themselves and the person they seek. Robert translated the data into a software program th at would match complimentary or similar elements.
Armed with knowledge and experience in their respective fields, they designed Single Search, a computer match-making service which emphasizes compatibility matching for singles seeking lasting relationships.
Their philosophy is that members who use the Single Search system of dating benefit in many ways. They learn more about who they are and what they need to sustain a quality union. They increase self-esteem by receiving a monthly stream of potential mate s to enhance their social life. And most of all, they can use that base of people, continuing to seek the one with whom they share chemistry, but secure in knowing that compatibility has already been established.
Single Search, a computerized match-making system was designed to reduce the stress, frustration and fear that millions of singles express about the dating process in modern America. Since 40% of our national population is single, these issues attract th e attention of millions of readers.
Compatibility matching, blending of mind, body and spirit, are central to the Single Search rationale. Psychology research indicates that the more a couple shares common interests, goals, socio-economic/educational backgrounds and similar spiritual orien tations, the more likely they are to sustain a lasting union.
Single Search members describe themselves and the person they would like to meet by completing a two page profile outlining such areas as habits, interests, personality traits, age weight, education, health status, handicaps, and other relevant data. A c ustom created software program matches members with others seeking similar or complementary attributes.
The system has a unique feature that reverse-matches all clients ensuring that both parties have a high percentage of their needs met. Clients are notified monthly of the compatible partners they system has found. The last step permits clients to order profiles of their "matches" which reveals the details and method of contact.
Single Search's philosophy is that by dating only those people who have been sociologically selected for high degrees of compatibility, the only remaining hurdle is finding partners with whom they share chemistry. Once the undefinable element of chemistr y had been established, a couple has both components necessary for a long-lasting relationship.
The originators of the system feel that most singles date backwards, searching for chemistry, and like Scarlett O'Hara, worrying about compatibility "tomorrow". When tomorrow comes, they often discover they are in love with someone who is about as com patible as an alien.
Developed by a marriage counselor and a computer programmer, Single Search has a data base of 7,500 clients in the southeast alone with branches in 40 major cities in 35 states. Growing at the rate of 10% each month, Single Search plans to continue its g rowth as a National and International company.
We have included further information on the founders of Single Search.