The New Zealand Herald - Viva - February 2007

. . . Sasha Madarasz from Two's Company confronts her clients with a set of deal breakers.

"I ask the sort of questions everyone wants to know but is too afraid to ask. Things like what age group they're looking for, if they want a family, ethnicity, expectations and how they feel about smoking . . . it quickly sorts out their preferences.

Madarasz likens the process to a game of who's who, filtering out all those with 'glasses and handle bar moustaches' before calculating the best match.

Madarasz susses her clients over coffee before hooking them up with a partner from her pool of 1200 would be suitors.

"The girls always want someone bigger and taller. The men always want someone slimmer and smaller. I still get the classic requirements like 'has to be genuine, financially independent and professional.'

"Still most people who approach me are very realistic."

Her clients are mostly professional, 27 years plus and include a sprinkling of politicians and celebrities.

But if this select bunch have their own set of deal breakers, Madarasz likes to crunch the numbers on her computer before initiating the first meeting.

"I often get a hunch about someone, and that's when I play my wild card."

Take Sam. He insisted on meeting a brunette non smoker. Well Madarasz decided he was better off with a blonde smoker. They're now deeply in love.

The first date is make or break. "It's hard not to feel anxious, so I always say pretend your meeting your cousin for a chat" It helps them to relax and get to know the person.

But if she's convinced it's a potential match, her clients often require a nudge from Cupid's little helper.

"I have to encourage 90% of my clients to go on a second date. A typical response after the first date is "He was lovely but . . . "

"So I always say 'give it another go.' You'd be surprised at how often people change their minds after a second or third meeting," she laughs.