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For all the potential future clients out there, here's a two-parter for the agencies:

1(for everyone):

How do you define success relative to your clients?  In other words, when a client comes and goes, and you've done your best for him, how do you decide if it was a success?

example:
I won't do any more cutting and pasting, but my former agency has said again and again they're all about the destination, the end-game, finding a client a wife.  If they do, they're a success.  If they don't, they fail.

2(for those with at least a couple of years in the biz):

Now that you've defined success in your own terms, how often have you been able to achieve it?  How many clients have you had?  How many successes(by your own definition) have you achieved?  What's your success rate?

In my example from above:
How many clients have you had, and how many are now happily married to that wonderful wife you strive to provide them?

I think this will be of great help to newbies, so I hope we get some good responses!

... in response to Question for Agencies, posted by BAQman on May 24, 2005

Most successful, intelligent guys will join an agency because their time is valuable and this is the most efficient way to find success.  They will budget between $2000 and $4000 for this to happen.  The criteria they use are :

1. Carefully examine all agencies websites and do not believe anything unless its documented.  Favorable newspaper stories or Television reports are a good start.  

2.  Agency should have been in business for a minimum of 5 years.  PS The 2 Gringos went to a start-up agency in hopes of saving money only to discover that this budget agency went belly-up before they ever made it to Colombia

3.  Stay away from coastal cities where tourists abound because in these areas prostitution  is rampant and most of the best looking ladies get spoiled from the big dollars.

4.  Make sure that the agency charges a fee to the ladies to join.  This shows that the lady is serious and not simply looking for free meals.

5.  Avoid agencies that sell address and names.  Ask yourself what kind of lady would be happy with a guy who just paid $10 for her name and phone number ?  What kind of guy expects to find his future lifemate for $10 ?  

The men who choose the agency route and follow these guidelines are usually married within one year and typically need about 3 trips to Colombia to accomplish this mission.  

You rarely see them on this board because they are happy and satisfied and don't have the time to look back.

... in response to Re: Question for Agencies, posted by BogotaJim on May 25, 2005

Jim...I'm not sure If I agree with everything, but you clearly have much more experience than I do.  I definitely think a documented track-record of success over time would be something I'd look for if I were ever in that postion again.  Do you really think charging the lady a fee is going to accomplish the desired goal?  Clearly the agency isn't going to make much money on that, so I'm not implying that's even a little motivation...it's just many of the women just don't have the cash.  If they do, they usually end up using it to try to help feed/cloth their families...at least that's my experience.

... in response to Re: Question for Agencies, posted by BogotaJim on May 25, 2005

In Cartagena you are correct up to a point. The problem here is that for years Italians have been coming  and paying top dollars for the ladies. Most hookers are from medillen, Bogota and Cali. This town is very small and actually it is very difficult to get a normal girl to pay attention to a gringo on the street.  There are so many Mongers here the normal people assume that the lady is a hooker if the date is interacial or she is extremely young in comparison to the Gringo. Most nice girls just don't want the grief.  The city fathers have restricted the trade basically to Laguito where the ladies congrigate after eleven in La Dolce Vita a local disco where you will find over fifty ladies available on any night. On the other hand Cali has over two hundred legal cathouses and who knows how many discount stores at half the price. jimc

... in response to Re: Question for Agencies, posted by BogotaJim on May 25, 2005

My main reason for using an agency was to provide me with a time sensitive method of meeting a variety of women who would be willing to leave their country if they were to find that special man...  It will be up to me to determine the character of the woman and if I want to proceed learning more about her and for her in return if the feelings are mutual...

... in response to Re: Question for Agencies, posted by BogotaJim on May 25, 2005

Hey, good post but let me comment on a few things you wrote.

You said:

3. Stay away from coastal cities where tourists abound because in these areas prostitution is rampant and most of the best looking ladies get spoiled from the big dollars.

Prostitution abounds everywhere in SA and the USA for that matters.  In fact, I saw more of it in Bogota where you agency is located than in the coastal cities.  

Also one could argue that the women of big cities are more likely to be insincere than those from smaller coastal communities.  

you said:

5. Avoid agencies that sell address and names. Ask yourself what kind of lady would be happy with a guy who just paid $10 for her name and phone number ? What kind of guy expects to find his future lifemate for $10 ?

Someone could make the same argument for a $500-1000 dollar fee.  Its relative to each person and besides that, there is no economical formula for finding someone. Many men have found love by joining Match.com or amigos.com and paying $9-20 a month.  Luck plays a part in all of this.

I think your post was well intentioned and insightful from an agency owner point of view, but I also think the more emphasis should be place on the man getting his mind right before heading down south.  If he does his homework, and thinks with the big head and not the small one he will find himself with an abundance of quality women.  Believe me, I've been to SA many times and I can honestly understand how men get caught up in the chase and trying to get with hottest women on the planet.  A person will find his true love only if his head is on staright and he is serious about finding someone to spend his life with not just having fun with the hopes of being struck by cupid along the way.  

... in response to Question for Agencies, posted by BAQman on May 24, 2005

Honestly, I imagine this is a tough one to answer for most agencies, especially if they attempt to do so with complete candor.  Unless they define success as something reasonably achievable with each and every client, the numbers wouldn't do much to promote future business.

I figured I'd ask...give people the opportunity to step up; but I think most agencies would shy away from reporting this kind of thing.  My own experience tells me that very few actual marriages result from agency intros(as a percentage).

... in response to Re: Question for Agencies, posted by BAQman on May 25, 2005

I am actually glad the agencies do not take the time to track this sort of thing... that would be one more piece of questionable marketing material they would be providing or having to incorporate into their management expenses... we all know that we can make numbers and statisic mean almost anything we want them to...

... in response to Re: Re: Question for Agencies, posted by MarkNJ on May 25, 2005

True enough...I was offering them a chance to provide the real numbers, knowing that most(including my former agency) wouldn't touch it with a ten-footer.  As far as it being an additonal expense for agencies, I think most already go to some lengths to obtain info on past clients who may now be married in the hopes of securing positive references for their websites and/or potential future clients.  If they know how many clients they've had(I would hope), and they know about the sucess stories, it's pretty easy from there...

... in response to Question for Agencies, posted by BAQman on May 24, 2005

If you really want to help Newbies here why don't you...

1. Post How you really met your wife in Barranquilla.

2. Your experience meeting her family the first time.

3. Any problems you had with the family.. Wife.

4. Did she have anyone in her family get jealous.

5. How was immigations..

6. How does she like where she live in the U.S.A

 Just some things I think would help every newbie here that might go down to
Colombia in the next several months....

... in response to Question for you!!!, posted by Fuzzyone on May 24, 2005


it's time, for you to answer a few questions....

... in response to Yes BAQman......, posted by Hoda on May 25, 2005

Hoda, I like your board here.  I actually wish I had found it before I had my own agency experience down in BAQ.  I think you'll find that I have some things to contribute, but I usually do so at my own pace...when/where I feel appropriate.  I hope that's ok.  It seems to work for most of the members here(the ones that even post at all).  :)

... in response to Question for you!!!, posted by Fuzzyone on May 24, 2005

Good to see you're being civil.  :)  Now, I admit, these are very good questions/points you have here...maybe I can help some others with my experiences in these areas on another thread.  I think my question above is pretty legit too though...if I were planning a first trip, I'd like to see some answers from agency owners...

... in response to Re: Question for you!!!, posted by BAQman on May 24, 2005

Lets be honest about this even if you knew everything you could about the
agency you would fail real bad why? Because if that is all you are going worry
about as a newbie then stay home because you have a problem. When I first
started out just being able to read what other men had experienced with woman
in Colombia or latin America. If you know what to look for warning signs what
other men lost out on... you will be real far ahead in the game...

... in response to Re: Re: Question for you!!!, posted by Fuzzyone on May 24, 2005

True, but which agency should you use?  I'd like to know everything I could if it was my first time again.  I'm not saying you should know only this...but it would sure help.  :)

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Question for you!!!, posted by BAQman on May 24, 2005

I would not use no agency, I used none when I went to Barranquilla I used
Amigos.com and it worked out perfect. For some men maybe they would need
one..

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: Question for you!!!, posted by Fuzzyone on May 24, 2005

I think your advice is great...I never tried amigos, but that's two positive reviews I've seen so far.

... in response to Question for you!!!, posted by Fuzzyone on May 24, 2005

Fuzzy, usually you and I are not on the same page - but this time i agree with you. I have been trying to get BAQ to move on to another subject on the "satellite board" and talk about anything else but his recent diatribes. Glad to see we have apparently have something in common. I would be upset too - but enough already

... in response to Re: Question for you!!!, posted by papi on May 24, 2005

Yea I know life is funny some times HUH? Any way I post my story and I know
you have posted alot about the girls you have met. If the new guys here just
read a little bit then maybe they will keep their eyes open enough to avoid a
shark or a barracuda looking for a fat wallet..... :-)

... in response to Re: Re: Question for you!!!, posted by Fuzzyone on May 24, 2005

and there are too many of those..especially in some over-fished areas

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Question for you!!!, posted by papi on May 24, 2005

I guess this is fairly intuitive...I think there's an inherent problem using an agency to help you find a "suitable" mate.  If a true relationship is what you're after, using an agency will probably steer you toward a heck of a lot more predatory sea-beasts.  The issue is how to meet any women without the agencies, especially for those who don't speak the language.  If somebody comes up with a work-able alternative, they'll make a lot of money.  :)

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: Question for you!!!, posted by BAQman on May 24, 2005

[This message has been edited by jediknight]

agencies are good if you want to accelerate things and "cut to the chase", both parties know why they are there, all you need to do is narrow your choices down and hope you don't get involved with a shark.

however, for those that have time, aren't in any rush and know enough spanish to go solo, sites like amigos.com might be better. over the years i've met women who weren't looking for husbands or to get married, many were students or young professionals looking for friends to chat with or to have as pen pals. many know that the chances of meeting a foreigner over the internet are slim so they don't get their hopes up.... they just are there to meet local men. many girls that i contacted wanted to find men within colombia, which was a nice surprise considering the stereotype many of us have read or heard about women being fed up with colombian men...not so.

amigos.com worked for me, my girlfriend and i started as penpals, not ever thinking we would ever meet. at the time i was communicating with other girls in bogota where i usually stay when i'm in colombia so i never had any intention of flying to barranquilla to met her. it wasn't until many months later when i became less interested in the girls in bogota and more interested in her that i thought about meeting her, thank goodness i decided to make the trip to the coast.
JK

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Question for you!!!, posted by jediknight on May 25, 2005

Yeah...and I guess it's hard to meet a girl who wouldn't normally go to an agency, when you use an agency.  I think it's almost inevitable that most of these girls get jaded fairly quickly once they start playing the agency game.