Who doesn’t want to make their dating life easier? Ok, let’s say online dating is like looking for a needle in a haystack. What if with help it's more like looking for a needle in an Easter basket? Much better odds, right?
So, here we go:
1. Most singles have absolutely no idea what they are doing when they enter cyberspace dating. They pick a site at random, write a generally boring profile and toss a few photos up. Then they wonder why the quality and quantity of responses are so bad---then they give up!
I’ll give you an example of a 35-year-old male journalist I admire who writes for the WSJ. His witty columns always captivate me. I literally gasped when he sent me his profile---it was so bland and I felt like I’d taken an Ambien. Well, we fixed that! And, he laughed so hard when he received his new profile from me---and after 4 months is dating someone he really likes. He credits the profile (and the new photos I insisted he take!) for his success.
2. Online dating has the largest pool of singles you will ever meet after college, grad school, the workplace. But you need to know how to work the online system!
3. A good dating counselor will have at least 15-20 years of experience, growing up in the onslaught of online dating apps/sites. It’s not someone who went on 10 dates and met their wife online!
So, how’s a dating coach/dating counselor going to help you?
1. First, they will talk to you via phone and find out if your expectations are reasonable and your attitude somewhat positive. They want to know you are a good fit for your expectations. After all, they generally will be working with you over a period of 2-3 months to make sure you get the “hang” of working the different sites and understanding how algorithms work.
2. Next, they need to meet you! Since I work with clients all over the US, both male and female singles, that means an hour zoom call to review what you are looking for, see you on screen, see your mannerisms---and just get to know you in general!
3. Once accepted, the number one thing we do for you is save you a heck of a lot of time! Think of it this way---you could watch tons of YouTube videos on golf or yoga, but without a coach one on one, it’s going to take a long time to learn how to play the game properly and progress.
4. We know the dating market. Whether you are in North Dakota or NYC, we know the sites strong in your area---sweet spot with your age and goals. For example, a client in Colorado told me he wanted to go on Bumble---but I knew with barely looking at my research there were few people on this app in his market. Sure, it only takes one---but let’s get you the best odds we can.
5. You get an objective, experienced cheerleader! It’s not one of your friends telling you everything you do is great---c’mon, that’s what friends do!
6. We teach you everything from navigating all aspects of online dating---photos, profile, right site and great messaging skills. Ohhhk…. can I talk about messaging skill for a minute? Singles either send a bland “Hi, how’s It going”, “Oh, cute photos” to vomiting a novella with all their most inner thoughts. TMI, folks!
I actually have my clients’ logins and passwords for the dating sites I’ve recommended and each week together we go on that site and analyze potential great matches and how to best reach out. OH, and how to stay organized and not get overwhelmed. I show them shortcuts that cut out about 80-90% of the time they’d generally waste on time.
Often, I find when I’m doing this with clients they want to “save” potential matches and react to them at a later day. No, no, NO! Dating online is a fast and well-played game---you either respond or delete. Nothing else.
If you want to learn more about the tips, tricks and secrets to navigating these sites, hire a great dating coach with experience and a great rep. Over 60% of my clients are in relationships. Last year, 1 of 3 couples who married met online and I just expect that number to increase as the stigma of using online dating has been eradicated.
Want to have an adventure with me and online dating? Go to my website and watch some of the 2-Minute Dating Tips.
With Love and Laughter,
Andrea McGinty
Founder, 33000Dates.com