Lonely but hurried New Yorkers can rest easy this Valentine's Day -- the love coach is on her way.
Laurie Davis, 29, founded eFlirtExpert.com to guide the lovelorn through a $4 billion Internet dating industry where quantity doesn't necessarily translate into Mr or Mrs Right.
Think of her as the personal fitness instructor of the heart.
For $140, Davis will construct clients a profile and send out five messages on dating websites. For $2,500 -- the "VIP" package -- a whole life makeover is offered: "dating management, concierge service, personal shopping."
Davis says: "I become you until you find the perfect gingerbread man."
Client Laura Myers, 38, went for help when her Internet matchmaking attempts resulted in men too old, too young, or with "salaries far below mine."
Her flirt coach is helping her present herself online -- and explain who she's looking for -- more coherently.
Myers says taking advice from a woman a decade younger is a good idea in today's high-tech dating game.
"Last time I was seriously dating someone you didn't have Facebook, you couldn't Google someone, so I do think it’s important because it's now such a big part of everyone's life to make sure that you're out there in a positive way."
孤獨而匆忙的紐約人這個情人節可以高枕無憂了，因為戀愛教練來了。
29歲的勞裡•戴維斯創辦了一個叫eFlirtExpert.com的網站，給單身人士提供網上約會方面的指導。雖然網上約會產業現在的總市值已達40億美元，但是約會網站的龐大數量並不意味著一定會讓你找到意中人。
你可以把戴維斯看作是你的私人戀愛教練。
如果你付140美元，戴維斯會為你建立一個個人主頁，並在婚戀網站上幫你發送五條信息。而價值2500美元的VIP套餐則是一整套能幫你改變生活面貌的服務，包括約會管理、代辦服務、以及個人購物助理服務。
戴維斯說：「在你找到你的完美另一半之前，我就是你。」
38歲的客戶蘿拉•梅爾斯之前也在婚戀網站上試過，但是她找的男人要麼年齡相差太多，要麼就是收入遠低於她。於是，她來找戴維斯幫忙。
她的戀愛教練正在幫她在網上展示自己，並且教她更清楚地說明她想找什麼類型的人。
梅爾斯說在今天的高科技約會遊戲中，聽聽比自己小十多歲的女人的意見是個不錯的主意。
梅爾斯說：「我最後一次認真地談戀愛的時候，人們還沒有Facebook可以用，也沒法用谷歌搜索某個人的個人資料。現在我確實覺得學會在網上正面地展示自己很重要，因為網絡佔據了人們生活的很大比重。」
Vocabulary:
makeover: the process of improving the appearance of a person or a place (外觀的)改進，改善;修飾
concierge: 委託代辦