Writing a personal or professional bio does not have to be complicated. It's just 4 - 6 sentences that address the following questions:

1) who you are

2) what your expertise is (credentials and experience)

3) why the reader should care about your expertise

4) how the reader can contact you

Probably the most important point is number three: "why the reader should care about your expertise". This is because although your bio is about you, it is for your reader.

So be sure to mention how your expertise will benefit your reader. Some examples include:

• Will they learn something from you?
• Can you solve their problem?
• Would you be an interesting speaker for their event?
• Might you be the perfect fit for their job opening?

These are the types of questions readers have in mind as they read your bio.

And a final word of advice about writing your professional bio: If there's something that you think is interesting or important to add, by all means do so! Trust your own judgment and let your personal or professional bio reflect what is unique about you.

Click here for more bio templates to write your personal or professional bio.

Andrea Lee has put together a list of 60 ways to collaborate with others for increasing your bottom line. Each idea is very straight-forward and can be implemented immediately.

1. Interview someone.
2. Have someone interview you.
3. Write an article with someone.
4. Have someone write your ezine while you're on vacation.
5. Offer to write someone else's ezien while you're on vacation.
6. Invite a guest to lead a TeleSeminar
7. Send a complimentary copy of your product to 10 key players.
8. Put a promotion of someone else's product on your thank you page.
9. Invite someone to use your Pink Spoon Autoresponder for their target market.
10. Offer your 1-hour audio CD to someone to brand for their market.
11. Merge your membership site with another one and form a new branded site.
12. Hold a workshop together.
13. Put together a panel and write a proposal to speak at an industry conference.
14. Offer to write an endorsement.
15. Hire someone who's just starting out in their profession.
16. Invite guests to post insights at your blog.
17. Deliver a free TeleSeminar to promote someone else's product for an affiliate fee.
18. Send an article to 10 key players in your market - one that will help them.
19. Do a pre-event call for attendees of a conference you're speaking at.
20. Do a pre-event call for organizers of a conference you're speaking at.
21. Introduce a key player you already know to someone else who'd benefit.
22. Provide sponsorship opportunities for your offerings.
23. Take a photo of yourself using the product of someone you want to help.
24. Build an R&D Team.
25. Get in with a top-notch mastermind group.
26. Get an endorsement from someone who can benefit.
27. Promote the businesses of the suppliers you recommend.
28. Co-write a book.
29. Get your book ghost-written.
30. Make a list of things you need help with and make it public.
31. Offer a lucrative affiliate program.
32. Spend time training your affiliates.
33. Use humor and emotion to create a viral storm.
34. Hire someone who has a day job.
35. Get bonus gifts from 10 key players.
36. Offer a bonus gift to someone creating a big launch.
37. Build a relationship with 3 meeting planners.
38. Send your book draft out to be reviewed by area experts.
39. Groom a business partner.
40. Put photos of your business partners on the product or program.
41. Solicit feedback and comments on your TeleSeminars.
42. Ask for 'the biggest question' on the minds of your customers.
43. Find 3 key players to cross-promote your offering.
44. Offer to help finish a project someone else is struggling with.
45. Approach charities to become sponsors of your business.
46. Do a fundraiser for a charity.
47. Use an incentivised payment plan (partial pay for performance) for key team members.
48. Ask everyone for help, more often.
49. Recruit volunteers for finite projects.
50. Always request referrals.
51. Invite 2 key players to co-lead an event.
52. Create a product or program based solely on other people's content.
53. Use case studies.
54. Private label some of your content.
55. Find places that look for speakers for their ready-made audiences.
56. Work for someone else for a length of time.
57. Ask 3 authors to sell you their book for cost to provide as a gift to your customers.
58. Invite your customers to review your products at Amazon or Ebay.
59. License someone else's material.
60. Sell your business.

Sometimes I'm such an intolerant b*tch. I wanted to title this article "Dealing with Idiot Customers" but thought better of it.

I got this email from a customer who ordered a bio template from my how to write a bio service.

Barbra: I am afraid that this is simply not acceptable. In our previous communication I specifically pointed out what I needed in the bio and I expected you to provide the complete bio, not a template. Please send me the completed bio as we agreed upon or return the money back if you are not going to do this.

Of course, the first thing I did was refund her payment. No problem there. Then I considered what to write back. That's when Mean Intolerant Barbra popped up. She wanted to write:

I have issued your refund. And you are an idiot.

But fortunately Customer Service Barbra prevailed. She advised me to write:

Dear ________,

I have issued your refund. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, but if you read the order page you will see that it is very clear that you are purchasing a template, not a custom written bio.

Best of luck to you,

Barbra

Because it's business, right? It doesn't hurt me to be nice about it. And hey, if I'm really honest about it...I've been in that customer's place too. I've misread things and made assumptions about what I'm getting for my money. So I got over myself and did my bit for peace (and customer service) today.

Had a fun in-person meeting today with Andrea J. Lee and Sarah Van Male. For three people who normally communicate virtually, it was a real treat to be in the same room at the same time.

In fact, it was the first time Andrea and Sarah had met in person, even though they've been working together for two years. And in the six years that I've known Andrea, today marked just the third time that we've met in person.

We met at Serious Coffee in Nanaimo, which happens to be my second office (I'm there three or four times a weeks for a half-caf latte). Coincidentally, it's Sarah's favorite coffee place too when she's enroute to her home on Hornby Island.

Andrea's on Vancouver Island for a bit of a holiday, and Sarah was returning from a trip to Vancouver. We talked about work, pets and the men in our lives, although not necessarily in that order :)

Sarah's the creative person behind the graphic art for the various CD products that Andrea and I are collaborating on. We discussed ideas for the covers for the 11-CD Coaching Masteries product, and came up with a really exciting concept. You can see Sarah's portfolio here.

I was intrigued to hear that Sarah and Andrea connected via Elance. Sarah advertises her graphic services there, and that's how Andrea found her. Great example of the win-win of using online freelancer listing services.

As much as I enjoy doing business virtually, there's really nothing like an in-person meeting to connect and find out things about colleagues that just wouldn't make it into an email. For example, how Andrea and I both have a big hearty laugh!

Our guest writer this week is Joan Stewart, also know as the Publicity Hound.

If you need help with your public relations campaign and you can't do it alone, hiring a publicist or other service provider is often a wise decision.

Here are six handy tips to keep in mind when buying PR-related products or services such as the ones that are included on The Publicity Hound's Resources List.

1. Know your budget

If you call a company you might want to do business with, and the person to whom you're speaking asks "What's your budget?", that's not a trick question. They're simply trying to determine whether you can afford their products or services before they spend 20 minutes on the phone with you, then discover they're way out of your price range.

Some people who need help with press releases, for example, can only afford to pay someone $50 to write the release. Yet I don't know of one professional writer who would write a release for only $50.

If you don't know exactly how much you can spend, state a range. That way, the service provider can determine if there's anything they can do for you within your budget.

If you are not a marketing or PR person and have never bought these services before and truly have no idea what things cost, feel free to ask the vendor to give you a ballpark idea of costs, knowing that the ultimate cost will vary depending on the shape of the program you pursue.

2. Contact several vendors

The more companies you contact, the more choices you'll have in the end. If you can get a referral from a friend or business associate who loves working with a certain company, that will save you a lot of time. But most people looking for publicity products or services aren't that lucky.

I advise talking to three companies regarding the types of public relations services or products they provide. Prepare a list of questions before you call, and ask them all the same questions. If you're buying media reference directories, for example, in what format is the information available? And exactly what types of contact information does the directory provide? Can you see a sample listing at their website? Can you take a free or inexpensive test-drive before you make your decision?

In today's fast-paced world, many people find they have trouble feeling grounded and on top of things. Work is often filled with a sense of urgency leading to stress, fatigue, and even burn-out. Get some help prioritizing, by taking the Urgency Index test.

Used by Robert Gass in his Art of Leadership training at Hollyhock, this tool may help you find the right balance between what needs to be done now, and what can be reassigned or completed at a later date.

The Urgency Index test helps you determine the difference between things that are urgent and things that are important. And contrary to popular belief, you should not necessarily do the urgent things first. Why not? Because you could spend your whole life doing the urgent things (which are usually just self-imposed or putting out fires) without doing the important things.

via the Hollyhock newsletter. Hollyhock is an educational retreat centre located on Cortes Island, B.C. Hollyhock's mission is to inspire, nourish and support people who are making the world better.