If you would like your business to stand out from the competition, succeed beyond expectations and thrive during challenging times I highly recommend The Jalapeño Handshake.

-Peggy McColl, New York Times Best-Selling Author http://peggymccoll.com

"Being a great business leader is about inspiring your staff as well as your customers. Johnson gives you the tools to do both! An excellent read for anyone who is looking to boost a business. The Jalapeño Handshake adds a little spice to stale sales tactics. This book is an engaging and insightful read for salespeople and business managers everywhere."

-Grace Pulver Management Consultant, Dublin, Ireland

"Lydia Johnson talks the talk and walks the walk. In The Jalapeño Handshake she shares valuable insights from her own business experiences. These invaluable lessons are ideal for anyone committed to achieving a higher level of productivity."

-Candy Hodson, Senior VP of National Sales & Marketing, Black Press Media, Surrey BC

"The Jalapeño Handshake adds a little spice to stale sales tactics. This book is an engaging and insightful read for salespeople and business managers everywhere."

-Peter Vukanovich, President Genworth Financial Canada, Toronto, ON

"As a successful executive with an impressive ca- reer background, Lydia writes from experience not opinion. Her thoughts are crafted from the school of hard knocks so you know when you're reading every page that she travelled the road and she's giving it to you straight. If you're trying to standout from the crowd, truly learn how to build effective long term business relationships, and become a "connector," this is the book for you."

-Mike Desjardins, Driver (CEO), ViRTUS - www.virtusinc.com, Past President, Entrepreneurs' Organization - Vancouver Chapter, Top 40 Under 40 Award Recipient

"This book is loaded with practical ideas and insights that will help you succeed in any business."

-Brian Tracy-Author, Maximum Achievement, Charlottetown, PE

"Success in selling is the ability to truly understand our customers' needs, build a strong and trusting relationship with them and then show them that you can give them what they want and more. Drawing on her own experiences and the experiences of leaders in the field, Lydia Johnson has managed to capture the essence of how to be successful in selling and in life."

-Eitan Sharir, President Dynamic Achievement Group, Inc. and author of Activate Your Power, West Vancouver, BC

"Having worked with Lydia for 12 years, I've witnessed her strong ability to sell. In order to be effective salespeople, our techniques have to be fresh and innovative. The Jalapeño Handshake reveals plenty of tricks and tools to strengthen our sales abilities. This book has been an enjoyable refresher for me and I know you will enjoy it, too."

-Kevin J. Zakus, CEO BCCA Employee Benefit Trust, Vancouver, BC

"In today's competitive environment it's harder than ever for businesses and salespeople to create sizeable profits. If you want your business to stand out from your competitors, you need a fresh approach. Johnson's game plan really works. Not only can she explain these sales- winning concepts in a compelling way, but she also uses these tools herself!"

-Gord Huston, CEO Envision Financial, Langley, BC

"Johnson shares innovative strategies that will add value to any customer interaction. She shows us how to build strong relationships with our clients that will stand the test of time. Thanks for reminding us that it is the little things that can make a huge difference!"

-Kim Andres, Kim Andres Consulting, West Vancouver, BC

"The Jalapeño Handshake is an engaging read! Johnson teaches the reader how to tap into their personal power and how to build trust with their clients. Anyone who finds themselves in a position where they need to sell their ideas, their products or meet sales objectives, will find this book both inspiring and relevant."

-Denise R. Gabel, Chief Innovation Officer, Filene Research Institute, Madison, WI

"Johnson's rich experience as a seasoned sales leader shines through on every page. The Jalapeño Handshake is a holistic and practical handbook for growing sales in any industry. A must read for emerging sales professionals and a smart choice for experienced business developers looking to sharpen their edge. This is the straightforward, grounded approach to improving businesses and sales."

-Ross Gilchrist, Leader / Strategic Design and Talent, The Next Institute

"Lydia is one of the most enthusiastic, optimistic, positive leaders I have ever worked with. She approaches challenges and opportunities with great energy and determination to find the right solution. With Lydia's experience and enthusiasm she can ignite ideas, energy and innovation in others."

-Kari Grist, VP Marketing & Business Development, Offsetters, Vancouver, BC

"Lydia is a leader. With inter-personal skills second to none, she is able to motivate, while expecting others to be held accountable. With energy to spare, she's led more corporate strategic initiatives than most will ever see in their careers."

-Keith Hazell, Director Financial Planning, Vancity Credit Union, Vancouver, BC

"Working with Lydia has been a fantastic experience! She has pushed me to expand my boundaries of comfort and provided an excellent framework from which to view my relationship with my team, my peers and my executive team. It is a pleasure to work with Lydia and draw on the many years of executive level leadership she has been involved in."

-David Lanphear, CFP, BA, Assistant Vice President | Wealth Management Services, Envision Credit Union, Langley, BC

"Lydia Johnson was referred to us after our scheduled presenter was unable to attend. Lydia was asked to present to our Board and Management on innovation, what it truly is and how to effectively introduce it in to your business. To our delight within a week of our request Lydia completed research on our company and how our customers view us. This resulted in a presentation that everyone felt was extremely well done and assisted the group in developing a number of actions that will ensure innovation is strongly rooted in our company. Also Lydia's passions to ensure business understand the importance of developing effective customer relations and sales strategies was refreshing. We hope to work with Lydia in the future."

-Ian MacNeil, Director, Operations, League Data Ltd., Halifax, NS

Johnson provides you with a complete set of tools to assist in cultivating strong business re- lationships. The rules have changed and in her book she illustrates many valuable strategies that enable us to be resilient in these challeng- ing times.

-Alan Cline, President/CEO, 1-800-PLUMBING INC, Phoenix, AZ

"When Lydia spoke at our King County Chapter of Credit Unions quarterly meeting, she held the room mesmerized for a full hour. The audience gave rave reviews. She was one of the best- rated speakers we have ever booked. I highly recommend Lydia for any conference you are facilitating. She is smart, funny and connects well with a group."

-Shari Storm, SVP Marketing, Verity Credit Union, Seattle, WA

"Lydia was the catalyst at introducing and sustaining a very effective sales culture at Vancity Credit Union. She has always inspired her staff to be creative and entrepreneurial in addition to fostering risk taking."

-Caroline Wedge, Assistant Vice President, Sales & Service, Envision Financial, Langley, BC

"Every person has times when they're just plain HOT and winning big feels easy. Johnson explains how to consciously create that type of heat! After reading The Jalapeño Handshake I'm able to flip switches that I never knew I had. My relationships and results are on the climb for sure."

-Chris Curran, author of Leap Beyond Your Limits, Pine Brook, NJ

"It's easy to create great relationships with your clients when you have the right tools. Lydia's book is an inspiring resource for salespeople and business managers."

-Peter Reale, Branch Manager, Vancity Credit Union, Vancouver, BC

"Lydia is a very passionate leader who has the ability to inspire and motivate her team through both one on one meetings and through large group presentations. At Vancity she created a strong collaborative "can do" culture that consistently lead to the exceeding of targets. She is constantly up for a good challenge and her positive approach to dealing with difficult issues brings others together in a way that fosters a sharing of ideas and the identification of a successful resolution. She is a great person to have as part of your team."

-Ian Warner, former COO, Vancity Credit Union, Vancouver, BC

"Intelligence, passion, presence and humour."

-Dr. Daniel Stone, Daniel Stone & Associates, North Vancouver, BC

"Customer-centric sales and service strategies and tactics are the life blood for building competitive, profitable success in business and life. Johnson is a practitioner-leader in this area and her book can help both businesses and individuals reach new levels of prosperity."

-P.A. (Pat) Palmer, Founder & CEO, Where Eagles Soar Inc., Markdale, ON

"The strategies in The Jalapeño Handshake are not only for salespeople or business managers, but for the rest of us as well. Johnson explains how to harness our inner resources in order to achieve our goals."

-Peter Lee, Principal, Tekara Organizational Effectiveness Inc., Vancouver, BC

"Johnson shares the secret of how to build a sustainable business. She teaches her readers to let go of their fears and becoming ONE with their customers."

-Dr. Lance H. K. Secretan, bestselling author of ONE: The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership, Caledon, ON

The Jalapeño Handshake is a book filled with practical tips you can use in business and in life. Many stories vividly illustrate her points. My copy is filled with highlighting, and I bet yours will be, too. Keep it nearby so you can open it to any page and rediscover the perfect insight for that moment.

-Tracey E. Bennett, Queen of Conversations http://QueenOfConversation.com