08 Jun New Book: The Jalapeno Handshake

I met Lydia Johnson over six years ago while she was a banking vice president of sales and service and led a sales team of about 1000 staff. It was clear during our first coffee that she was truly what Malcolm Gladwell meant in the Tipping Point when he wrote about connectors.

I’m happy to say that Lydia has taking her 32 years of relationship building experience and written a book about the things she learned along the way. This book isn’t about theory, it’s about tried and true behaviours that led to her relationships supporting her success.

Here’s an excerpt:

Revisiting your customer approach is crucial in these tough economic times.  “Businesses need to create stronger relationships with their clients, relationships that are built on trust,” says Lydia Johnson, author of The Jalapeno Handshake, Strategies To Heat Up Your Business Relationships.

In her book, Johnson argues that through trust, businesses can generate a larger client base, increase their profits and distinguish themselves from their competitors. In today’s competitive market, business clients are skeptical and you can’t blame them, “Johnson says. “ When it comes to business-customer relationships, everyone has been burned.”

Johnson says there are numerous things a business can do to create trust with its clients:

• Be a straight shooter. Go over the fine print with your clients and don’t hide behind misleading messages or jargon
• Always do what is right and best for the customer. Sometimes this means letting the client go elsewhere to get what they really need. Transactions between a client and a business should always be mutually beneficial.
• Keep your promises and your clients will want to do more business with you
• Inspire your staff, and you’ll inspire your clients

Check out the website: www.thejalapenohandshake.com