Diane Marie Pinkard is a woman of unrelenting optimism and, if for no other reason (and there are plenty), completely qualified to write a book about the art of sales.

Rarely in the past 100 years has America's business acumen been so scrutinized and tested. Against the backdrop of an increasingly unforgiving environment for selling anything to anyone comes Diane, a woman who embodies the pioneer spirit. A woman who is a survivor of a journey that was often not easy to bear, but it led her through the mountains of Wyoming and along the Main Streets of suburban America to find her calling.

Diane is an author and a teacher who has discovered that the bigger classroom outside of a traditional school is where she belongs. With an advanced degree from the California State College system, a small business owner, a mother and a wife, she has multi-tasked her way through her working and family-centered years to come to understand that life's lessons and that those learned and earned as a professional are inevitably entwined.

Living in a slightly out of the way part of the California, with dogs and cats and a later in life husband who introduced her to the wonders of his Mississippi upbringing, Diane has come to terms with who she is — a gift in itself.

While living in nature is a dream for some, for Diane is at the root of who she is. Modern day heroes are not so easy to come by for her. It is therefore not surprising that a seldom-remembered farmer, Johnny Appleseed, is the one that touches her heart. While Johnny did sow his seeds — and many writers today are clever enough to scatter their know-how — what makes him unique in her eyes is that some two hundred years later those trees are still bearing fruit. Diane's legacy, like all great teachers, is not just found in the process, but in what remains.

A consummate professional, a gifted communicator, a lively spirit and a dedicated teacher, Diane is an advocate for the art of selling as a craft, as a business and as a way of living.

To learn more about Diane, visit her website and also consider her book, Just Treat Me Like I Matter.

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