How To Take Advantage of the Latest Trend

The Sunday Times – Business: Experience shows that if you can spot a trend in the market and get your products out there quickly, the rewards can be immense. And the good news is that small- or medium-sized firms are often able to move faster than the big companies.
So how do you spot a trend? David Lewis, who runs the marketing consultancy Neurinx 2, said: “The secret of success is to find out exactly what is going on in the marketplace. You can’t do it from behind a desk: you need to get out there and listen to people.
“Big companies employ cool hunters to find out what is going on. If a firm makes trendy clothes for young people, for example, the cool hunter will go round the clubs the young people go to. Owners of small businesses have to be their own cool hunters.”
HOW TO: Take advantage of the latest trend [TIMES Online]