TrendSmart

Book excerpt: Today's business world is confusing and uncertain. Things move so fast, it seems that every day there is a new technology, a new marketing strategy and a new way to attract customers. How do you make sense of it all? Is the hot new trend you're hearing about the wave of the future or just another passing fad? Louis Patler has the answers. As a leading trend-analysis and market-research guru for companies such as American Express, General Dynamics, Lloyds Bank and Dell Computers, Patler has spent the last twenty years studying emerging business trends and tracking their impact in the marketplace. Through this intense research and remarkable insights into the most successful and innovative companies, Patler has discovered the key to doing business in the 21st century--the trends and strategies that are here to stay. --Don't expect loyalty. Today's employees will not stay at a job for more than three years. Plan for this and take advantage of it. --Forget what you do "best." Your company's most valued traditions or processes are often the ones holding it back. --The customer is not always right. Offer savings and specials to your most valuable and loyal customers and let the rest shop somewhere else. --The future is here. Things will never "go back to normal"; this is normal! --and countless more... TrendSmart not only reveals the most important business developments, but shows you how to use them to make your business strong and leap ahead of the competition. TrendSmart managers lead with strength and vision, create a group of happy and loyal customers and give employees the tools they need to help the company grow. TrendSmart is the tool every leader, manager and business owner needs to succeed today and in the future. "Louis Patler is to change as Mark McGwire is to baseball--a man with the power to shatter myths, raise standards and inspire greatness."--Jay Conrad Levinson, author of Guerilla Marketing "Reading Louis Patler awakens your mind and renews your energy for this marathon race we call business."--Jim Kouzes, Chairman, Tom Peters Group Learning Systems