The Marketplace has a voice. Suppose you’re a Fortune 500 business, mid-size business, small or startup business, or even a sales manager, trying to find the most helpful thing you can say to excite the troops and point them in the right direction. In that case, the best answer is to listen to the marketplace.

Entrepreneurs, better than anyone, listen to and know this voice because it tells them what to do, where to do it, and when to move.  It explains what the customer needs will be even before they are apparent to the customer. It answers what type of new business will succeed or what new, or even old, product will sell now.

Markets move and change rather than standing still, and sometimes, the change is business shrinking, crying out for change. Sometimes, it is expansion preceded by trends showing the direction. Fads can point to coming trends or just be short-lived: listen for both. You can change your order when the fad fades and gear up when the changes are trends.

When a trend intersects with changes in customer needs, an opportunity results; entrepreneurs have their ears close to the marketplace and often recognize first when to change their direction and take advantage of changes. They execute more often and are creative rather than just good listeners. Watching and listening to the entrepreneurs might be a solution if you can't hear the marketplace.  One question to ask yourself about the market is if your customers have other supplies who are entrepreneurs and may be closer to the marketplace’s needs.

Large and small businesses, sales departments, and sales leaders can listen and see where the marketplace is telling them to go. All will benefit by listening, mastering the ability to read between the lines, and picking up on the unspoken clues that hint at a larger story.