I have a consulting client who is a true trend chaser.

He gobbles up one sales book after another, always seeking THE SECRET or THE NEXT BIG THING with which he can associate.

Instead of putting to work what he already knows with any consistency, he bounces this way and that, from idea to idea, in search of the perfect one.

Of course I see this as foolish, though he is kind enough to buy MY books, tapes, and advice as well.

What he doesnt understand is success isnt contained in a new idea. You cant hear about something and then chase it.

If it has already appeared in a book, chances are that new idea is already on its way to becoming quite stale.

Did you know, and I say this as an author of 12 books with major publishers, it takes a minimum of nine months to get a book into print and into stores? And that presumes the book has already been written, sold, and it is in production.

More often, when you factor in the time it takes to market a book to publishers, you wont see your work come out for eighteen months to two years. By that time, believe me, what was your fresh new concept has been copied by lots of other people.

And of course, what you see in print is just a small fraction of what is going on in the universe of business. Most people who are innovating are too busy making money and appreciating their good fortune to talk or to write about it.

Plus, why blab to the world and spawn innumerable copycats?

The best way to catch something new is to ask doers, people who are in the trenches, Whats working for you?

Just today, at a meeting of a trade association where I was a keynote speaker, I got a chance to do this, with a person who offers services to dentists.

I asked, among other things, What is the single most attractive service you offer to dentists, from their viewpoint?

I was utterly surprised to hear that it is a simple software program that enables them to retrieve a patients insurance coverage within a minute or two.

Once I heard it, and thought about it, I said to myself, Sure; that makes sense.

But I could scan every published article on dental practice management and never come across that simple, and profitable fact.

If you want to succeed, its okay to copy, and to improve something, providing you dont offend intellectual property laws.

But dont bother copying most of what you see in print. By the time word reaches you, its probably old news!