Actually, being almost 16 years old, what she really said was, “Matt’s web site sucks.” I asked why. “It’s just plain text with a couple of links, it scrolls forever, there aren’t any good surfing pictures, there’s no animation…” But, I asked, what did you do when you went to the site? “Well, I got Matt’s cell phone number.” Then what did you do? “I called him, he called me back, and we arranged a lesson.” So this website got you exactly what you needed, right? “Well, yes, but it was REALLY ugly.”

When you’re Matt with a cash-based business that only runs when the sun shines and the surf is up, a really ugly website may be all you need. This basic website got us to consider him, call him, and arrange a lesson. There were no fancy brochures, no operators standing by, no big marketing pitch—none of which would have helped Matt close more business. Matt isn’t looking for long-term relationships—he sells a low-end product (for cash, no credit cards), with limited upside capacity (based on the number of instructors and surfboards, and weather conditions), and no ongoing service and support requirements.

Most of us don’t have the luxury of being in a simple one-product business that runs only on good surf days. We want to build long-term relationships with our customers and have them come back, time and time again—not only when the sun is shining, but also when it’s not. To do this, we need to plant marketing seeds when business is slow and nurture relationships, so that we can reap the benefits of a strong, healthy business in the future.

This doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time because relationships take time to develop, and they require us to develop trust. It also takes time to create and execute good marketing campaigns and to see the results. Marketing messages need to be repeated again and again to get through the clutter of today’s business world. It often takes multiple calls to action before a potential target customer takes the initiative to notice and respond to us.

That’s why in some ways, slow or down time in your business is a gift. This is your opportunity to think about your image, your business, your marketing campaigns—as well as to plan for how you’ll handle upcoming busy seasons. This is also your opportunity to build marketing programs, write articles, or create materials—to implement now or distribute later.

Before implementing a marketing program, it’s critical to understand your target audience so you can meet their needs in their terms. This sounds simple, but many organizations skip this basic step. When you understand what makes your target prospects tick, you can develop a unique value proposition that positions the goods/services you offer in terms of what the audience needs, not the expertise you provide.

There are five stages of the purchase process: Awareness, Consideration, Purchase, Preference, and Loyalty. A prospect obviously needs to be aware of you before they’ll consider you, but your job is not done once they purchase. What you really want is to develop preference for your offerings and eventually loyalty. To do this, you may need to develop a range of marketing programs, depending on where your customers are in the process. In some cases, you may need different marketing programs for different individuals or customer types.

The marketing initiatives you implement will also depend on whether your focus is on acquiring new customers or retaining the ones you already have. Although ideally you want loyal customers who come back time after time, you also need ongoing sources of new customers. In both cases, you’ll build credibility by getting referrals and testimonials which show customers and prospects the types of successful organizations who are already working with you and your firm.

In the end, just like Matt, we all want to ride the wave of success. To do that, we need to put in the work upfront to plant the seeds for marketing success now, so we can enjoy the rewards all year around.

Linda Popky is the President of L2M Associates, a strategic marketing firm located in Redwood City, CA, that helps organizations dramatically improve their return on marketing programs, processes and people. She is in demand as a speaker, instructor and author, as well as a business consultant. Her booklet “Big Marketing Tips for Small Company Budgets” will be published this fall. Part 1 of Linda’s two part podcast interview on Effectively Measuring Your Marketing ROI and Building Marketing Competency is now available.

Linda’s latest book Marketing Your Career – Positioning, Packaging, and Promoting Yourself for Success, is now available.