Are you a convenient marketer? Do you pull out all the stops when you desperately need new sales, only to coast or turn off the spigot when times are good? Well, I have news for you: marketing is a system, a process. Marketing is not an event. If you study successful companies, you’ll likely find a common trait – they’re always marketing, in good times and bad, not just when it is convenient.

I participate in a weekly men’s Bible study. A core group of us have been meeting every Thursday morning at 6:30 for several years. We meet over breakfast and, without fail, I learn something every week. Today was no exception. This morning we discussed the term “convenient Christian.” I won’t go into the discussion here, but essentially it means practicing your faith (reading the Bible, attending church, praying, or seeking God’s guidance and help) only when you need it – or when it’s convenient. Otherwise, when things are going well in your life, it’s not convenient.

Being an entrepreneur, I find that my mind frequently looks for “lessons,” or ways to apply in my business things I observe and learn in other parts of my life. As I was driving home, I was thinking about the term “convenient” and I began to realize how many business owners stray from the things they know they need do, like marketing, when times are good and then panic and try to play catch-up when things are not so good.

The reality is, good marketing is consistent marketing; it is not convenient marketing. Your customers and prospects need to hear from you over and over again. This type of repetition helps to build trust and credibility. Plus, as you’ve heard me say time and again, your current customers will respond to frequency by giving you more repeat business. Regular and frequent contact (marketing) not only means that they will not “forget” about you and perhaps give their money to your competitors, but will help build their trust in you and give them the reminder to refer their associates, friends, and neighbors.

Maybe one of the reasons this has been on my mind is that recently I had a couple of corporate clients stop sending their customer newsletters. The reasons they gave are not important, although I’m sure that for some of these companies, the CFO looked at the expense (their word, not mine!) of the newsletter as something that can be easily done away with to save a few bucks. What they fail to understand is that stopping this important customer-relationship business-building tool (my words!) sends two messages to their customers. One, they don’t truly value their customer relationships, and two (and more important), “We’re in trouble.” Think about how bad that message is. Your customers hear nothing but doom and gloom on the news and then suddenly, rightly or wrongly, they assume that your company must also be “in trouble,” since you stopped sending your newsletter. The reality is that people want to do business with companies that are successful and will be around to service their needs.

Let me see if I can wrap up this sudden “word dump” that has become an article. No matter what your business, to grow you need to market. And the most successful companies recognize that marketing is a process, not an event. You market in good times and bad – i.e., not only when it is convenient.

I had the pleasure of meeting Anne Beiler and hearing her speak this morning at the Chester County Leadership Prayer Breakfast. Anne is of course the founder of the super-successful Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and the story of how she started and grew her business is simply amazing. I read her book, A Twist of Faith, and highly recommend it. One thing stuck with me as I drove home this morning was hearing Anne challenge everyone in the room to run their business with purpose. She went on to say that the purpose of your business is more important than the product or service. As you move your business forward, making decisions everyday that can affect the lives of others, focus on your purpose, the reason you started your business and the difference your business can make in the lives of others. As business owners, we all face many challenges and obstacles. I believe the businesses that are responsible, and operate with character and integrity, focusing on the purpose and the good they can provide to others, are the ones that will not only weather the current economic storm; they will emerge stronger and achieve higher levels of success.