Few customers will remember your vast knowledge of how wood should weather if you botch the actual staining.
Stains are notorious for failing to maintain the same color during application.
Wes Siebanaler of Wisconsin not only recommended stirring the stains thoroughly, but doing so every 10 or 20 minutes. When they get to the end, they start noticing something a little different, and it's the pigment at the bottom. That's the cheapest and best advice I can give, and that goes for all stains. Don't let it go for three to five years until it looks shabby. If you can get an oil-rich couple of coats on within a couple of years, then you'll be protected for many, many years.