There’s a basic tension inside most companies that creates a corporate schizophrenia. It involves the conflicting forces of marketing, sales and a company’s goals and objectives.

There are forces pulling in two directions. At one moment, the message from the top is to gain a greater perspective, to think long-term, and not to focus just on today. At almost the same time, the same voices are barking at the sales department to close more deals, to get the end-of-the-month figures up.

The message is clear: long-term thinking gets lip-service, while this week’s sales report gets attention.

While no company dares to abandon immediate sales in favor of a plan or program that will have long-term benefits, a way should be found to benefit from a marketing strategy that produces positive results over time. Is it possible to implement a long-term strategy and still have immediate sales?

The major problem facing businesses is peaks and valleys in sales.

One month is great and the next is way off. Certain times of the year are outstanding, while there are other times when sales slacken. Even more to the point are all the problems of reacting to competition, not being known as well as another company in the marketplace and failing to be in the leading-edge at the right moment.

The function of marketing is to deal with these ongoing, persistent issues head on. The goal is to create conditions so that there is a constant flow of sales, proper growth, and acceptance in the marketplace.

What can marketing do for a company? Here are a dozen reasons why a consistent, cohesive and unified marketing program best serves a company’s needs

1. Marketing establishes a company as a permanent player. Even though a business may be solid, it is the way it is perceived that makes the difference. The most effective way to attract sales is to be viewed as an organization that has staying power. Customers and prospects are more interested in stability than in the past. And the competition is quick to take shots at a seemingly vulnerable rival.

One of the roles of marketing is to shape or influence the way acompany is perceived.

2. Marketing levels the playing field. Nothing guarantees that the field will ever be completely level. But it is possible to smooth out some of the hills and valleys so that the work is a little easier and more successful. Effective marketing gives a company that extra head of steam to continue charging down the field no matter what the other team is throwing at you.

3. Marketing helps avoid a constant crisis business environment. Many companies are victimized by a reactive posture. They never seemto set the direction; they are always doing damage control. A marketing program is designed to permit a business to take the initiative so that it can control its destiny and move in the direction it chooses.

4. The goal of marketing is to provide a pull rather than a push. How often have you heard someone say, “Well, let’s hit the street and get those sales up.” This is a short-term fix that doesn’t fix anything–except this week’s sales report. If a company is well known, respected, and trusted, sales come much easier.

5. Marketing builds enduring relationships with customers. While there are always those buyers who will jump ship for a penny, most customers are far more sophisticated today. They value relationships because they get better service. Fewer and fewer companies are willing to sign on with vendors who are clearly only interested in “making a sale.” That’s when they look for suppliers who are more consultants than they are salespeople.

6. Marketing spotlights the customer. A marketing orientation forces a business to understand and cultivate the customer over a period of time. It’s not slipping a purchasing agent a pair of tickets to a Laker game! With marketing, the customers recognize that a vendor is interested in their business–and that the partnership is there for the long term.

7. Marketing gives a company control over its image. In a daywhen everyone is bombarded with thousands and thousands of “messages” while trying to get the job done, there’s little time for exhaustive analysis when it comes to suppliers. Evaluations–and eventually decisions–may well be based on instant (or at least quick) conclusions and imprecise impressions. Right or wrong, we come to conclusions that stay with us. One of the primary functions of marketing is to “massage” those impressions to make sure they reflect the way a company wants to be portrayed–and perceived.

8. Marketing aids in customer retention. We all love new customers.

The latest sale produces excitement. But what about all those forgotten customers, the ones who just seem to fade away? These are the ones who conclude that no one cares or that it’s only the “big accounts” that count. Marketing recognizes that it is far more expensive to attract a new customer than it is to maintain and even increase sales to existing customers.

9. Marketing helps increase sales to present customers. The greatest untapped source of “new” sales is a company’s present customer base. The proof rests in the fact that customers say, “I didn’t know you did that.” One major home security company realized that it could increase its sales by 50 percent by upgrading and adding on to existing systems. Surveys showed that the company’s customers did not know what was available! A primary function of marketing is to see to it that current customers know everything a business can do for them.

10. Marketing lets you attract the right customers. Many banksand insurance agencies are realizing that they have customers who are dead weight because they are unprofitable. In other words, they have the wrong customers. A marketing program lets a company steerits way to the right customers, the ones it can serve profitably.

11. Marketing helps a business avoid wasting money. Even though marketing costs money, it is a disciplined approach to spend money because it depends on a plan, a program. An advertising shot here, a direct-mail piece there, an occasional news release, a quarterly newsletter that came out once–five years ago. This all adds up to wasted money, time and effort. A consistent marketing program keeps it all together.

12. Most important of all, marketing allows a business to devote more of its energy to its real business. What does a construction company do? The answer is not construct buildings. The smart builder creates efficiency, reduces costs, enhances productivity. A building is only a means to an end. What does F.A.O. Schwartz sell? According to the company president, it’s not toys. F.A.O. Schwartz sells fun. The widget mentality is dead, except that many in sales continue to peddle wonderful widgets. Marketing’s aim is to help a business recognize and communicate how it enhances the customer’s life.

Pushing harder isn’t the answer. Using the latest sales gimmick isn’t the way to success. Making marketing a top priority is the best way for a business to be sure that it will be around for the long-term. It is the commitment to the future that guarantees today’s success.

Stacey Buckley is an independent sales consultant based in Long Beach.