Peter Drucker is supposed to have commented once - “The aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous.”
Incidentally, that is also the difference between “making customers buy from you” and “you having to sell to them” - and the difference is much more than pure semantics. While the former is driven by outside-in thinking, the latter is marked by more commonly practiced, inside-out type sales work.
Top consulting firms such as McKinsey have traditionally marketed (in line with outside-in philosophy) their wares. While there are many well-chronicled studies on how top consulting companies have mastered the art of marketing - one thing that clearly stands out in how these firms have succeeded in having their target customers “find” and “buy” from them is: Content.
Availability of world-class Content in the areas of their focus. Tons of it. White papers, research notes, case studies, web-casts, articles, panels, presentations, seminars, blogs - focused, thought provoking and actionable insights for helping their target customers run their businesses well; Insights that are easily accessible to their customers at the right forums (both online & offline).
Generating high quality content, day after day, requires not only sharp & incisive minds but also a passion for creating and documenting knowledge. Remarkable businesses (small or big) have generally made a habit of creating world-class content.
By now you must have guessed that putting out world-class content is not exactly a trivial endeavor. But it just might be the only choice you have - a choice between between getting relegated to the commodity hell (read having to sell) or having your customers call you to do business with them. And the choice is yours!