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FROM THE FOUNDER
Entrepreneurial marketing
I have often said that one of the primary distinctions of “small firm thinking” versus “entrepreneurial thinking“ in the AEC business is how one views marketing. Small firm owners see it as an overhead expense to be minimized. Entrepreneurial firm owners see it as an off-balance sheet long-term investment in the firm’s future. Entrepreneurial firm owners understand that marketing is an off-balance sheet long- term investment in the firm’s future.
Mark Zweig
If I was an architect, engineer, planner, surveyor, environmental scientist, accountant, or anyone else considering taking a job in a specific AEC firm, figuring out the firm’s position on marketing would be extremely important for me in determining whether or not I would want to work there. I would only want to work for a firm that is consistently investing in marketing so the business is likely to grow and become more successful over time. “A rising tide lifts all ships,” as they say. Let’s compare how entrepreneurial small firms handle marketing versus the typical small firm: ■ Marketing budget. The entrepreneurial firm is not preoccupied with industry norms on marketing spending other than to know what the “other guys” in the same business they are in are spending so they can double it or more.
They understand if the overall industry is growing by “X” percent annually, their own firm’s odds of exceeding that growth rate go up dramatically if they increase their spending on marketing. And they especially understand that if times get tough, the last thing (not the first thing) to cut is the marketing budget. Small firms are proud of holding marketing spending down because to them, all overhead is the enemy of profit. ■ Marketing people. The entrepreneurial firm realizes that to do everything they want to do marketing-wise, they have to put together a team of experienced and dedicated marketing people. They don’t try to do it only with design or technical professionals and support people who used to be admins because they understand
See MARK ZWEIG, page 6
THE ZWEIG LETTER MARCH 25, 2024, ISSUE 1530
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