#35: I sit down with Mark Zweig, Founder & Chairman of Zweig Group, to unpack one of the most common frustrations I hear from architects: “How do I market when I don’t have time?”
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01:05) Why confusing marketing with selling keeps architects stuck
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02:09) The real goal of marketing: clients who already want to work with you
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03:12) Why there’s no silver bullet, just discipline and consistency
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04:37) Mark’s background: from MBA to consulting to founding Zweig Group
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07:54) Building a firm by practicing what you teach (and 30% growth, 13 years running)
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12:42) Why architects feel unprepared for marketing (and the education gap)
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14:25) The “Howard Roark complex” and the myth of the starchitect path
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16:10) Why discipline beats inspiration (and how Mark has published weekly for 37 years)
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18:25) The #1 mistake architects make with content: writing to other architects, not clients
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20:21) How jargon alienates selection committees and what to do instead
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22:31) Step one: schedule marketing on your calendar
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22:42) Step two: pick your activities (writing, podcasting, video, list-building) and repurpose them
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24:39) Why building an email list is non-negotiable
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25:49) Why specialization creates stability (and why resisting it hurts your firm)
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30:08) What being on the client side teaches you about buying architecture services
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32:38) The know-like-trust-buy sequence (and why asking questions builds trust fastest)
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34:09) The simple intro trick before any presentation: know who’s in the room
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35:10) How “micro-agreements” reduce pressure at the close
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36:32) Why deposits (content, value, trust) come before withdrawals (the ask)
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36:41) How doing the “crappy jobs” nobody wants can be a winning strategy
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38:39) Specialization as a business stability decision—not a creative limitation
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39:11) Why architects see specialization as riskier (and why the opposite is true)
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40:47) Why scarcity mindset kills firms (and how to overcome it)