Marketing · HR Diagnostics

Marketing Efficiency Diagnostic

A free scoring tool that measures whether a marketing employee's working style fits the financial reality of your company's product — combining three financial figures with seven behavioural questions into one actionable recommendation.

Sample readout
Excellent
EFFICIENCY RATIO 1.5
01  What it is

A quick diagnostic for marketing-team fit

This tool evaluates a marketing employee (or candidate) against the specific financial profile of the company's product. It was built from a real internal assessment form used to screen marketing staff, rebuilt here as a documented, self-contained calculator.

Financial half

Three inputs — sales value, cost of sales, and general expenses & depreciation — are combined into a single product efficiency ratio that classifies the product's commercial profile from "Excellent" to "Loss-making".

Behavioural half

Seven forced-choice questions capture how the marketing person actually likes to work: negotiation style, pricing discipline, credit policy, leadership style, and experience.

02  Objective

Match the person to the product, not just the role

A negotiation-driven, discount-friendly marketer can be exactly right for one product and a poor fit for another. The goal of this tool is to remove that guesswork: it derives what working style a product's financial profile actually calls for, then checks whether the candidate's stated preferences line up with it.

03  How it works

Two calculations, one recommendation

The engine runs a single formula on your financial figures, uses the result to decide which of two working-style "profiles" fits the product, then checks each of the seven answers against that profile.

Step 1 — net contribution
n4 = n1 − (n2 + n3)
Step 2 — efficiency ratio (only if n4 ≠ 0)
ratio = ( n1 − (n2 + n3) × 0.5 ) ÷ n4
Step 3 — classify
ratio → category (Excellent … Very poor / Loss-making)
Step 4 — compare
category → expected answer per question → match / mismatch
  1. Enter three figures — sales value, cost of sales/purchases, and general expenses & depreciation, in any consistent currency.
  2. The tool computes the efficiency ratio and places it into one of seven bands, from Excellent down to Very poor, plus a Loss-making and a Break-even edge case.
  3. Each band maps to a profile: either a "negotiation-led, relationship" approach or an "expansion-led, discipline" approach.
  4. Answer the seven questions honestly, based on real working preferences.
  5. The tool scores each answer against the profile implied by the ratio, and reports how many of the seven align.
04  Required data

What you need before you start

All ten fields are required — a skipped question is treated as a sign the candidate is not eligible.

Financial inputs (3)

Sales value · Cost of sales or purchases · Total general expenses and depreciation, for the same period, in the same currency.

Behavioural inputs (7)

One forced choice each on: negotiation style, team leadership, product focus, pricing discipline, credit policy, working pattern, and years of experience.

05  Reading the results

What each band means

The efficiency ratio bands the product's financial profile into a category. Categories in the middle of the scale call for a negotiation-led style; categories at either extreme call for an expansion-led, disciplined style.

Ratio rangeCategoryRecommended profile
< 1Loss-makingExpansion-led
1 – 2ExcellentNegotiation-led
>2 – 4Very goodNegotiation-led
>4 – 7GoodNegotiation-led
>7 – 12AcceptableExpansion-led
>12 – 50PoorExpansion-led
> 50Very poorExpansion-led
n4 = 0Break-evenExpansion-led

The final report also shows, question by question, whether the candidate's answer matches the recommended profile, plus a compatibility score out of seven.

06  Practical example

Worked example

A company reviewing one quarter of figures for a single product line:

Sales value (n1)
500,000
Cost of sales (n2)
200,000
Expenses & depreciation (n3)
50,000

n4 = 500,000 − (200,000 + 50,000) = 250,000

ratio = (500,000 − 125,000) ÷ 250,000 = 1.5

Ratio 1.5 falls in the 1 – 2 band → category Excellent → recommended profile: negotiation-led.

A candidate who answered "spirit of a leader" and "adhere to pricing policy" would show two mismatches against this profile, even with a strong ratio.

07  Applications

Where this fits

Hiring screens

A first-pass filter before interviewing marketing candidates for a specific product line.

Team reshuffles

Deciding which existing staff member suits a newly-launched or repositioned product.

Franchise & multi-branch checks

Keeping marketing style consistent with product economics across locations.

08  Advantages

Why it's useful

  • Free, instant, and requires no financial modelling background.
  • Grounds a "soft" hiring decision in the company's actual numbers.
  • Produces a downloadable PDF report for HR files or interview prep.
  • Transparent logic — every result can be traced back to the inputs.
09  Limitations

Where to be careful

  • A simplified financial ratio can't capture market conditions or competitor moves.
  • Behavioural answers are self-reported and not independently verified.
  • All seven questions carry equal weight, with no scope for partial fit.
  • Best used as one input among several, not as a stand-alone hiring decision.
10  Run it now

Marketing Efficiency Calculator

All fields are required. An unanswered question is treated as a mismatch.

Q1. Marketing philosophy
Do you prefer negotiation and persuasion in marketing, or spreading out and opening new markets?
Q2. Team leadership style
Do you prefer to deal with the marketing team in a spirit of cooperation, or as a leader?
Q3. Sales priority
Do you care most about showcasing product specifications and quality, or selling the largest volume?
Q4. Pricing approach
Do you prefer to grant discounts on the selling price, or adhere strictly to the pricing policy?
Q5. Credit policy
Do you prefer offering payment facilities to customers, or adhering strictly to the collection policy?
Q6. Working pattern
Do you prefer working within flexible time, or can you work effectively under tight deadlines?
Q7. Experience
How many years of experience do you have in this activity?