According to this “Marketing IQ test" given to a national sample of more than 1000 CEOs, the average Marketing IQ of Chief Executives is just 79 – with 100 being average and 160 being the highest score possible.
Action item: Just for fun, take this test, and give it to others in your department. (If you don't know an answer, you’re better off choosing “I don't know” rather than guessing.) Talk about the results at your next brown-bag lunch staff meeting. How do these questions make you feel about the assumptions built into your current marketing plan? Do your staff allocations make sense based on their apparent competencies? What do your results say about where you need training?
Hiring Managers: Can you give this test to candidates? Bear in mind that this test is not industry specific, so I wouldn't place too much importance on the results -- but it should give you an idea of how well-formed the candidate's "conventional" marketing knowledge is. Plus, you can print the candidate's results along with Copernicus' explanation of the "correct" answers to use as a discussion guide for your interview.
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Q: Need the number of a recruiter who "gets it?"
A: Download Harry's contact info for future reference.