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MARGINFIX · SAMPLE STRATEGIC AUDIT
p. 19 of 43
Broad match keywords bleeding spend into irrelevant queries
−$61,200
/ yr
IDENTIFIED
EVIDENCE
31% of search spend matched queries with zero purchase intent over 90 days.
THE FIX
Negatives list supplied, 6 ad groups to phrase match. ~4 hours.
Signed off at gate 4
Senior auditor · MarginFix
74 case studiespublished
Senior reviewedevery finding approved
Fixed scopeagreed before kickoff
Your data stays yoursNDA before data sharing
01 / CLIENT STORIES & CASE STUDIES
What 74 published audits found, and what clients changed.
“It paid for itself in three weeks. We found margin we didn’t know we were losing.”
VP Growth · DTC skincare
“Sharper than the consultancy we paid six figures and a week, not a quarter.”
CMO · B2B SaaS
“Every finding had a number and a fix. We actioned the top five that month.”
Founder · Home services
Different businesses.
Better informed decisions.
74 published cases. 74 reasons to look beyond the headline marketing numbers.
16 points
When more sales meant less margin
Two prospecting campaigns moved from negative 7% to positive 9% contribution margin after changes.
$92k
The cost of closing the quarter
An enterprise SaaS audit identified about $92,000 in annual margin erosion from late quarter discounting.
$2.80 to $3.56
Cheap leads were the expensive choice
Booked revenue per $1 of lead spend increased from $2.80 to $3.56 after reallocation.
Evidence you can inspect. Client identities are redacted. Each case figure is one published annual highlight from that audit. Outcome types, measurement periods and implementation results differ. Your report states identified opportunity; recovery depends on what your team implements. These cases are not a promise of your results.
See all 74 casesIn their words · 60 client statements across 9 industriesRead them all →
DTC / ECOMMERCEApproved Feb 2025
$134k a year found in 6 days
Contribution margin on the two top campaigns: −7% → +9%
“Revenue grew and cash didn't. Victoria rebuilt margin per order after shipping, returns and payment fees, and our two biggest prospecting campaigns were losing money on every sale. We stopped scaling them.”
Founder & CEO · DTC · Beauty & personal care
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Victoria MillerSenior Auditor · signed this audit offMANUFACTURINGApproved Feb 2025
$118k a year of wasted spend cut in 7 days
Rebates paid on volume never actually earned: 19% → 1%
“Rebate expense outran distributor volume and we could not see why. Cristian reconciled rebates paid against volume actually shipped and paid for, tier by tier: accruals had run off gross purchase orders. Quarterly true ups now catch it.”
VP of Supply Chain · Manufacturing · Water pipe producer
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
Cristian BragauSenior Auditor · signed this audit offFINTECHApproved Oct 2024
$96k a year of wasted spend cut in 7 days
App installs that funded a real account: 24% → 63%
“Installs looked great and funded accounts stagnated. David followed sign ups through to funding, and the bonus was buying registrations from people who claimed it and never transacted. Incentives now pay on activation, not the download.”
VP of Growth · Fintech · Consumer
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
David JacksonSenior Auditor · signed this audit offB2B SAASApproved Aug 2025
$92k a year found in 7 days
Enterprise deal margin lost to quarter end: 5 pts lost → 0 pts lost
“Bookings hit target while margin slipped. Cristian split our discounting by timing and rep: concessions spiked in the last days of every quarter because buyers had learned to wait. Approval thresholds fixed it without losing deals.”
CRO · B2B SaaS · Enterprise
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
Cristian BragauSenior Auditor · signed this audit offRETAILApproved Mar 2026
$88k a year of wasted spend cut in 7 days
Paid social proven to lift store visits: ~1 in 3 → 9 in 10
“Our CFO doubted that online ads drove store visits. David's matched market geo lift test proved the doubt right: footfall barely changed where the ads were off. The budget moved to markets and channels that passed the test.”
VP of Marketing · Retail · Omnichannel
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
David JacksonSenior Auditor · signed this audit offFINTECHApproved Aug 2026
−27% risk adjusted CAC in 7 days
Risk adjusted acquisition cost per loan: $540 → $400
“Our cheapest channel was our worst credit. David split default rates by acquisition source: the low CAC channels brought borrowers who defaulted materially more often. Budget now follows risk adjusted cost per loan, not just CAC.”
CRO · Fintech · Lending
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
David JacksonSenior Auditor · signed this audit offPHARMAApproved Nov 2024
$88k a year of wasted spend cut in 7 days
Congress spend with a tracked return: 8% → 88%
“Six figures a year in congresses and KOL sponsorships, renewed on habit. Leslie tried to connect it to share of voice, engagement or prescribing and found no instrumentation at all. The unmeasurable part now funds engagement we can track.”
Head of Commercial Strategy · Pharma · Biopharma
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
Leslie MartinSenior Auditor · signed this audit offFINTECHApproved Aug 2025
$83k a year of wasted spend cut in 7 days
Referral rewards on genuine, nongamed volume: 67% → 98%
“Referral payouts grew faster than real users. David examined the volume behind the rewards: self referrals through second accounts, circular trades, wash volume. Integrity checks now run before any payout; gamed rewards were clawed back.”
Chief Risk Officer · Fintech · Exchange
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
David JacksonSenior Auditor · signed this audit offFINTECHApproved May 2025
$83k a year found in 7 days
Interchange margin on the worst channel: +0.4% → +2.4%
“Every channel cost the same per merchant, so we treated them as interchangeable. David split profitability down to the interchange line: some channels brought merchants who earned us a fraction. Budget now follows margin, not just CAC.”
VP of Risk · Fintech · Payments
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
David JacksonSenior Auditor · signed this audit offMANUFACTURINGApproved Jan 2025
$79k a year found in 7 days
Contract margin vs live input costs: 9% → 16%
“Volume was stable and contract margin kept eroding. Cristian compared resin, board and energy cost movements against the surcharges we actually passed through, and the lag was costing us every month. An indexed pass through fixed it.”
VP of Sales · Manufacturing · Packaging
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
Cristian BragauSenior Auditor · signed this audit offPHARMAApproved Dec 2025
$78k a year of wasted spend cut in 7 days
High intent visitors paid for twice: ~1 in 3 → ~1 in 30
“Two teams, two search programs, one visitor bought twice. Leslie looked at branded and disease awareness search together for the first time: about one high intent visitor in three was paid for twice. Shared negatives and one plan ended it.”
VP of Marketing · Pharma · Rx brand (DTC)
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
Leslie MartinSenior Auditor · signed this audit offB2B SAASApproved Dec 2025
$74k a year of wasted spend cut in 7 days
Share of all impressions hitting no convert inventory: 40% → 6%
“Forty percent of our impressions landed where buyers never convert. Cristian's delivery teardown found placement, dayparting and geo settings untouched since launch on a seven figure budget. We rebuilt them.”
VP of Demand Generation · B2B SaaS · Vertical
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
Cristian BragauSenior Auditor · signed this audit offMARKETPLACEApproved Feb 2026
$74k a year of wasted spend cut in 7 days
Courier bonuses paid into already full zones: 22% → 3%
“Incentive spend rose while service levels stayed flat. Alex matched bonus payouts against real time courier availability by zone: in dense areas we paid couriers who would have worked anyway. Bonuses now fire only where coverage is short.”
VP of Supply Growth · Marketplace · Food delivery
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
Alex PopSenior Auditor · signed this audit offFINTECHApproved Sep 2024
$72k a year found in 7 days
Portfolio margin across the product mix: 11% → 17%
“One flat commission across very different products steered brokers to the wrong mix. David set commission against each product's margin and loss ratio; thin lines were being sold near unprofitable. Commission now follows the margin band.”
VP of Risk & Growth · Fintech · Insurtech
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
David JacksonSenior Auditor · signed this audit offMANUFACTURINGApproved Jul 2026
$72k a year found in 7 days
Landed margin on the flat pack lines: −1% → +6%
“We held prices for two years and freight did not. Cristian rebuilt landed cost from current carrier invoices: oversized carton surcharges had erased the margin on every flat pack line. We repriced and redesigned the worst packaging.”
Head of Operations · Manufacturing · Kids furniture
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
Cristian BragauSenior Auditor · signed this audit offRETAILApproved Apr 2025
$71k a year of wasted spend cut in 7 days
Loyalty program margin vs its liability: −8% → +6%
“Loyalty was untouchable, so nobody had priced it. David set our accrued point liability against the incremental margin the program drove, and it was underwater. We restructured earn and burn without gutting the rewards members value.”
VP of Customer Loyalty · Retail · Grocery
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
David JacksonSenior Auditor · signed this audit offPHARMAApproved Jan 2025
$71k a year of wasted spend cut in 7 days
Acquisition cost vs reimbursement per test: 122% → 78%
“Acquisition and reimbursement sat with different teams, so nobody compared them. Cristian reconciled cost per patient against reimbursement per test: several high volume tests lost money on every patient we marketed in. We capped those.”
CFO · Pharma · Diagnostics
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
Cristian BragauSenior Auditor · signed this audit offB2B SAASApproved Nov 2025
$70k a year found in 6 days
Billable usage actually invoiced: 92% → 99%
“I expected a slide deck. Alex reconciled metered usage against invoices and found a whole category of overages recorded for analytics but never billed. A config fix, no price change, and customers expected to pay for it anyway.”
Head of Growth · B2B SaaS · Usage based
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Alex PopSenior Auditor · signed this audit offRETAILApproved Oct 2025
$69k a year of wasted spend cut in 7 days
Online margin once its returns are charged in: 2% → 9%
“Online looked as profitable as our stores, which felt wrong. David charged returns processing to the channel that generated each return, and online's margin fell from flattering to honest. We stopped scaling the wrong channel.”
Head of Ecommerce Logistics · Retail · Fashion
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
David JacksonSenior Auditor · signed this audit offMANUFACTURINGApproved May 2025
$69k a year of wasted spend cut in 7 days
Cooperative budget spent promoting rival brands: 28% → 3%
“Our cooperative money was promoting our competitors. Cristian reviewed what distributors actually spent it on: campaigns featured rival brands next to ours, sometimes more prominently. Reimbursement now needs proof of brand presence.”
Director of Distribution · Manufacturing · HVAC components
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
Cristian BragauSenior Auditor · signed this audit offDTC / ECOMMERCEApproved May 2026
$68k a year found in 6 days
Full price sell through: 61% → 78%
“Our best customers had learned to wait for a code. Victoria showed that a large share of discounted orders would have happened at full price anyway. We moved to a tiered structure for new customers and bigger baskets, and volume held.”
CMO · D2C · Food & beverage
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Victoria MillerSenior Auditor · signed this audit offMARKETPLACEApproved Apr 2025
$66k a year of wasted spend cut in 6 days
Paid clicks the site already won organically: ~1 in 3 → ~1 in 30
“We were bidding on terms we already ranked for. Alex paused paid search on those terms in a test and bookings barely moved. Roughly one paid click in three we would have won for free. That spend now goes where paid actually adds demand.”
Head of Performance Marketing · Marketplace · Travel & experiences
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Alex PopSenior Auditor · signed this audit offPHARMAApproved Jun 2025
$64k a year of wasted spend cut in 7 days
Detailing spend that moved no prescribing: 28% → 4%
“Reach and call counts looked healthy. Leslie matched detailing and samples to prescribing change per HCP, and 28% of the effort landed on physicians it never moved. Field time now follows responsiveness, not coverage targets.”
Head of Commercial Operations · Pharma · Generics
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
Leslie MartinSenior Auditor · signed this audit offPHARMAApproved Jan 2026
$64k a year of wasted spend cut in 6 days
Budget lost to the two teams overbidding: 22% → 3%
“Our HCP and patient agencies were bidding against each other for the same impressions. Cristian examined both programs together for the first time and merged audience planning. Reach held, and the internal premium was gone.”
Director of Commercial Operations · Pharma · Medtech / device
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Cristian BragauSenior Auditor · signed this audit offMANUFACTURINGApproved Apr 2025
$64k a year found in 6 days
Dealer margin on the engineered range: 14% → 20%
“One dealer discount across the whole catalog felt simple. Cristian set it against margin at product level: commodity fittings got a generous cut while our engineered range subsidized them. Discount tiers by margin band fixed it.”
VP of Global Sales · Manufacturing · Water systems
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Cristian BragauSenior Auditor · signed this audit offMARKETPLACEApproved Sep 2025
$63k a year of wasted spend cut in 6 days
Supply incentives hitting a real shortage: 35% → 94%
“Our onboarding bonus solved a shortage we no longer had. Alex checked every incentive against current supply by category, and we were still paying to recruit providers in saturated ones. We kept bonuses only where supply is genuinely short.”
Head of Marketplace Supply · Marketplace · Services
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Alex PopSenior Auditor · signed this audit offSUBSCRIPTIONApproved Sep 2024
$63k a year found in 6 days
Active users actually being billed: 93% → 99%
“Expansion lagged what we saw inside accounts. Victoria reconciled active users against billed seats: many customers used more seats than they paid for. Automated true ups now capture it, and nobody pushed back.”
VP of Finance · Subscription · B2B software
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Victoria MillerSenior Auditor · signed this audit offSERVICESApproved May 2025
$62k a year found in 6 days
Qualified inbound calls that became bookings: 2 in 3 → 9 in 10
“Marketing hit every target and revenue stalled. Leslie followed our qualified calls into intake and about a third were dropped at busy times or never followed up. Fixing staffing and call handling converted demand we had already paid for.”
Managing Partner · Services · Legal
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Leslie MartinSenior Auditor · signed this audit offDTC / ECOMMERCEApproved Nov 2024
$61k a year found in 6 days
Net margin on hero ASINs, fees & returns in: −2% → +6%
“ACoS looked efficient while our hero ASINs lost money. Victoria rebuilt contribution per ASIN with FBA fees, storage, referral fees and returns loaded in. We repriced and repacked the affected lines.”
Head of Marketplace Operations · Ecommerce · Amazon seller
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Victoria MillerSenior Auditor · signed this audit offFINTECHApproved Oct 2025
$61k a year found in 6 days
Support cost vs fee on small accounts: 140% → 85%
“Small accounts used as much planner time as large ones for a fraction of the fee. David modeled cost to serve by tier: below a certain balance the support ran at a loss. Human planning now sits with the tiers whose fee covers it.”
Head of Product · Fintech · Wealth & robo
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
David JacksonSenior Auditor · signed this audit offPHARMAApproved Feb 2026
+26% media efficiency in 7 days
Media weight landing in real demand windows: 45% → 88%
“Our flighting calendar was older than our customers' habits. Cristian compared spend timing against when the category actually converts: our heaviest weight landed in weak windows. Same budget, real demand windows, efficiency up 26%.”
Brand Director · Pharma · OTC consumer health
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
Cristian BragauSenior Auditor · signed this audit offDTC / ECOMMERCEApproved Jan 2026
$59k a year found in 6 days
Contribution margin on the three bestsellers: −2% → +7%
“The more our bestsellers sold, the flatter profit looked. Victoria rebuilt landed cost from the supplier invoice up, and our three top SKUs were priced below cost after freight and packaging. We repriced in stages and volume held.”
Founder & CEO · Ecommerce · Pet
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Victoria MillerSenior Auditor · signed this audit offMARKETPLACEApproved Feb 2025
$58k a year found in 6 days
Effective take rate after the old waivers: 9.5% → 12.5%
“Our effective take rate sat below our stated one for years. Alex traced it cohort by cohort to launch era fee waivers that had never been switched off. We retired them on matured cohorts and kept relief only for new participants.”
Head of Operations · Marketplace · Gig & freelance
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Alex PopSenior Auditor · signed this audit offRETAILApproved Mar 2026
$58k a year found in 6 days
Margin on big ticket orders, delivery in: −1% → +6%
“Free delivery and assembly were eating our biggest orders. David rebuilt the true cost with two person crews, vehicle time and failed deliveries, and some lines were near break even. Tiered service pricing on the largest items fixed it.”
Head of Ecommerce · Retail · Furniture
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
David JacksonSenior Auditor · signed this audit offPHARMAApproved Jul 2025
$58k a year of wasted spend cut in 6 days
Media spend outside eligible patient windows: 24% → 2%
“Reach looked healthy, but a quarter of our media reached people who could not act on it. Leslie compared delivery against the eligible population and its windows: 24% of spend fell outside them. Flighting now follows eligibility.”
Brand Director · Pharma · Vaccines
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Leslie MartinSenior Auditor · signed this audit offSUBSCRIPTIONApproved Jul 2025
$57k a year found in 6 days
Annual discount vs the churn it prevents: 1.8× over → right sized
“We were discounting loyalty we already had. Victoria compared the annual discount against the churn it actually prevented: a large share of members taking it would have stayed anyway. We right sized it and kept the deep offer for real churn risk.”
VP of Growth · Subscription · Fitness
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Victoria MillerSenior Auditor · signed this audit offMANUFACTURINGApproved Oct 2024
$57k a year found in 6 days
Margin on the smallest orders: −3% → +6%
“Our smallest orders cost more to pick, pack and ship than they earned. Cristian rebuilt handling cost per order and set a minimum that covers it. A small order charge and consolidation incentives did the rest.”
CFO · Manufacturing · Industrial fasteners
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Cristian BragauSenior Auditor · signed this audit offMANUFACTURINGApproved Jan 2025
$57k a year found in 6 days
Margin on configured upsell orders: −3% → +8%
“Configured orders always carried thinner margins than manual quotes. Cristian priced real configurations down to installed cost: default discounts were selling premium finishes at a loss on every order. A margin floor in the tool ended it.”
VP of Product Strategy · Manufacturing · Modular kitchens
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Cristian BragauSenior Auditor · signed this audit offRETAILApproved Apr 2026
$54k a year found in 6 days
Fulfillment margin on click and collect orders: −2% → +5%
“Click and collect was never free. David rebuilt the cost of a collection order, the picking, staging and handover labor hiding in store payroll, and on many order types it matched the delivery it replaced. We repriced those.”
VP of Merchandising · Retail · Home improvement
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
David JacksonSenior Auditor · signed this audit offSERVICESApproved Mar 2025
$54k a year found in 7 days
Retainers priced below their delivery cost: 6 of 34 → 0 of 34
“Our blended margin said every account was fine. Leslie broke it apart account by account: six of thirty four retainers were priced below delivery cost, funded by the profitable ones. We repriced or exited them, our own advice.”
Managing Director · Services · Agency
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
Leslie MartinSenior Auditor · signed this audit offDTC / ECOMMERCEApproved Jun 2026
$53k a year of wasted spend cut in 7 days
Incremental ROAS: original campaign vs replacement channels: 0.2× → 2.1×
“Our agency's hero campaign was the biggest loser. Victoria ran a geo holdout and sales barely moved when it was off. Two years of attributed revenue, almost none of it caused by the ad. The budget now goes to channels that pass that test.”
CMO · Ecommerce · Home & living
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
Victoria MillerSenior Auditor · signed this audit offB2B SAASApproved Mar 2025
$52k a year found in 6 days
Free account cost vs the plan revenue it earns: 130% → 78%
“Free felt cheap until Alex modeled cost to serve. Support tickets, infrastructure and engineering time made a free account cost more than our entry plan earned. We reset free tier limits and repriced the entry plan.”
VP of Finance · B2B SaaS · Dev tools
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Alex PopSenior Auditor · signed this audit offSUBSCRIPTIONApproved Sep 2026
$52k a year found in 5 days
Involuntary churn from failed payments: 4.1% → 1.6%
“A slice of our churn was never churn. Victoria split voluntary from involuntary and found expired cards getting one token retry before we wrote the subscriber off. Smarter retries and a card updater cut involuntary churn from 4.1% to 1.6%.”
CFO · Subscription · Digital media
Written approvalUnder NDA5 days to findings
Victoria MillerSenior Auditor · signed this audit offSERVICESApproved Aug 2025
$52k a year found in 6 days
Margin on the fixed fee engagements: 9% → 17%
“Busy, revenue holding, and profit per partner hour falling. Leslie reconciled logged hours against every fixed fee package: complexity had pushed many below cost. We repriced and rescoped them, with a scope trigger so it stays fixed.”
Partner · Services · Accounting & tax
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Leslie MartinSenior Auditor · signed this audit offRETAILApproved Oct 2025
$49k a year found in 6 days
Stock marked down before demand softened: ~40% → ~8%
“Our markdown calendar was cutting prices on lines still selling at full price. David compared markdown timing against each SKU's real demand curve. Discounts now trigger on live sell through instead of a date, and clearance still clears.”
Head of Merchandising · Retail · Electronics
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
David JacksonSenior Auditor · signed this audit offPHARMAApproved Nov 2025
$49k a year found in 6 days
Margin on the thin vet channel lines: −2% → +5%
“One discount for the whole range looked competitive. Leslie checked it against margin by product line, and on our thinner lines it pushed them below cost. Discount tiers now follow margin band, and the channel kept its competitive pricing.”
Director of Commercial Channels · Pharma · Animal health
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Leslie MartinSenior Auditor · signed this audit offMANUFACTURINGApproved Dec 2024
$48k a year found in 5 days
Catalog margin after the dead SKU tail: 11% → 16%
“A broad catalog felt like an asset. Cristian ranked every SKU by velocity against the cost it carried, and a long tail of dead products was dragging the whole range's margin. We retired them and set a velocity threshold to stay listed.”
Director of Supply Chain · Manufacturing · LED lighting
Written approvalUnder NDA5 days to findings
Cristian BragauSenior Auditor · signed this audit offDTC / ECOMMERCEApproved Oct 2024
$47k a year found in 5 days
Orders shipped free below break even: 1 in 3 → ~1 in 20
“One order in three shipped free at a loss. Our threshold was set years ago and never revisited, and the cost sat in logistics where nobody looked. Victoria reset it, and average order value went up, not down.”
Head of Ecommerce · DTC · Apparel
Written approvalUnder NDA5 days to findings
Victoria MillerSenior Auditor · signed this audit offB2B SAASApproved Dec 2024
$47k a year of wasted spend cut in 6 days
Referral fees paid on self sourced deals: ~24% → ~2%
“Partner fees grew faster than partner pipeline. Alex reconciled partner attributed deals against their true origin: many were sourced by our own team with a partner tagged late. Fees now require documented sourcing.”
VP of Global Channels · B2B SaaS · Channel
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Alex PopSenior Auditor · signed this audit offSUBSCRIPTIONApproved Jun 2025
$47k a year found in 6 days
Would be pauses lost to a full cancel: ~4 in 10 → ~1 in 10
“Pause was buried and cancel was one tap away. Victoria mapped the pause, skip and cancel journeys and about four in ten would be pauses ended as full cancellations. We rebuilt the flow and offer pause first inside the cancel journey now.”
Head of Retention · Subscription · Meal kit
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Victoria MillerSenior Auditor · signed this audit offSERVICESApproved Sep 2025
$47k a year found in 6 days
Delivery hours actually billed to clients: ~80% → 98%
“Every project ran thinner than its day rate. Leslie reconciled real effort against billing and found travel, kickoff and early onboarding absorbed as goodwill. Those hours are written into every scope now.”
VP of Client Success · Services · Implementation
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Leslie MartinSenior Auditor · signed this audit offDTC / ECOMMERCEApproved Aug 2026
$44k a year of wasted spend cut in 5 days
Commissions paid on sales you already owned: ~29% → ~2%
“Affiliate revenue kept climbing and margin didn't. Victoria tested incrementality and coupon partners were collecting commission on customers who arrived through branded search and direct. We now pay for demand partners actually create.”
VP of Ecommerce · DTC · Footwear
Written approvalUnder NDA5 days to findings
Victoria MillerSenior Auditor · signed this audit offMARKETPLACEApproved May 2026
$44k a year found in 7 days
Take rate actually kept vs the 15% contracted: 11.1% → 14.0%
“Finance couldn't explain why we kept less than our contracted take rate. Alex traced every dollar from gross booking to net revenue and found it in refunds nobody owned. Clear rules and one accountable owner closed the gap.”
Chief Commercial Officer · Marketplace · Rentals
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
Alex PopSenior Auditor · signed this audit offSERVICESApproved Sep 2025
$44k a year found in 5 days
Job margin once callbacks are counted: −1% → +5%
“Jobs kept landing below what we quoted. Leslie loaded callbacks and warranty visits back onto the jobs that caused them, and the quoting model had never counted them. Quotes now price the whole job, not the first visit.”
Owner · Services · Field services
Written approvalUnder NDA5 days to findings
Leslie MartinSenior Auditor · signed this audit offB2B SAASApproved Jun 2025
$41k annual budget redeployment identified in 5 days
Share of all paid spend that was incremental: 28% → 82%
“Our safest lines were the least incremental. Alex showed brand term search and retargeting were intercepting demand from sales calls and word of mouth, then invoicing for it. We cut both to a defensive minimum.”
Head of Marketing · B2B SaaS · Series A
Written approvalUnder NDA5 days to findings
Alex PopSenior Auditor · signed this audit offSUBSCRIPTIONApproved Apr 2026
$41k a year found in 6 days
Shipping margin on the monthly cohort: −4% → +8%
“A flat shipping tier felt fair. Victoria mapped shipping cost against cohort value and our most loyal subscribers were subsidizing the least loyal ones. Tiers now follow order frequency, so loyalty stops paying for churn.”
Head of Subscriber LTV · Subscription · Box
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Victoria MillerSenior Auditor · signed this audit offRETAILApproved Mar 2025
$41k a year found in 5 days
Promo discount covered by vendor funding: 78% → 96%
“The vendor pays for it, we assumed. David reconciled every cofunded promotion against the support we actually received, and the discounts routinely ran deeper than the funding. Renegotiated terms and promo guardrails closed it.”
Director of Trade Marketing · Retail · Beauty
Written approvalUnder NDA5 days to findings
David JacksonSenior Auditor · signed this audit offMANUFACTURINGApproved Jul 2025
$41k a year of wasted spend cut in 6 days
Trade show spend tied to a booked order: 6% → 90%
“Six figures a year on trade shows because we always had. Cristian traced the spend to booked orders and found no link at all; in our specifier led category the events reached the wrong buyers. The budget now follows traceable pipeline.”
VP of Marketing & Sales · Manufacturing · Underfloor heating
Written approvalUnder NDA6 days to findings
Cristian BragauSenior Auditor · signed this audit offSERVICESApproved Nov 2025
$39k a year of wasted spend cut in 5 days
Search cost per click across the clinics: $2.40 → $1.78
“Our cost per click climbed with no new competitor in sight. Leslie found the competitor was us: clinics bidding against each other on the same keywords in the same auctions. One geo partitioned account structure ended it.”
Operations Director · Services · Dental group
Written approvalUnder NDA5 days to findings
Leslie MartinSenior Auditor · signed this audit offB2B SAASApproved Dec 2024
$36k a year of wasted spend cut in 7 days
Content spend with a traceable path to revenue: 9% → 92%
“Eighteen months of content, not one sourced opportunity. Cristian traced the program forward through the funnel and could not connect it to pipeline. We kept the assets sales actually used and moved the rest of the budget to demand capture.”
CRO · B2B SaaS · Mid market
Written approvalUnder NDA7 days to findings
Cristian BragauSenior Auditor · signed this audit off02 / THE DELIVERABLENot another dashboard.
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A marketing audit your team can act on.
See what a finding looks like before you buy an audit. Enlarge three page previews below, or open five sample pages in the full viewer. No email required.
Enlarge previewSTRATEGIC AUDITPAGE 19 / 43
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The evidence behind it
Trace a finding from its source to its impact and recommended fix.
STRATEGIC AUDITPAGE 13 / 43
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The plan to act on
Give your team a practical sequence for the next 90 days.
Illustrative sample engagement, not a forecast for your business. The sample totals 23 findings from one audit; it is not the typical case result.
ONE SET OF FINDINGSThree leaders.
Three leaders.
A shared financial case.
- CEO
Know what to stop, fix and fund next.
Choose your next move with a prioritized view of waste, margin loss and the work that deserves investment.
- CFO
Challenge the number. Follow the evidence.
Review the quantified impact, assumptions and supporting data. Keep identified opportunity separate from money actually recovered.
- CMO
Make the case for the work that matters.
Give your team and agency clear priorities to investigate, defend worthwhile investment and align with finance.
See your own numbers next. Fixed fees from $1,450. No payment taken when you submit a request.
Request an audit
03 / THE PROBLEM
Before you increase the budget, check what growth is costing you.
More revenue can still leave less margin. Cheap leads can turn into expensive sales. A strong campaign report can leave out the costs that change the decision.
Whether you are increasing spend, cutting costs or reallocating budget, give finance and marketing a shared set of findings to work from.
A strategic decision: Get an outside view before committing budget.
An existing agency: Give your partners clear findings to investigate and act on.
A busy internal team: Focus attention on the changes that deserve it most.
Conflicting reports: Review marketing performance alongside revenue and costs.
Effective spend
Wasted paid spend
Mispriced offers
Leaky retention
Illustrated categories
$38
This published allocation illustrates marketing spend categories. It does not measure your business or show a typical recovery rate. Explore the definitions.
Are you buying customers
or expensive activity?
Paid search, paid social, retargeting, marketplaces, affiliates and events, checked against what each sale actually earned.
What is left after
the sale?
Pricing, discounting, retention, lifetime value, fees and contracts.
THE METHOD BEHIND THE ANSWERS
From your data to a decision you can defend.
How it worksSee what supports each finding, what it could be worth and what your team should do next.
Check the evidence.
AI helps surface potential issues. A senior auditor reviews the source data and challenges each finding before it reaches your report.
A finding grounded in your data.Quantify the impact.
See the estimated financial impact, supporting assumptions and rationale. Identified opportunity is kept separate from money actually recovered.
A financial case you can scrutinize.Rank the next moves.
Prioritize findings by contribution margin impact and implementation effort, so your team can decide what to stop, fix and fund first.
Clear priorities for your team and partners.
Explore the audit engine and published finding examples
Orchestrator · sweep domains
- Paid media waste
- Attribution integrity
- Pricing & discounting
- Retention & LTV
- Budget pacing
- Fees & contracts
- Funnel conversion
- Creative efficiency
Priced findings · USD evidence
- +$134k/yrScaling spend was hiding a $134k annual margin leakDTC / Ecommerce
- −$118k/yrVolume rebates were paid on orders that never hit the tierManufacturing
- −$96k/yrIncentive spend acquired users who never fundedFintech
- +$92k/yrLate quarter discounting was quietly eroding ACV marginB2B SaaS
- −$88k/yrOnline ads were paying for in store demandRetail
- +$88k/yrAcquisition ignored default rate by channelFintech
One highlight per case. Outcome types and periods differ. Read the benchmark definitions.
74published case studies
$4.5M+in published annual case figures
$58kmedian annual case figure
YOUR INDUSTRY, YOUR ECONOMICS
See the leaks we find most in your industry.
The same rigor. The questions your business needs.
The agreed tier and scope determine which channels, costs and questions are examined.
Detailed industry audit figures
DTC / Ecommerce10 audits
B2B SaaS8 audits
Marketplace7 audits
Subscription7 audits
Retail8 audits
Services8 audits
Fintech7 audits
Pharma9 audits
Manufacturing10 audits
04 / OPTIONAL: MARGIN LEAK ESTIMATORExplore the potential.
No email requiredExplore the potential.
Then check the evidence.
Complete the inputs and six questions here. The figures are directional model estimates from industry assumptions, not measured losses or promised recovery. Your results page opens with your answers and the full assumptions.
05 / HOW IT WORKS
Your priorities in 5 to 7 working days after kickoff.
Machines for scale. Humans for judgment.
Agree the scope and inputs. Let the analysis surface the issues. Have a senior auditor check the findings before your report reaches you.
Audit + Sprint · $5,950 · 14 hours of senior auditor timeKickoff and access
Confirm scope, inputs and access. Your auditor develops the brief with your team.
Analysis and senior review
Analysis surfaces potential issues. A senior auditor reviews, challenges and prices the findings.
Readout and priorities
Get documented findings and priorities. Strategic Audit and Audit + Sprint include a live executive readout.
Your team supplies context.
Your auditor does the audit.
We agree the people, inputs and access needed at kickoff. The detailed timeline below is for Audit + Sprint, including 6 hours live with your team and 8 hours of auditor analysis and review.
Confidence before you share access.
- NDA first. Before data sharing.
- Read only access. Scoped to the audit.
- No training on client data. Your information is not a training dataset.
- Defined retention. See the data handling and deletion policy.
How Audit + Sprint uses 14 senior auditor hours
This timeline shows the Audit + Sprint scope. Other tiers include different senior auditor hours and deliverables. Your report is delivered in 5 to 7 working days after kickoff and receipt of all agreed access and inputs.
DAY 1
Brief & discovery
Kickoff, then 1:1s with your CEO and marketing team. Your auditor hears the real pain points and writes your audit brief. Your auditor develops the brief through conversations with your team.
With you: ◷ 2.5 hkickoff + 1:1 sessions
On your audit: 1.5 hwriting your brief
DAYS 2 & 3
Diagnostic analysis
24 agents sweep channels, funnel, retention & unit economics against your brief. Interim findings call on day 3.
With you: ◷ 0.5 hinterim findings call
On your audit: 1.5 hreview checkpoints
DAYS 4 & 5
Synthesis & roadmap
9 agents rank findings by margin impact vs. effort.
On your audit: 2 hreview checkpoints
DAY 6
Senior auditor review
Your senior auditor pressure tests and prices every finding. Nothing unsigned reaches the report.
On your audit: 3 hfinal gates + pricing
DAY 7
Delivery & sprint plan
Your report and live executive readout, plus a sprint planning session with your team. Boardroom ready ✓
With you: ◷ 3 hreadout + sprint session
AFTER
Day 30 & day 90
Your auditor reruns your numbers at day 30 and checks in again at day 90.
✓ includednot billed
Live with you: 6 hOn your audit: 8 h= 14 hours of senior auditor time
Typical allocation. Your auditor flexes these hours to where your audit needs them; the 14 hours are the commitment.
The brief isn’t homework. We don’t send your team a questionnaire. Your auditor sits with the people who feel the problem and writes the brief from what they hear. The machine starts from what your team actually said.
06 / THE PEOPLEAnalysis at scale.
Analysis at scale.
Accountability by name.
You are buying a reviewed audit, not an unattended AI export.
PUBLISHED AUDIT FOCUS
- Manufacturing pricing
- Rebates and channel margin
- Deal discounting
“I spent years inside agencies and consultancies watching good businesses overspend because no one would give them a straight, objective answer. MarginFix is the tool I wished those clients had: the rigor of a top tier audit, without the six figure invoice or the three month wait.”
THE TEAM THAT SIGNS OFF EVERY FINDING
Named senior auditors sign off every finding.
Four senior auditors, supported by marketing analysis and business development.
Scroll sideways to see all six team members.Explore all six team members. Swipe or use the arrows. With the card area focused, use Left and Right Arrow, Home or End.
Alex Pop
Senior Auditor
PUBLISHED AUDIT FOCUS
- SaaS billing
- Marketplace incentives
- Acquisition efficiency
Connects usage, billing and acquisition data to show where earned revenue or marketing spend is being missed.
Leslie Martin
Senior Auditor
PUBLISHED AUDIT FOCUS
- Pharma marketing
- HCP and congress spend
- Service conversion
Traces marketing demand through to conversion, helping teams see where qualified interest fails to become business.
Victoria Miller
Senior Auditor
PUBLISHED AUDIT FOCUS
- Contribution margin
- Pricing
- Retention
Examines the costs behind a sale so leaders can distinguish revenue growth from profitable growth.
David Jackson
Senior Auditor
PUBLISHED AUDIT FOCUS
- Fintech acquisition
- Retail measurement
- Channel profitability
Tests whether acquisition and channel activity create incremental value, not just stronger reporting metrics.
Michael Hill
Marketing Analyst
TEAM CONTRIBUTION
- Marketing analysis
- Research support
Supports the audit team with marketing analysis and research that help inform the review.
Anca Bragau
Director of Business Development
TEAM CONTRIBUTION
- Business needs
- Audit scope
Helps connect the business question with an appropriate audit scope before the engagement begins.
07 / THE INVESTMENTA fixed fee.
A fixed fee.
A defined decision.
Choose the depth of audit you need. No monthly retainer. No payment taken when you submit your request.
The median published audit identifies $58,000 in annual margin opportunity. Fees start at $1,450.
For $15,000 to $25,000 a month in marketing spend
Diagnostic Check
Start with a defined concern in your current marketing setup.
$1,450fixed fee
5 hours of senior auditor time
- Current setup review
- Documented findings
- Prioritized next steps
- Senior auditor sign off
Written findings minimum$10,000
For $25,000 to $100,000 a month in marketing spend
Strategic Audit
Connect channels, funnel and priorities before your next major decision.
$2,950fixed fee
10 hours of senior auditor time
- All channels and funnel review
- Full strategic report
- Prioritized strategic roadmap
- Live executive readout
- Senior auditor sign off
Written findings minimum$25,000
For $100,000 a month and up, ready to act
Audit + Sprint
Add execution planning to the full Strategic Audit.
$5,950fixed fee
14 hours of senior auditor time
- Everything in Strategic Audit
- Execution planning
- Sprint ready action plan
- Dedicated senior auditor through day 90
Written findings minimum$50,000
Not sure which tier fits? Book a 15 minute fit call →
Hours shown are senior auditor time. Your team’s time is agreed at kickoff. Your confirmed scope defines the inclusions. Compare the full tier details →
The guarantee
Request an audit
$10,000 to $50,000 of findings, or your money back.
Your tier sets a written minimum for quantified, actionable findings: $10,000, $25,000 or $50,000. If the report identifies less, request a full fee refund within 14 days of your readout, or of report delivery if your tier has no readout. You keep the report.
The guarantee covers findings identified, not money recovered. Agreed access conditions and refund terms apply. Read the guarantee terms.
1A written minimum for your tier
2Quantified findings in your report
3Your fee refunded if the minimum is not met
BEFORE YOU COMMIT TO MORE HELPGet the audited numbers first.
Talk to an auditorGet the audited numbers first.
Then decide what comes next.
Whatever you decide next, start from audited numbers. A paid, independent audit gives your existing team and partners evidence and priorities, within an agreed scope and without an ongoing retainer.
MarginFix audit
Best fitIndependent findings for a defined decision
Commitment$1,450 to $5,950 fixed fee
Timing5 to 7 working days after kickoff and complete agreed inputs
What happens nextYour team uses the findings to plan changes
Compare the scopeConsulting engagement
Best fitBroader strategic questions
CommitmentPriced for the agreed scope
TimingAgreed for the engagement
What happens nextAgree any further support
Internal or agency review
Best fitOngoing review and execution
CommitmentTeam time or agency scope
TimingSet by your team
What happens nextAllocate people and time
08 / BEFORE YOU DECIDEA few questions.
A few questions.
Clear answers.
What will this help us decide?
Where the evidence points to wasted spend or lost margin, which fixes deserve attention first, and what your team should investigate before changing the budget. Your selected tier defines the scope. A senior auditor reviews and approves every finding.
How long does it take?
Your report is delivered in 5 to 7 working days after kickoff and receipt of all agreed access and inputs. We confirm your delivery date in writing.
Which audit fits our business?
Diagnostic Check is $1,450, Strategic Audit is $2,950, and Audit + Sprint is $5,950. Published spend bands start at $15,000 a month. If you spend $10,000 to $15,000 a month, start with a fit call. Compare the scope and deliverables before choosing.
What if the findings fall below the guarantee?
If your report identifies less than your tier's written minimum, request a full fee refund within 14 days of your readout, or of report delivery if your tier has no readout. You keep the report. The guarantee covers identification, not implementation results. Access conditions and full terms apply.
What will our team need to do?
We agree the required inputs and access, then hold a 30 minute kickoff. Additional conversations and your team's time depend on the selected scope. The audit gives your team findings and priorities. Audit + Sprint adds implementation planning, not completed implementation. Compare the tiers.
We already have an agency. Is this awkward?
It is common, and healthy. The audit is an independent second opinion, not a pitch to replace anyone. Many agencies use the findings as their next quarter's roadmap. We never sell media management, so there is no conflict of interest.
Is there a call before we pay?
Yes. A 15 minute fit call with one auditor, no pitch. Bring the numbers you have and leave with the next step, whether that is a tier or a reason we are not the right fit. Book the fit call →
Go deeper
The evidence behind the audit
- CompareAn audit against a consultant, your agency or your own team, side by side.→
- The checklist30 checks across paid media, attribution, pricing, retention and reporting.→
- All 74 findingsRanked by annual value, $58k median, each one a real case.→
- GlossaryBlended ROAS, MER, incrementality and the other terms behind every audit.→
- InsightsField notes from 74 audits: where budgets leak and why ROAS overstates returns.→
- Data securityNDA first, read only scoped access, no training on client data, deletion within 30 days.→
Give your next marketing decision a clear financial case.
Start with an independent audit of where spend is being wasted and margin is being lost. Give your team the evidence to challenge weak spending and make a stronger case for the work that deserves investment.
Fixed fees from $1,450. No payment taken when you submit a request.
◆Read only access
◆NDA before data sharing
◆Senior auditor review
No retainer