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National Diploma in Sales Management (NDSM)

Individual Integrated Assignment
Intake II 2019 - Stage I
Program National Diploma in Sales Management (NDSM)
Stage Stage I (ONE)
Nature of the Assignment Integrated Assignment (Individual) with
Presentation
Examination 05 April 2020
Assignment Submission Period 07 March 2020 – 08 March 2020
Assignment Acceptance time period Weekday and Weekend – 8.30am to 3.00pm
Presentation Date Notify after Assignment Submission
Email address to send soft copy ndsm@slim.lk

IMPORTANT:
 Assignment should be submitted to SLIM within the Assignment Submission Periods as
indicated above.

 Assignment will not be accepted after the late submission under any circumstances.

 The Assignment should be confronted to the assignment guidelines presented as per

the NDSM Student Handbook (please refer Section Six (06) of the Student Handbook).

 Do NOT insert any pictures on the cover page of the assignment

 Submit the assignment with the spiral bound hard copy.

 Soft copy of your assignment should be sent to above mentioned email address and you
will be receiving an automated reply of receipt of the assignment. If you have not
received the automated reply, please verify with course coordinator. Soft copy is only a
reference document that will not be considered as an assignment submission.

 SLIM will issue an acknowledgement slip upon the submission of your assignment and it
must be retained by the student as proof of submitting the assignment.

 If you have NOT submitted the assignment your results for the respective subject will
appear as “FAIL” in the final grading.
Assignment with Presentations

 Presentation date and time will be published in website after the assignment
submission by the student.

 Presentation time will be 10 mins and additional 10 mins will be given for question
and answers.

Presentation should be compatible in MS Office 2007 version in a Pen Drive which does
not content Viruses. (Only the relevant presentation should be saved in the pen drive)

 Students should bring two copies of the presentations printed one slide per page.

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Assignment Topic: Mass Market Financial Services of Overseas Bank
Background

Overseas Bank is a large financial services company established in July, 1999 and operates its 7
branches in a few selected towns in the Colombo District with a wealthy clientele. They are
determined to expand its new product line to existing customers while attracting additional
customers with its new offerings. The underlying strategy was to dramatically improve customer
retention while increasing customer lifetime value and products per household metrics.

The new products added to the traditional consumer mortgage product suite includes home,
auto and life insurance, credit cards, banking and investment accounts. The products range in
complexity, but in almost all cases the transaction required interaction with experienced, sales
professional. Price points were very competitive, the margins very narrow and the sales cycle
was measured in minutes despite the consultative nature of the selling process. The promotional
strategy was one of the more important inputs in determining the appropriate sales model. In
this case, the decision was to use existing marketing and communication channels, in addition
to direct mail with innovative prospecting methods to drive the highest possible number of
leads.

The sales structure had to support a high volume of individual transactions in the most efficient
means possible. Considering these details, it was determined that the best sales model would
be a network of regional branches staffed by salesmen with local market knowledge.

Due to Sri Lanka’s intense competition and its absence in the few 'non-wealthy' towns, the bank
has decided to increase their branches by adding 53 more in the three upcoming years as a
support to the revamp acquisition plan. They are planning to offer tailor made solutions to all
segments under the new concept.

You have been recruited as the new National Sales Manager to fulfill the task with a free hand
to develop an overhaul sales strategy to fulfill the expansion requirement as per the given time
lines.

TASK ONE

a) Justify by elaborating the importance and impact of personal selling in the financial
industry and its significance to Overseas Bank on product focused target group selling.
b) Briefly discuss the steps of the selling process of the Overseas Bank to maximize its
performance and increase productivity.

TASK TWO

Selecting and using the correct sales approach according to different customer needs is very
important to win sales. Recommend the three (03) most suitable approaches Overseas Bank can
use when promoting financial products. Justify them with examples.

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TASK 03

Overseas Bank is planning to increase its presence in potential geographical areas/ towns.
Discuss how you would develop a corporate strategy for the bank with consideration to key
decision areas. Explain what type of organizational structure you would recommend for this new
direction.

Justify your answer with a chart and discuss the impact and advantages of this decision.

Note:
Word Count will be based on the content weightage and the word count for this assignment
should be 3000 – 4000 words, excluding cover sheet, content page, references, appendix &
illustrations (please refer page no 17 of Student Handbook)

Task Content Weightage

Task One
Question A 20%
Question B 20%
Task Two 30%
Task Three 30%
Total 100%

NOTE – Please note the given (below) Assignment Marking Scheme for Marks Allocation

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 Assignment Checklist & Declaration

This document is intended as a guide to check and improve your assignment. Review your
Assignment together with the specific guidelines and criteria (marking schedule) that are
mentioned in the program handbook given to you.

You are expected to confirm that your assignment fulfills the below requirements, tick (√) in the
cage.

Student Name

Registration No

Cover page

Assignment checklist & declaration form ( This sheet)

Assignment marking scheme

Assignment

Table of contents

Body of the assignment

References

Assignment emailed to relevant email address

(You will be receiving an automated reply of receipt of the assignment, if

you have not received the automated reply, please verify with course
coordinator. Soft copy is only a reference document that will not be
considered as an assignment submission)

I’m fully aware that any misleading information provided in above checklist will lead to rejection
of my assignment.
I, the undersigned, confirm that I have read and understood the statement about plagiarism
which is outlined in the student’s handbook. I confirm that the work that I have submitted
accompanying this report is wholly my own, and that any quotations or sections of text taken
from the published or unpublished work of any other person is duly and fully acknowledged
therein.

Signature: Date:
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 Individual Integrated Assignment (IIA)

Assignment
Topic
Student Name
Reg. No.

Stage I – (Month – Year) Examination

National Diploma in Sales Management (NDSM)

Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM)

(Study Center)

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 Assignment Marking Scheme
Program National Diploma in Sales Management (NDSM)
Student Registration No

Marks
Criteria
Allocated Awarded
Aligning to the purpose of the assignment 20
Some of the answer addresses to the purpose of the question 1-5
This has addressed the purpose of the assignment 6-10
Has addressed the purpose of the assignment coherently 11-15
This has addressed the purpose of assignment comprehensively 16-20
Clarity of expression 20
An attempt to organize in a logical manner 1-5
Satisfactory showing of logical manner and organization 6-10
Shows higher level of Carefully and logically organized 11-15
Shows coherent structure with clearly expressed ideas 16-20
Using examples/evidences 20
Shows a little use of examples 1-5
Some use of examples. Some evaluation attempted 6-10
Some use of examples. Well evaluated 11-15
Shows appropriate examples are fully and reliably evaluated 16-20
Critical analysis of concepts, theories, conclusions 20
Demonstrates limited evidence of critical analysis 1-5
Demonstrates some critical analysis of relevant theory 6-10
Demonstrates application of theory through critical analysis 11-15
Demonstrates application of critical analysis well integrated 16-20
Following assignment guidelines 20
Limited follow-up of assignment guidelines 1-5
Some level of follow-up of assignment guidelines 6-10
Good display of adherence to assignment guidelines 11-15
Excellent adherence to assignment guidelines 16-20

Total 100
Special Remarks

Signature of the Examiner

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