, MNM3703 ASSIGNMENT 1 SEMESTER 2 2026
DUE DATE: 24 AUGUST 2026
QUESTION 1
1.1 Four types of sales department specialisation
Sales departments can generally be organised according to geographical, product,
customer/market, or functional specialisation.
1. Geographical specialisation – Salespeople are assigned responsibility for specific
geographical areas or territories. This allows the organisation to develop knowledge
of local customers and market conditions. For example, Vodacom South Africa can
organise sales activities according to provinces or regions, with sales
representatives responsible for particular territories (Kotler and Keller, 2016).
2. Product specialisation – Salespeople specialise in selling particular products or
product categories. This is useful where products are technically complex or require
specialised knowledge. For example, Nedbank may have specialised sales personnel
dealing with different financial products such as home loans, business banking and
investment products (Jobber and Lancaster, 2019). Product specialisation has two
sub-specialisations: product-line specialisation, where salespeople are
responsible for an entire range of related products, and product-item
specialisation, where salespeople focus on a specific individual product within the
product range (Jobber and Lancaster, 2019).
3. Customer or market specialisation – Salespeople are organised according to
particular customer groups or market segments. Each salesperson therefore
develops expertise in the needs and purchasing behaviour of a specific type of
customer. For example, MTN South Africa can distinguish between sales teams
DUE DATE: 24 AUGUST 2026
QUESTION 1
1.1 Four types of sales department specialisation
Sales departments can generally be organised according to geographical, product,
customer/market, or functional specialisation.
1. Geographical specialisation – Salespeople are assigned responsibility for specific
geographical areas or territories. This allows the organisation to develop knowledge
of local customers and market conditions. For example, Vodacom South Africa can
organise sales activities according to provinces or regions, with sales
representatives responsible for particular territories (Kotler and Keller, 2016).
2. Product specialisation – Salespeople specialise in selling particular products or
product categories. This is useful where products are technically complex or require
specialised knowledge. For example, Nedbank may have specialised sales personnel
dealing with different financial products such as home loans, business banking and
investment products (Jobber and Lancaster, 2019). Product specialisation has two
sub-specialisations: product-line specialisation, where salespeople are
responsible for an entire range of related products, and product-item
specialisation, where salespeople focus on a specific individual product within the
product range (Jobber and Lancaster, 2019).
3. Customer or market specialisation – Salespeople are organised according to
particular customer groups or market segments. Each salesperson therefore
develops expertise in the needs and purchasing behaviour of a specific type of
customer. For example, MTN South Africa can distinguish between sales teams
