The business administration undergraduate program in our branch campus in Guayaquil organized the webinar titled "New sales models and strategies in times of Covid – 19", where participants learned about the sales strategies being used by PepsiCo during the health emergency. 

Over 300 participants took part in the 2 hour webinar; Ines Chica Macias, Key account manager at PepsiCo, spoke about: the analysis of the current context, the behavior of the target market, the design of a strategic plan and tools needed for a successful negotiation.   

PepsiCo constantly works on scenarios called "VUCA", which stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. A "VUCA" scenario is volatile because it changes constantly and is not predictable; uncertainty because there is fear, lack of confidence and it is hard to handle; it is complex since it involves elements that are difficult to understand; and ambiguous because there is no security to make decisions and measurable risks are taken.

A good negotiator must have characteristics such as: adaptation to changes, use of telecommunications networks and digitization, the ability to face crises without fear, having a positive attitude, constant training, keeping the team motivated, active listening, and always willing to change one's mindset.

"It has been demonstrated that knowledge decreases anxiety and fear, today more than ever we must seek these spaces for discussion to acquire skills that can face new challenges for the future," said Chica.

During a negotiation process, there are opportunities that allow a relationship to be deepened, build trust or gain advantage. Therefore, it is essential to have good change management, since this is the area that develops the strategic plan, generates the processes to be able to solve conflicts, traces the right path, analyzes the pros and cons, sets goals, determines tools and processes to achieve objectives.

Today, due to the health crisis, negotiation processes are carried out through other channels, so some useful recommendations were provided to build trust during a virtual negotiation. "In a videoconference it is necessary to have the camera on, keep your distance between yourself and the computer so your hands can be seen, keep control of the number of people who participate, speak safely, use clear, understandable and simple language," said Chica.

When using WhatsApp for example, "it is advisable to be careful when writing, do not abbreviations, be kind. Use this platform to call when you need to solve concrete issues".   At the end, Chica answered participants' questions.