Dr. Victoria Medvec

Dr. Medvec, Northwestern University’s premier negotiations expert, has several critical negotiation tools useful during these turbulent times – ranging from emphasizing “avoidance of loss” vs. “benefits” to the importance of driving all negotiations via synchronous communication – a critical technique for dramatically reducing sales cycle time. Given the current environment:

• It is challenging to be calm in the midst of the current economic environment and the stress that this environment is creating.
• Many of you are probably encountering tough negotiations as a result of the economic pressure today. In this session, we will talk about how to manage these challenges by using the right negotiation strategies.
• Today’s business environment creates many opportunities though. This session will highlight how to leverage these opportunities to your advantage.
• Crisis creates the opportunity to build customer relationships because of their increased dependence on you.
• Crisis also creates the perfect opportunity to lead change initiatives. People tend to be risk seeking in the domain of losses and risk averse in the domain of gains. This makes the status quo very sticky in gain periods. The losses we are currently experiencing create an ideal environment for change.

Dr. Victoria Medvec is the Adeline Barry Davee Professor of Management and Organizations, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University and recipient of several annual teaching awards. Dr. Medvec is also the CEO of Critical Decision Partners, a strategic consulting firm focusing on high-stakes negotiations and decisions. In this capacity, Dr. Medvec teaches negotiations and strategic decision making to senior-level executives from companies around the world. She also advises CEOs and their reports on critical decisions and negotiations, including mergers, acquisitions, significant customer contracts, supplier contracts, and partnership agreements. Her clients include General Electric, Merck, McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, McDonalds, CBRichard Ellis, Driehaus Capital Management, ABN Amro, Hearst Communications, DDB, Exelon, Abbott Labs, Ernst & Young, BP, Leo Burnett, Booz Allen and Hamilton, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Intrado, Everett Smith Group, Baker & McKenzie, Redi-Cut Foods, Guidant Corporation, Motorola, Guaranty Bank, Novartis, Microsoft, and Mattel.