Position Your Product or Service Advantageously: Define Value Before the Negotiation

In most negotiations, there’s a quiet but critical moment that determines the outcome, long before numbers are exchanged.

It’s the moment when the other party decides:

“What is this worth?”

That judgment isn’t based on data alone.
It’s based on how the value has been positioned.

One of RED BEAR’s core principles, Position Your Product or Service Advantageously, is about intentionally shaping that perception from the very beginning.

What the Principle Means

To position advantageously is:

To describe your product or service in a succinct, compelling way that clearly conveys its value.

This is more than messaging; it’s the foundation of your negotiating strategy.

Because:

Value is subjective
And how you describe your offering directly shapes what feels reasonable and acceptable

The Power of a Positioning Theme

Strong negotiators don’t overwhelm with information.

They create a clear, focused theme, a way of describing their solution that is:

Brief → easy to understand
Compelling → tied to what matters most
Repeatable → can be carried forward internally

If your counterpart can’t easily explain your value, your position weakens the moment you’re not in the room.

A Story That Brings This to Life: The Astrodome

In 1962, the Houston Colt .45s had a problem.

Games were played in extreme heat and humidity
Insects were everywhere
Attendance was suffering

So the team’s owner, Judge Roy Hoffheinz, did something bold:

He built the world’s first indoor baseball stadium.

But he didn’t just build it, he positioned it as:

“The eighth wonder of the world.”

That positioning transformed how people saw it:

Not just a stadium
But a groundbreaking, must-see experience

Attendance surged.

The Real Negotiation Lesson

Later, the stadium faced a new problem: the grass died due to a lack of sunlight.

Several expensive solutions were proposed.

Then, Monsanto introduced a new concept of synthetic turf.

They positioned it around:

Features
Durability
Superiority to grass

Then came the negotiation.

Monsanto asked for $350,000.

The judge responded:

“That’s interesting…$350,000 is exactly what I was going to charge you for the advertising you’ll get in the ‘eighth wonder of the world.’”

In one move, he completely reframed the deal.

Monsanto wasn’t selling turf anymore
They were gaining global exposure

The result?

They split the difference, and the product was installed.

It also gained a new name:

AstroTurf.

What Just Happened?

The judge didn’t argue the price.

He repositioned the value.

From the cost of the product
To the value of exposure

And in doing so, he changed what felt reasonable.

That’s positioning.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Example 1: Reframing Value

A salesperson selling aircraft components didn’t say:

“This is a product improvement.”

They said:

“This is the technology of the future.”

That shift expanded the conversation to:

Reliability
Efficiency
Reduced maintenance
Long-term cost savings
Brand positioning as innovative

Same product.
Different perception.
Higher value.

Example 2: Weak vs. Strong Positioning

Weak:

“This is a high-quality solution with great features.”

Strong:

“This solution reduces your operational downtime by 30%, without increasing headcount.”

One is generic. The other is:

Outcome-driven
Memorable
Repeatable

Example 3: Competing Narratives

In any negotiation, both sides are positioning.

Seller:

“This is a reliable workhorse AND a parts gold mine.”

Buyer:

“These are aging units with limited value beyond parts.”

Same situation.
Different positioning.

Whoever’s theme wins…wins the negotiation.

Where Most People Go Wrong

Many professionals weaken their position because they:

Assume the other party already understands the value
Overload with features instead of focusing on a theme
Fail to repeat their positioning consistently
Abandon value when price pressure begins

But the reality is:

Any price is too high if value hasn’t been clearly established.

Self-Assessment: How Strong Is Your Positioning?

Before your next negotiation, ask yourself:

1. Have you defined the full scope?

What are all the fundamental issues to be negotiated?

2. Are you maximizing perceived value?

What are the different ways you can describe your product/service strengths to increase perceived value?

3. Is your message repeatable?

What would you want others to say if asked to summarize your value in one sentence?

4. Can you sustain it under pressure?

Will you be comfortable repeating this theme throughout the interaction?
If not, what needs to change?

For Sales: This Is How You Earn the Right to Ask for More

Strong positioning allows you to:

Justify higher pricing
Re-anchor when discounts are requested
Expand perceived impact
Maintain control of the narrative

When pressure comes, you don’t change your message.

You repeat your theme.

For Procurement: This Is How You Drive Better Decisions

For procurement, positioning helps you:

Evaluate true business impact
Distinguish strong vs. weak value propositions
Avoid purely price-driven decisions
Align stakeholders around what matters

Expanding What’s “Reasonable”

One of the most powerful outcomes of strong positioning:

It expands what feels reasonable in a negotiation.

Just like in the Astrodome deal:

The same number ($350,000) meant something entirely different
Because the value had been reframed

A Final Thought

If you don’t define the value of your product or service, someone else will.

And they will almost always define it in a way that narrows your advantage.

Positioning advantageously ensures that:

Value is clear
The message is consistent
And then the negotiation is anchored where it should be

Not on price, but on what that price represents.

Ready to strengthen your negotiation positioning?

If you want to define value before the negotiation begins and consistently drive better outcomes, connect with RED BEAR to see how this principle is applied in real-world negotiations.

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