Oversubscribed. Daniel Priestley

Oversubscribed - Daniel Priestley


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a rich tapestry out there and you're part of it. But as with any tapestry, you can't see it if you don't have the right perspective. When you take a few steps back you can see the bigger picture.

      I'm hoping this book gives you a look at the bigger picture for you and your business. Let's begin a journey together that starts where you are right now and leads you to where you want to be.

PART I PRINCIPLES FOR BECOMING OVERSUBSCRIBED

      You likely learned long ago that the market forces of demand and supply determine the price and the profit you'll make. But what you didn't learn is that you can make your own market forces.

      It's vital that you take control of this sacred balance because unless your business becomes oversubscribed, you're unlikely to realise your full value.

      I was in a room with 400 people who had come to see renowned entrepreneur and author Gary Vaynerchuk share his ideas on social media marketing. He announced at the end of his presentation that he'd be auctioning off a one‐hour, one‐on‐one business consultation with him, and the proceeds would go to charity.

      This had put the audience into a frenzy. I opened the auction with a bid of £500 and immediately another person took it to £600. Within a flash the price hit £1,000 and the hands kept popping up.

      Bids were coming in thick and fast. £2,000, £2,200, £2,400, £2,600, £2,800.

      As the bidding passed the £3,000 mark, it came down to two men who clearly both wanted this prize. Everyone else was out of the race, but these two guys kept matching each other and taking the price up another £100 each time.

      They were the only two people still bidding in a room with 400 individuals. The rest were sitting patiently or enjoying the spectacle.

Image depicting an auctioning scene where two bidders offering to pay more for the same prize, with the entrepreneur looking confused.

      They agreed, and the hammer went down. Gary had raised £8,000 by auctioning off two hours of his time.

      I'm not sure how high it would have gone but I do know that it only takes two people to push up the price at an auction. Most of the people in the room didn't bid at all and very few people bid beyond £1,500. But that doesn't matter. When the supply is “one” and there are “two” who want it, then that price keeps going up. Two people who desire something is enough to oversubscribe the one person who has it. The price keeps going up until one entity gives in.

      Too many business owners focus on the entire marketplace. They are deeply concerned by what the majority will pay rather than finding the small group of people who really value what they offer. But if you focus on the wider market price, you'll always be average. In today's competitive marketplace being average means you're unlikely to be profitable.

      If Gary Vaynerchuk wanted to try and sell everyone in the audience an hour of his time, he would have probably needed to lower his prices to £250 per hour. And after delivering months of back‐to‐back consultations he would have zero energy to write more books or give more talks.

      Your value is much higher than you think to a small number of people. You probably have specialty skills, networks, resources and insights that certain people are eager to access. You don't need everyone on the planet to see you as highly valuable; you only need enough people who can drive your price up. Separating from the economy and from your industry requires that you turn your attention to those people who find you highly valuable – and then serve them better than anyone else can.

      If two people want your time and only one can get it, your price rises until one of them gives in. Your job isn't to please everyone. Your job is to find those people who can't live without you. So … who are those people? What is it they want? And where do you find them? These questions matter more than the questions that relate to the overall market.

      Your price isn't fixed or set by the overall market. It's a result of being oversubscribed or not.

      Let's begin with some basics that I was taught by one of the world's top market traders.

      “Why do markets go up?”

      I was 22 years old at the time, and I answered his question with my best guess: “Positive news, a good economy, monetary policy, a good CEO; probably they all have an impact, I think.”

      “Nice try – but no,” he said with a smile, “Markets go up because there are more buyers than sellers – and that's it!”

Image explaining the basics of

      I had forgotten the fundamental truth of economics: the basics of “demand and supply” that you learn on day one of any economics class. A strong market, a good business plan or a compelling story all help, but ultimately your price is set by the balance of supply and demand.

      It was also Uber that discovered that the same rules can apply to the cost of a taxi fare. Rather than offering fixed fares based on the time of the day, like most cab companies do, Uber was first to “float” the price based on demand and supply. When hundreds of people want a ride and only a few drivers are in the area the algorithms trigger surge pricing and start charging people higher prices. Ordering an Uber home after a concert can cost you 300% more than what it cost you to get an Uber to the venue.

      At a basic level, the same principles translate down to how much profit a business makes. The market abhors a profit; a profit is only tolerated if demand is higher than supply. A coffee shop with a line out the door can charge a price that covers all costs as well as a profit margin. An empty coffee shop will start discounting to customers in an effort to minimise the losses it's taking on rent, staff and utilities.

      No one wants your business to be highly profitable other than its stakeholders. If you tell consumers they can have a cheaper price but the company will lose money and might go out of


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