The Pit - IMI Trust

Da Vinci Code was one of the highest grossing movies of 2006 and it came from one of the best selling books in the last 30 years. However, this post is more to do with the man and than the Dan Brown legacy.

It is a quick guide as to what made Leonardo Da Vinci, a man that will be remembered throughout time.  He was always considered a great artist but few have ever viewed Da Vinci as a businessman… and yet he was exactly that.

Leonardo was a genius in many different ways. He was an inventor, an artist, an engineer, a scientist and a brilliant sales person.  The Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings on the planet and a priceless piece of art. There are so many things that could be written about Leonardo Da Vinci but we will focus on his incredible ability to sell and market himself.

To fund his work, Leonardo had to generate an income which would be able to pay for himself, his students and his side projects in which he would work on.

Da Vinci knew exactly where to go. He went to the “Warlords” of his era and propositioned them. His idea was simple ‘Go where the money is!’ Now you may ask… how does an artist get a gig with power hungry and ruthless “warlords”?

It is recorded that one of his employers killed his own brother, committed incest with his sister and would regularly poison his dinner guests. A meal to savour to say the least. This man was the most hated, feared and envied man of his time and known for his bloodthirsty mentality.

And beside him, working for him was one of histories greatest men. Imagine one of Adolf Hitlers artists being regarded, as one of the greatest that ever lived. This same man was that deluded, that he would hire historians to search his bloodline, to prove he was from the bloodline of the Gods.

Leonardo was smart… he knew what the “Warlords” valued and he gave it to them. Leonardo would not pitch them on his ability as a painter. No… He would pitch them on his ability to create War Weapons and then artwork which would appeal to their Vanity.

He was able to satisfy some very powerful motives! He was able to satisfy the desire for Power, Wealth, Social Status and through his art… vanity.

He also created for his employer one of the most powerful tools he could ever offer a war lord. It was absolutely revolutionary for his day. This tool came in the form of a detailed and exact “MAP”. This gave his employer vision and power… and for Leonardo… it gave him money!

He would play stage manager and conductor to some of the greatest parties of his era. He became renowned throughout the wealthy and powerful as the master orchestrator of parties.

He moved to Venice… a city of new money at the time and also a city in crisis.  Leonardo used this opportunity to sell his invention - the idea of an underwater army complete with armour. Yes… the first recording of the idea of scuba diving equipment.

He used his ideas and art to generate income, as well as to protect his own interests! This idea was far fetched, but studies today on some of his exact designs have been tried, tested and proved to be successful.

What was brilliant about this is that without his ability to promote his services, he would not have garnered the reputation he did. The interesting thing is that Leonardo was completely against war, but yet he designed some of the most brilliant war weapons. He designed the first tank. Something which was not first used until WWI.  Now this was not designed to be a motor powered tank, but a man powered tank! His design is ingenious! It wasn’t until World War I, that a tank would be designed and used in a war.

This work allowed him to fund his studies into nature and the human body! More then that, it allowed him to create art pieces. Whilst working for the Vatican during the day, Leonardo would be performing autopsy’s in the evening. One of his discoveries was that the aging process was linked to excessive nutrition of the blood.

This finding is what we know today as cholesterol.

The ability to promote your service is a powerful skill. The ability to market your services and products determines how your clients remember you. Sometimes… you need to sacrifice for the sake of your long term vision, exactly as Leonardo did. Leonardo always tried to make sure that everything he did, generated a uniqueness.

Even though he painted objects, scenes or portraits which had been done many times before… Leonardos unique touch would not be rushed, and would have him known by millions of people after his death.

So as business owners, how can we make what we do unique?
How can we have our clients remember us?
Do we create grand ideas and grand plans but in the background put together lots of small jobs to make it all work?
How can be satisfy the desires of our cleints through our business and through our website?
What are some of your ideas about how you build loyalty with your clients?

These are all modern issues and Leonardo Da Vinci had it figured nearly 500 years ago.