Leonardo da Vinci
I Will Show You in Your Park
They fear hiring wrong, so hand them a small piece to test
Leonardo's letter to Ludovico Sforza (c. 1482, draft in the Codex Atlanticus); Richter, no. 1340
The reader has never met him. This asks how to put a stranger at ease about hiring you.
What actually happened?
Near the end of the same letter he adds a separate paragraph: he can take up the bronze horse, to honour the duke's father, Francesco Sforza. The final sentence says that if any of his claims seem impossible to anyone, he is ready to demonstrate them in the duke's park, or wherever the duke pleases. He did not ask to be believed first. He left the question of whether he was bluffing for the duke to check on the spot.
Name one thing they can see
The horse is not 'I am good at sculpture'. It is a particular job with a purpose: a monument to the duke's father. The reader can picture where it would stand, and that picture does more than a list of skills.
Do not write 'strong in brand design'. Write 'I will redo your shop sign so a passer-by remembers it'.
Take on the risk of hiring wrong
When a stranger says 'I can do anything', the buyer carries the risk of choosing wrongly. Offering a demonstration says: look first, decide after, no need to trust me yet.
Make a one-page sample for a new client and show it in the meeting, instead of sending a thirty-page proposal.
Before you offer, check you can deliver
The piece you offer to test must really be within reach. The horse was never cast, as the entry on him explains, so 'I will show you' is an invitation, not a guarantee.
Before you say 'I can mock one up', confirm you have the time and materials this week to actually do it.
How do I use it today?
Where you are: They are interested, and keep delaying the decision.
Ask first: What do they fear most, hiring the wrong person or wasting money? Which small piece can I put in front of them now?
Where it goes wrong: Treating it as free labour. He offered to demonstrate a claim, not to do the whole job unpaid; keep the test small enough to judge on the spot.
Lines to keep
They fear hiring wrong, not that you're weak.
Offer the small piece to test, unasked.
Before offering a trial, check you can deliver.
Same situation, other people are asking
I said it and not one person took it seriously.Maybe I just don't have it.I did the work and somebody else got the credit.How many people would I actually need before this pays for itself?Nobody is looking at my work · all 12 questions →If this one named what you are going through,
send it to someone who needs it, or keep it somewhere you will find it again.