Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Identical Proposals

Sherlock Holmes had seen many strange things in his life, but nothing prepared him for the stack of identical proposals sitting on his desk.

Different companies. Different industries. Different sellers. Same structure. Same words. Same empty promises.

Watson flipped through them, brow raised. "They look quite professional, Holmes."

"Yes, Watson. Professional. And utterly useless."

Holmes held one up to the light as if inspecting a forged banknote. "Observe the craftsmanship. Clean formatting, polished phrasing, all the right buzzwords. And yet… nothing. No spark. No originality. No evidence that the writer spent even a moment trying to understand the customer's world."

Watson leaned closer. "So they're all just… templates?"

"Templates wearing disguises," Holmes replied. "These proposals were written by machines, not minds. No curiosity. No insight. No understanding of the customer's real problem. They answer questions no one asked and avoid the ones that matter."

Watson frowned. "So what would you do?"

Holmes tapped the final page with a knowing smile. "I would do what any good detective, or seller, must do. Speak to the customer. Understand the consequences of inaction. Discover what progress looks like for them. Only then can you write something that actually means something."

Watson nodded slowly. "So value first?"

"Always, Watson. Always."

Holmes gathered the proposals into a neat pile. "In a world drowning in sameness, the only true differentiator is understanding. Not features. Not formatting. Not clever phrasing. Understanding."

If you're tired of proposals that sound like everyone else's, perhaps it's time to rethink how your team uncovers, articulates, and delivers value.

What's one step you could take this week to make your proposals unmistakably human, and unmistakably yours?

I'd love to hear your thoughts. And I'd love to hear from you — get in touch!