pitch unfairly

Cheat Codes · Proposals and business cases

Gustave Eiffel, 1886. Pitched unfairly, 2026.

300 metres of iron for a 20-year permit. Same story, same numbers. Rebuilt the way we'd pitch it today.

Template: Client proposal

  • 107 entries
  • 1.5M francs from the State
  • 300 m
Play the 2026 deck Read the real story Steal the structure
1886 Client proposal

Gustave Eiffel

300 metres of iron for a 20-year permit.

Legend
Original craft
Unfair

The story→11 slides

It's a live deck. Press start, then scroll or use the arrow keys, or play it full screen.

Play the 2026 deck

Gustave Eiffel's client proposal, slide by slide

Every slide opens the live deck right where it is.

  1. Gustave Eiffel deck, slide 1: 300 metres of iron for your Exposition. 01300 metres of iron for your Exposition.
  2. Gustave Eiffel deck, slide 2: You want 1889 remembered, not just attended. 02You want 1889 remembered, not just attended.
  3. Gustave Eiffel deck, slide 3: Six asks. Six ticks. 03Six asks. Six ticks.
  4. Gustave Eiffel deck, slide 4: Four legs, three platforms, 300 metres. 04Four legs, three platforms, 300 metres.
  5. Gustave Eiffel deck, slide 5: We have built iron at this scale. Our rivals have drawn it. 05We have built iron at this scale. Our rivals have drawn it.
  6. Gustave Eiffel deck, slide 6: Every part is drawn before it is made. 06Every part is drawn before it is made.
  7. Gustave Eiffel deck, slide 7: Twenty-six months from first dig to flag. 07Twenty-six months from first dig to flag.
  8. Gustave Eiffel deck, slide 8: You pay 1.5 million. We finance the rest. 08You pay 1.5 million. We finance the rest.
  9. Gustave Eiffel deck, slide 9: Four things could stop the tower. Each has an owner. 09Four things could stop the tower. Each has an owner.
  10. Gustave Eiffel deck, slide 10: The world's tallest structure, mostly on us. 10The world's tallest structure, mostly on us.
  11. Gustave Eiffel deck, slide 11: Sign in January. Climb it in 1889. 11Sign in January. Climb it in 1889.

Then · 1886

How it really went

Read the real storythe story, via Wikipedia
  1. Koechlin and Nouguier sketch a 300 m iron pylon (1884)
  2. Sauvestre adds the arches and the glass pavilion
  3. Eiffel buys the patent rights from his engineers
  4. May 1886: the State opens a competition for the 1889 Exposition
  5. 107 entries; the commission picks Eiffel's
  6. January 1887: the State pays 1.5M francs; Eiffel finances the rest for 20 years of revenue
  7. February 1887: artists protest the "useless and monstrous" tower in Le Temps
  8. 18,038 parts and 2.5 million rivets go up in two years, two months and five days
  9. March 1889: Eiffel raises the flag at 300 m, the tallest structure on Earth
  10. Due to come down after 20 years; radio saves it

Now · 2026 · 11 slides

What we changed

  • The brief ticks itself offAll six lines of the 1886 competition, from "metal" to "ready for May 1889", answered and checked in order, with a 6 of 6 score.
  • The tower builds to scaleA blueprint elevation assembles section by section while a height counter climbs past the Washington Monument to 300 m.
  • The deal is a sliderMove the State's cash between nothing and all 6.5 million francs and watch Eiffel's financing and the years of ticket rights move with it, anchored on the real 1.5 million for 20 years.
  • The protest is a line itemWind, the artists in Le Temps, the 1909 teardown, and opening day each get an owner and a mitigation in the risk register.

Steal the structure

Build your client proposal like Gustave Eiffel did.

  1. 01 Cover Who you are, what you will deliver, and the brief you are answering.
  2. 02 Your goal Play the client's objective back to them, including what success looks like.
  3. 03 Your requirements Quote each requirement in their order and show how you meet it.
  4. 04 Our solution The thing you will deliver, shown, with its headline number.
  5. 05 Why us Comparable work you have already delivered, and the named team.
  6. 06 How we build The method that makes the plan believable.
  7. 07 Plan and timeline Dated milestones the client can hold you to, ending before their deadline.
  8. 08 Pricing and terms What they pay, what you carry, and what you get in return.
  9. 09 Risks A register with an owner, a mitigation, and a status for each risk.
  10. 10 What you get What the client holds at the end, not the work you will do.
  11. 11 Next steps Three dated actions and a signature.

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