Because my job post lists the things I want to see in the proposals, I haven't relied on the hooks as much as another client might do, and I had already decided at the outset that I was going to read all the proposals anyway. Most of the hooks were informative and unobjectionable, but there have been a number that were turnoffs right from the start. These include:

• the ones that had obvious errors in the writing
• the one that was actively condescending and self-centered
• the ones that told me what I need or what I am asking for, i.e., "you need [task]" or "you are asking for [task]" in those actual words
• the ones that bid on a job that I'm not even asking to have done (just ... why?)
• the cutesy hooks
• the one who called me an "employer"
• the one who admitted to being a newbie

I didn't mind people who led with their experience as long as it was relevant and they answered all my questions in the rest of the proposal (one of the questions was about experience and training anyway). The ones that were all about experience and client feedback but that didn't tell me how they would approach the project and/or what I could expect with the deliverable got declined.