If your company is running on the Entrepreneurial Operating System® (EOS®), you’ll recall learning about the Proven Process during your vision building day. It’s a key part of your Vision/Traction Organizer® (V/TO®) and is a valuable tool for your entire team.
Creating a proven process can be challenging. If you are stuck in the creation phase for yours, I hope this quick guide will help you think through how to thoroughly define the processes that keep your company ticking. I will answer several questions below:
- What is a Proven Process?
- What are the steps for creating a Proven Process?
- How do you use a Proven Process?
I’ll help answer these questions by showing you how we use our Proven Process daily in the life of our marketing agency.
What Is a Proven Process?
To answer this question, let’s go straight to Gino Wickman’s masterclass on EOS, Traction:
“There is a proven way you provide your service or product to your customers. You do it every time, and it produces the same result. It’s what got you where you are. What you need to do is capture that process in a visual format to guide your sales team … It should show each step, from the first client interaction to the ongoing follow-up once your product or service has been delivered.”
Simply stated, your Proven Process identifies how you do what you do, is represented visually and shared with everyone, and should serve as a tool to evaluate how a project went. If it missed the mark, reference the tool and identify the step that was missed.
How M&R Developed Our Proven Process
We created our Proven Process during our vision building day when we implemented EOS into our marketing agency in 2019. We had an idea of how we did things at our agency, but we had never identified an actual process.
Our EOS Implementer® walked us through the steps of identifying our Proven Process. For M&R, we:
- Listed out each step we take when completing a service and assigned a name to each step. In our case, our Proven Process was five steps (most businesses have between three and seven steps) and it included the various touch points we have with a customer when we are completing a service.
- Added some description or bullet points to every step on how we implemented it. These are now used by our sales team when meeting with leads or with current customers in preparation for launching a new service.
- Named our process. While many companies use names like “The [Company Name] Way,” “The [Company Name] Advantage,” The [Company Name] Difference, we decided to keep it simple and call ours “Our Proven Process.”
- Created a visual and began adding it to our sales materials, website, proposals, and many other physical or digital touch points we have with leads and customers.
- Printed physical copies of Our Proven Process. We use them throughout our office, give them to our team members, and distribute them as part of our sales material during meetings.
As you can imagine, step 1 is the most difficult and will require some time. Here’s how we brainstormed the creation of our Proven Process.
- We had all the right people in the room, which included our EOS Implementer® and our executive team. At the time, that included our Head of Sales, Head of Production, Visionary, and EOS Integrator™. This group of people interacted with our customers, our team, and our services on a regular basis, making it the right group of people to think through our process.
- We started writing the steps we thought we currently utilized on a whiteboard, then did a few rounds of revisions. This included removing steps, combining similar steps, and adding other things that came to mind.
- When we got stuck, we thought about some of our most successful projects from the last 90 days and asked ourselves why it was successful. We asked a few questions to get us unstuck:
- Why did it finish on time?
- Why did it go so smoothly?
- What was the communication rhythm with the internal team and client like?
- How did we plan for the project?
- How did we check in on progress?
- How did we evaluate it after it was completed?
After we completed Our Proven Process, we ran it by a few more people internally and got their feedback, just to make sure we didn’t have any “executive blinding.”
How Can a Proven Process Guide a Business?
I’m sure you’ve heard the warnings about creating and using your core values, right? The worst thing you can do is create core values, plaster them all over your website, list them in job descriptions, and not actually use them.
The same is true for your Proven Process. You must use it for it to be effective, and it must be used the same way every time. It also needs to serve as an evaluation tool to see where you missed on a project, like how core values are used to determine where an employee is missing the mark.
Here’s a few ways we use our Proven Process:
- First, we share it with customers. This creates clarity on the process we’ll be taking with their projects, and it also adds an extra layer of accountability for our entire team. They know the client is aware of what step we are on and the expectation for how it will go. We share it in our proposals and on our website, and often our invoicing is tied to the step we are on.
- We review our Proven Process with our team every quarter in our Quarterly State of the Company. It offers a reminder of what it is and why we use it.
- When we launch a new service on our project management software, our setup templates include our Proven Process. It assigns the steps to each team member and identifies where we currently are in the process.
- When we close out a project and prepare it for final billing, we evaluate our time. If the project went over on time, our project managers identify which step of the Proven Process was incorrectly followed, leading to the project going over time.
Again, you can have a great planning session and leave with an incredible Proven Process, but if it’s not used every day on every project, it won’t make you better.
M&R’s Proven Process
Here’s a look at our Proven Process, along with the description that we share for each step.
- Discover: We will discover your story, values, target market, and goals.
- Strategize: We will develop a strategic solution based on your needs.
- Communicate: We will cascade your vision and project goals to our team.
- Create: We will create and launch your strategic solutions to market.
- Evaluate: We will evaluate the solutions to determine if goals were achieved.
How We Use Our Proven Process
As a full-service marketing agency, one of our services is custom website design and development. This service involves multiple departments, requires frequent communication with the client, and typically spans 3-6 months. Because of the complexity, it’s important that we have a clear process in place.
Here’s a look at how our proven process is used for a website development project:
Step One – In-Depth Discovery
Before any design is crafted, code is written, or content is developed, we begin by immersing ourselves in our client’s brand. We take the time to truly understand who they are, what drives their business, and what they hope to achieve through their website. This foundational stage is all about getting a clear picture of the company’s identity, goals, and audience.
Our discovery process explores:
- Brand tone and personality
- Core mission and guiding values
- Product and service positioning
- Company background and future vision
- Current and ideal customer profiles
- Website goals and business needs
…and much more.
Step Two – Strategic Planning
With insights gathered during discovery, our dedicated team – consisting of project managers, content creators, designers, and developers – collaborates to map out a customized strategy. We brainstorm internally, share ideas, and build a unified plan that reflects the client’s objectives and lays the groundwork for a powerful online presence.
Our planning process considers:
- Visual and design direction
- Technical and functional requirements
- Image and media usage
- Navigation flow and user experience
- Page layouts and hierarchy
- Site structure and organization
- Content development roadmap
Step Three – Open Communication
We believe communication is the backbone of a successful project. Our departments work hand in hand, and we keep our clients in the loop every step of the way. This includes regular updates, check-ins, and collaborative reviews to ensure everything stays aligned with the vision, brand, and goals.
Consistent communication prevents misunderstandings and delays. It allows us to stay agile, meet deadlines, and maintain quality control. Whether it’s confirming brand details or reviewing progress, we make sure clients are always in the know.
Step Four – Creative Execution
Creativity flows through the entire process, but this is where it takes center stage. Following the strategic blueprint, our team brings the website to life through thoughtful copywriting, eye-catching design, and seamless development. Every element is crafted with intention, ensuring the final product reflects both strategy and creativity.
This stage is often the most time-intensive, but we keep clients updated throughout. If timelines shift, we communicate those changes promptly. And whether we’re delivering a mockup, draft copy, or a functional site preview, clients can expect creative work that’s both polished and purposeful.
Step Five – Launch and Ongoing Assessment
After receiving final approval, we take the site live—ready for the world to see. But our work doesn’t stop there. Through hosting, monitoring, and analytics, we track how the site is performing and identify opportunities for further refinement.
Using performance data, we can assess what’s working, spot areas for improvement, and propose strategic adjustments. Any recommended changes are always discussed with the client first. This ongoing evaluation ensures that the website continues to grow and evolve with the business.
I hope this guide has been helpful to you. Creating your Proven Process is an important step in launching EOS and I hope you’ll take the time to create it and consistently use it.
Collaborating With EOS-Driven Businesses on Strategic Marketing
At M&R Marketing, we proudly work alongside hundreds of businesses across the country – many of which operate using the EOS framework. Our own leadership team, made up of a Visionary and EOS Integrator™ duo, launched M&R in 2008 and continues to stay involved in our everyday operations. As a company that’s earned a spot on the Inc. 5000 list twice, we know what it takes to scale and how to develop focused marketing strategies that drive results.
Our comprehensive marketing solutions include everything from web design and branding to digital advertising, content creation, social media, and campaign strategy.
We’d be excited to hear how EOS has shaped your business and explore how we can support your marketing efforts.
To help fellow EOS-run companies, we’ve built a dedicated EOS resource hub. There, you can learn more about our services, see examples of our work, access helpful articles like this one, and hear from other EOS-minded clients we’ve partnered with.