Public evidence standard, version 1.0

The Sequoia Proof System

We establish what is true, correct what is broken, and verify the result before we call it marketing success.

This is the standard Sequoia now applies to new and revised assessments, case studies, and client reporting. It keeps technical work, platform activity, leads, and jobs booked from being blended into one flattering number.

Published August 29, 2026. Current version 1.0.

The operating method

Four steps before a success claim

Establish what is true

We preserve the starting condition and identify its source, definition, date range, and limits. If a baseline does not exist, we say so instead of constructing one after the fact.

Correct what is broken

We name the defect, record the work completed, and separate our correction from strengths the business already had.

Verify the result

We test the corrected condition against a stated acceptance check. A page loading, a form arriving, and a job being booked are different results and remain separate.

Report only what follows

We label later observations by their actual stage and state what they do not establish. Work completed is not automatically a lead, and a lead is not automatically a job booked.

Proof status

The label is set by the evidence

Every published proof record receives one of these labels. The limitation travels with the claim so readers can see what the evidence supports and where it stops. Status describes what has been established. Evidence class identifies where the fact came from. Neither label replaces the other.

StatusWhat it meansWhat it does not establish

Baseline verified

A starting condition was checked against a dated public, platform, account, or operating record.

That Sequoia created the condition or that it will remain unchanged.

Correction completed

A named defect was corrected and the change was recorded.

That the correction changed traffic, inquiries, qualified leads, or jobs booked.

Verification passed

The corrected condition was tested against a stated acceptance check.

That the verified condition caused a later business outcome.

Observed after

A dated measurement was observed after work was completed.

That Sequoia caused the movement unless a defensible causal design is stated.

Client confirmed

The operating business confirmed an inquiry, qualified lead, or job booked under a stated definition.

That a prior marketing action caused the outcome unless identity and source are joined.

Not established

The evidence needed to support the next claim does not exist, cannot be obtained, or has not passed review.

Anything beyond the stated evidence gap.

Evidence class

Where the claim came from matters

Directly measured

Sequoia read the result from a named platform report, system record, or retained artifact.

Publication rule: Publish the metric definition, date range, read date, source, and limitation together.

Client attested

The operating business confirmed the fact and Sequoia did not independently read the underlying system.

Publication rule: Attribute the statement to the client and do not present it as independently measured.

Inherited strength

The condition was real before Sequoia became involved.

Publication rule: Show it as starting context, never as an outcome Sequoia produced.

Public observation

A condition was visible on a public surface at a recorded point in time.

Publication rule: State the method and observation date, and do not imply account access or persistence.

Reconstructed

A fact was assembled from partial records or later recollection.

Publication rule: Label it as reconstructed and keep it out of headline proof or result tiles.

Unavailable

The necessary evidence was not retained, cannot be accessed, or does not exist.

Publication rule: Name the gap. Do not replace missing evidence with a platform estimate or a stronger narrative.

The outcome ladder

Each stage answers a different question

Progress can move through these stages. We do not skip a stage or promote a record because the later label would sound more impressive.

If the required evidence for a stage is unavailable, the record stays Not established and does not enter the ladder.

1System conditionA page, profile, campaign, integration, or tracking path can be inspected.
2CorrectionA named defect was changed and recorded.
3VerificationThe corrected condition passed its defined check.
4Platform activityA platform recorded visibility, engagement, a call, or a form event.
5InquiryA real person contacted the business about a possible need.
6Qualified leadThe business and need meet the client-approved qualification rule.
7Job bookedThe operating business confirmed the booking under its normal definition.

Causation is a separate claim.

A result observed after our work is reported as observed after. We use causal language only when the comparison design supports it, such as a valid pre-period, holdout, or controlled panel.

AI search uses a channel-specific expansion of platform activity: Mentioned, Recommended, Primary recommendation, Cited, and Referral visit. Inquiry, Qualified lead, and Job booked remain distinct stages. The AI page applies Sequoia’s own pipeline qualification rule as a business-specific instance of the general rule above. The AI search measurement method defines those additional observations.

Before publication

Every proof record must carry its context

At least one affirmative, evidenced fact about the work or condition
The business, property, or system the claim describes
The evidence class and the exact claim status
The source, metric definition, date range, and read date
What the evidence does not establish
The permission level for named or anonymized publication
The causal design, with none as the default
A re-verification date when a mutable condition is presented as current

Our refusal list

What we will not turn into proof

We do not use a client's financial performance as Sequoia proof.
We do not turn a platform conversion into a customer.
We do not call an AI citation a recommendation.
We do not claim a before-and-after result when the baseline was off or unavailable.
We do not claim causation from timing alone.
We do not present an inherited rating, review count, or search position as work Sequoia created.
We do not name a client, shape a quotation, or publish private operating evidence without permission.
We do not blame a competitor or prior vendor when the evidence establishes only a defect or incomplete handoff.

See the standard applied

One proof system, different kinds of work

Client proof migration

Our current case-study library is being migrated to verified starting conditions, corrections, checks, and evidence limits as records and permissions are confirmed.

View current case studies

AI search

See how we separate mentions, recommendations, citations, visits, inquiries, and jobs booked.

Read the AI method

Your business

Start with a public-surface assessment that documents the current condition before recommendations are made.

Request an assessment

Changelog

Version 1.0 published the four-step operating method, six proof statuses, six evidence classes, outcome ladder, causation rule, publication requirements, and refusal list.