From Wishing to Winning: How Standards Build Real Success in Network Marketing

By Bob Snyder

In the recent article Why Standards Matter More Than Goals, we explored how goals often fail while standards transform performance. The numbers don’t lie: 80% of resolutions are abandoned within a month.

Why? Because goals are built on hope, while standards are built on habits. Nowhere is this difference more obvious and more important than in network marketing.

This business doesn’t reward wishes. It rewards consistency. Leaders don’t succeed because they set bigger goals. They succeed because they install non-negotiable standards into their daily rhythm.

This article will break down:

• Why most network marketers stay stuck in “goal mode”
• How to install daily, weekly, and monthly performance standards
• Which standards drive retail success and team duplication

Let’s bridge the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it.

Why “Goal Mode” Keeps Network Marketers Stuck

In network marketing, goals sound like this:

• “I want to make $10K a month.”
• “I’m going to recruit 10 new people this month.”
• “I want to rank up before convention.”

These are exciting intentions. But unless they’re tied to daily action standards, they collapse. Why?

Because goals are externally motivated.

They rely on emotion, timing, or momentum, none of which you control.

Standards are internally motivated.

They’re the behaviors you commit to, whether you feel like it or not.

In this business, the difference between average and exceptional isn’t talent; it’s standardization.

The Standard-Driven Networker: How to Build a Winning Routine

To build a predictable business, you need predictable behaviors. That’s where daily, weekly, and monthly standards come in.

Here’s how to install each.

Daily Standards: Where the Money Is Made

This is where 90% of success lives.

1.  Prospecting Standard

• Minimum: 3 new connections or invites per day.
• Elite: 10+ meaningful contacts per day.

2.  Follow-Up Standard

• Follow up with at least 5 prospects daily using the 24-48 hour rule.
• Use voice notes or personal video messages when possible.

3.  Product Conversation Standard

• Talk to at least 2 people daily about a product solution tied to their need.

4.  Personal Development Standard

• 15-30 minutes of personal development (leadership, mindset, sales, etc.).
• Tie it directly to a pain point you’re facing or a weakness that needs development.

5.  Social Presence Standard

• Post at least once daily, a story, reel, or value-based post. 80% of your posts should be personal, 20% business to keep engagement.
• Purpose: Stay top of mind without pitching constantly.

These daily standards are money-making activities (MMAs). They are duplicatable, trackable, and habit-forming.

Weekly Standards: Where Leadership Takes Shape

Daily drives income. Weekly shapes leadership and duplication.

1.  Weekly Team Training/Touch Point

• Host or attend 1 team call per week focused on strategy, not hype.

2.  Weekly Follow-Up Audit

• Review your pipeline. Who needs a nudge, reminder, or second look?
• Use a CRM or notebook; what matters most is consistency, not the system.
  (Although, the best system I ever developed was using 3×5 cards, but that’s a story for a different time.)

3.  Product Education Review

• Learn one product story or result each week to sharpen your messaging.

4.  Recognition and Culture

• Shout out to a teammate or customer weekly.
• Culture is enhanced through a duplicatable standard, people copy what’s celebrated.

Monthly Standards: Where Strategy and Scale Meet

These reflect leadership maturity and team duplication.

1.  Monthly Campaign or Challenge

• Launch a 5-10 day blitz, product promo, or recruiting sprint.
• Keep it simple and aligned with the company’s calendar.

2.  Personal Rank/Volume Audit

• Where are you compared to last month?
• What standard needs to increase to bridge the gap?

3.  1-on-1 Mentorship Calls

• Schedule monthly check-ins with key leaders.
• Focus: Are they living their standards or drifting into goal-only mode?

How to Keep Standards Sticky:

Make Them Visible

Track your daily/weekly/monthly standards. Use a printed tracker, app, or accountability partner. Visibility drives integrity.

Don’t Change the Standard, Change the Behavior

If you fall short, don’t justify. Reflect and recommit. Standards don’t move to match moods.

Anchor Standards to Identity

Say this: “I’m the kind of leader who shows up. Every day. No matter what.”
When your behavior becomes identity-driven, momentum becomes automatic.

For Teams:
Duplicatable, Not Dependent

Want a high-performing, independent team?

Give them standards, not just inspiration.

Don’t say: “You should post more.”

Say: “Here’s the standard I follow: 1 post, 3 invites, 2 follow-ups daily.”

Leaders who standardize behavior scale faster, stress less, and create duplication that lasts.

Goals fluctuate. Standards compound.

Final Thought:

You Don’t Rise to Your Goals, You Fall to Your Standards

• If you want your team to rise, raise the standard.
• If you want your income to grow, raise the standard.
• If you want to finally stop starting over, set a standard and refuse to break it.

This business rewards those who show up, not those who hope harder.

Let your standard become your strategy.

About Bob Snyder

Bob Snyder is a globally respected business leader and sales strategist with 38 years of success in the Direct Selling industry. Bob has founded multiple high-performing Direct Sales companies, trained over 100,000 salespeople, is an acclaimed speaker, and trusted consultant. He’s delivered transformative insights on sales, influence, and leadership across five continents, equipping teams and entrepreneurs with the tools to drive sustainable growth.

A #1 best-selling author, Bob’s latest book, Drive Sales System, co-authored with Woody Woodward, is reshaping how professionals sell and lead. It’s available on Amazon and in over 40,000 bookstores worldwide.