Hey there sea changers, and welcome back to my series of MLM reviews. Today we are going to weave ourselves into the clothing/fashion industry with my Agnes & Dora MLM Review. The online sale of clothing is an extremely lucrative one with many making a good living selling new and used clothing via online stores and affiliate marketing.
Added to this obviously is the ever growing array of clothing based multi level marketing programs that appear to be popping up more and more. So what is Agnes & Dora and is their MLM program worth a look? Let's check it out…
What is MLM?
Multi-level marketing (MLM) programs are the traditional mainstay of the ‘party plan' world of products such as Tupperware, Mary Kay and Amway etc. and, of course within the beauty/cosmetics, supplements and essential oils markets. It is not as prevalent within the clothing industry but as MLMs have become more popular in recent times – mainly due to the fact that much of the sales and marketing is now being managed online – companies in other niches (such as clothing) are starting to get in on the action.
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The ‘multi level' aspects of MLM come from its hierarchical nature in which you make commissions based not only on those that you sell to, but also the sales of those whom you ‘sign' into membership arrangements as well.
In short, the process works as follows:
- You join the program, either via referral from another person (known as your up line) or directly through their website.
- You promote the products of the company via parties, workshops or online.
- As you make sales, you offer incentives to your customers to sign up as a member of the program (there are different names for this but they all mean the same thing).
- That new member is then placed ‘underneath' you in a hierarchical arrangement (known as your down line).
- You, and a number of levels of your up line, then gain extra commissions for everything they sell as well.
- If they manage to refer their customers into memberships, they also become a member of your down line allowing you to make up line commissions as well.
The number of levels of your up and down lines will vary depending on the program you have joined. Commission rates will also change as your down line grows or contracts and many will also offer other incentives such as total company sales percentages and/or access to membership prizes as your own business grows.
Who are Agnes & Dora?
“A heart-centered clothing company that improves the way the world sees women by revolutionizing the way women see themselves.”
Agnes & Dora was founded in 2013 by Buffy Bandley, a mother of two who has grown a humble, home based business into a forward thinking women's fashion company.
Agnes & Dora (A&D) clothing is sold via a drop ship retail model with the design, manufacturing, warehousing, merchandising, and shipping of their product all managed in-house. The company is based in Lindon, Utah in the United States and promotes “exclusivity through kindness, acceptance, and self-empowerment”.
What do they Sell?
Ok, so the website itself really doesn't list any of the apparel that is on offer (purchasers can only buy mystery boxes online). From what I can tell by looking at the pictures on the website and watching a few YouTube videos and the odd Agnes and Dora review however, it looks like their range of women's fashion includes:
- Tops
- Dresses
- Cardigans
- Pullovers
- Tank Tops
- Jump Suits
There is no record of items cost for individual items however the mystery boxes appear to highlight products ranging at around the $40 mark per piece.
[mystery box]
MLM Program outline
The Agnes & Dora MLM program calls their members ‘Brand Stylists' who are part of what appears to be a fairly straight forward MLM program with a basic retail and downline commission structure and a few bonus options along the way. I could not see the compensation plan on the website as such however it did appear within a simple online search so here are the basics as I have found them…
Base Commission rate: 20 – 40%
Down line commission rates: 3 – 6% to three levels (level 1 down line for initial rank is 4%) – Rose Quartz Rank and higher
Minimum monthly spend to qualify for commissions
To earn commissions, Stylists need to remain ‘active'. To do this they must maintain a personal sales volume of at least 400PS per month – this rises dependent upon rank.
Payment terms: Weekly and Monthly.
Application required?: Yes, Application form on website.
Purchase requirements to join: Yes
New Stylists are required to pay an enrollment fee of $199 (payable annually). This covers the costs of their back office and personalised website.
I could not however see any pre-purchase requirements in regards to stock or seasonal ‘trunks'.
Marketing materials provided: Personalised website, back office and training.
As with the most MLM programs, downline commissions are determined by the total commissional volume points (CS) generated by the Stylist and their down line within a calendar month. Most MLM programs manage it this way in that commissions are paid on the points assigned to a product rather than the entire sales total. According to their compensation plan, Agnes & Dora calculate CS points on 60% of the retail price.
So, for example, if a dress is $100 with a CS of 60, this means that commissions are paid on $60 on the sale. If a commission rate then is 5%, then the commission would be $3 (i.e. 5% of $60). Rankings are determined in part by the Personal Sales (PS) totals achieved by Stylists. There is no clarification of the calculation of PS within this compensation plan.
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How can I get paid?
The A&D MLM program promotes 5 ways in which Brand Stylists can make money when they promote and sell their products. Most of these are actually quite standard for a modern MLM program with basic down line commissions and payments.
Let’s run through them all now…
1. Retail Commissions
Retail Commissions are the base commissions earned by Stylists as they sell items via their personalised website. Commission rates are tiered dependent upon the total retail sales made each week/month as follows:
The first 20% commission amount is paid out each week based on the sales totals for that time period. Higher commission rates are calculated at the end of each month based on total monthly sales with the difference between the weekly 20% and the higher rates paid at that time.
Stylists do not need to maintain minimum sales PS or CS quotas to receive retail commissions.
2. Team Building Percentages
Team Building Percentages are A&D's version of the stock standard Unilevel downline commissions common to most MLM programs. Within this program, commissions are paid to 3 levels as follows:
Commissions are paid on the CS allocations of the items sold by Stylists and their downline. Payments are applicable to the rank of Rose Quartz and higher who maintain a personal sales target of at least 400PS per month.
3. Generation Percentages
As is common with many MLM programs, Sponsors can earn extra commissions on the down line sales of stylists within their own teams that achieve higher ranks as follows:
Payments are made on the downline sales of Jade Manager rank and higher (a generation being all Brands Stylists within the downline of a Jade Manager). These are applicable to the rank of Topaz and higher who maintain a personal sales target of at least 800PS per month.
4. Fast Start Bonuses
Fast Start Bonuses are paid in terms of product credit to new Stylists (and their Sponsors) who can ‘rank up' during their enrollment month and first three months of operation. The product credit amounts rise dependent upon rank received as follows:
5. Fast Start Mentor Bonus
Sponsors who can assist their new Stylists achieve the Fast Start Bonuses above also qualify for a 3% commission on the total sales generated within this time.
Ranking structure
Agnes & Dora, as with most MLM programs, uses ranking structures on which to base commission payments and other bonuses upon. Rankings (and their requirements) for the A&D MLM program are as follows:
Again, as is common with almost all MLM programs, rank progression is determined by both the number of members within down line teams, and the total sales made by those teams per month. Ranks can rise and fall based on the ability (or dis-ability) to reach the required member and sales targets.
What is good about it?
So, after a good look around the site and looking at all the options I could find, I do like the following:
- Commission rates for entry level sales are good.
- Not reliant on the party plan model.
What is no so good about it?
There are also some things to be aware of including:
- No clear outline of product range.
- A large number of negative comments from Stylists in regards to MLM operations.
How much can you make?
I was unable to locate projected income figures on the A&D website however as with most MLM programs, the percentage of members making the upper rank levels – and hence earning a living – is usually very low (less than 1%).
My final thoughts
Look, MLM is not an easy platform to make money in and there is not much that I have seen here to put this program above the many others I have seen. The program is pretty straight forward with common commission arrangements and ability to make sales online without the need to host trunk parties (which may set this one apart from others within this niche).
So if you are an absolute fashion nut with a large customer list at your disposal and the ability to generate good sales via online processes, then the 20% – 40% commissions rates on base sales might just appeal here.
The main red flag for me is the fact that there is no real clear outline of the products available within the website – that said, their YouTube channel does provide some good info here. Once you have joined, there are not the usual financial pressures of needing to make minimum personal purchases in order to qualify for commissions as long as you can make them within your down line.
Although to be honest, I think if you are going to succeed in any MLM program, you will need to be intricately aware of the products you are promoting – meaning I think some purchases will be necessary – especially if customer purchases alone are not enough to generate ‘Active' status.
I was unable to locate any negative reviews in terms of non-payment etc. however there are a large amount of negative comments (way more than usual for a MLM program) about the quality and operation of the MLM program itself so maybe some extra research may be necessary here…
Conclusion
So there you have it, my honest review and appraisal of the Agnes and Dora MLM program. I hope it has been of assistance but as usual, if you have any questions or experience with this program please do not hesitate to reach out by commenting below – especially if any of my information is inaccurate.
Are there any other programs you have been looking at but want to know more about? If so, please comment below and I will do my best to get some details for you.
Do you want further assistance with any of the above or need help to build your own fashion based website?
Are you looking for a comprehensive training platform that can give you step by step training, 24/7 support, tools to develop and host your very own website, ongoing assistance with SEO and social media and access to some of the best affiliate marketing minds on the planet, then click on the following link to read more about Wealthy Affiliate.
Until next time
Have fun
Paul
Note: If you make a purchase from this page, there is a very good chance that I make a commission from it – these commissions do not increase your sale price. This may include sales made via Wealthy Affiliate.
Agnes & Dora MLM Program
$199
Pros
- Commission rates for entry level sales are good.
- Not reliant on the party plan model.
Cons
- o clear outline of product range.
- A large number of negative comments from Stylists in regards to MLM operations.
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