Been to Pavilion lately? Did you see a store called Celio? Do you know anything about this brand?

I got to know about Celio when I was in Bangkok shopping. I’ve asked a few friends that are not followers of fashion whether they have heard of the brand called Celio and they said no.

I was very happy to see Celio have opened in Kuala Lumpur because they have some nice working shirts that fit my fashion sense. I walked in, browse through the shirts, wanted to try on two designs but they ran out of my size. So I left. But the funny thing is this…

Never had they once asked me whether I know anything about Celio nor did they positioned Celio as a great brand.

Why is this a problem? Many people in Malaysia do not know anything about Celio. So if Celio relies just on walk-in customers that like their product to buy them, they are missing all the opportunities to secure a position in the customer’s minds. Furthermore, they are competing with so many men’s clothing stores in Pavilion. Why should I buy Celio vs say… Esprit? Or AX? Or Cotton On? Or Jaspal?

Do we proactively sell to customers or do we hope and pray the customers will love our product so much?

The solution is very simple…

Sales: “hi welcome, have you ever been to a Celio store worldwide?”

Customer: “nope”

Sales: “thanks for coming in, Celio is actually a famous French brand with over 1000 stores worldwide and we just opened here in Pavilion.”

Isn’t that a good introduction for newbies to Celio? Simple and direct.

Guess what? You can even use the French brand to tackle objections. Let’s say…

Customer: “I think the shirt looks too fancy for me…”

Sales: “the main reason for this shirt that you have chosen to be unique is because the FRENCH believe this shirt design should be seductive and sophisticated and that makes you stand out from the rest. This shirt showcases your masculinity and it’s truly an amazing attention grabber. <closing> Why not go for something different? I’m sure you will love it.

See how I use the French brand as a means to position the product?

Wonder why so many retailers go bust? Because they are order-taking and not order-making. Sell!