Selling With the A.P.E.S.

APES are more than just inhabitants of the jungle! A.P.E.S. is an acronym for the four major reasons that people buy things. To sell and close deals you must understand what motivates people to buy. You must pay close attention to what people say, ask the right questions to fully understand the problem they are trying to solve, why they are attracted to one product or service over another and how you can best help them.

Here is what each letter of the APES stands for.

A for Appearance (This makes me look good - could be status or appearance.)

P for Performance (This makes me feel good or perform better.)


E for Economical (This saves me money, worry or will make me money.)

S for Safety (This makes my environment safer or reduces chance of loss.)

Take any product or service people buy and you will see that they were motivated by one of these four driving forces. I don't care if it is automobile, home, home improvement, gym membership, jewelry, dinner, phone, TV, paint job, or a life insurance policy. Appearance, performance, economical or safety or some combination will be an influence in the sale.

For instance I've owned 25 or 30 phones in my life. I bought my last one because the new style had come out and I thought it was hot (appearance). I liked it because it was smaller, thinner and moved in and out of my pocket easily. I upgraded from a perfectly performing phone not because the new phone was faster (performance) but because it was sexy. I then upgraded my plan (another purchase) because the texts were free (economical) and I got a discount on the price of the phone for buying 2 years of service from the carrier. I then bought a cover to protect the phone for $30 to keep it safe when I dropped it.

At each point the APES were driving my decisions as they do all buyers. Know your APES and close more deals. Find out what your client's motivation is by asking them why do they want the product today and what problem do they want to solve. Right away you'll get a reason that fits into one or more of the APES. Once you gain that understanding you can suggest the right product and guide them through the deal. You'll have a happy customer excited about their new purchase and they'll be more likely to refer business your way.



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