Transactional

Analysis
 Successful Professional
Salespeople . . .
 Are psychologists first, being students of ‘people’,
sensitive to feelings and emotions, not anxious to rush
into a presentation until they know the kind of person
they are dealing with.
What Does That Mean?

 This morning, John said to Mary, “Why

don’t I take you to dinner tonight?” Explain
what John meant likely depended on how
he asked the question.
Honey, Have You Seen My Car
Keys?
 Harry and Wilma are husband and wife.
One morning, Harry is running late for
work and can’t find his car keys. When he
asks for Wilma’s assistance in finding
them, they eventually get into an
argument. Who’s fault was it?
Well It Worked the Last Time
 Charlene had a very successful sales call
when she called on Herman. She had
‘tons’ of information and Herman was
seemingly interested in every detail, every
number, every fact. When she gave the
same presentation on her next stop with
Paul it backfired. What went wrong and
why?
Transactional Analysis
 A model for explaining why and how:
 People think like they do
 People act like they do
 People interact/communicate with others
 Based on published ‘psychological’ work such
as:
 Games People Play (Dr. Eric Berne)
 I’m OK - - You’re OK (Dr. Tom Harris)
 Born to Win (Dr. Dorothy Jongeward)
Traditional Theory

Our Brain (according to Berne)

 Determines what we think and how we act
 Acts like a tape recorder while recording
1) Events
2) Associated feelings
 Has 3 distinct parts or ego states
1) Parent
2) Adult
3) Child
Transactional Analysis
PAC Model
 Three Basic Concepts: Parent, Adult and
Child
 Transactions: Among P, A and C
 P < -- > P
 A < -- > A
 C < -- > C
 There are 9 possible transactions
The Three Ego States
 Parent- “Do as I do”
 Child- “What shall I do?”
 Adult- “I will be frank with you”
Parent Ego State
 Thoughts, feelings, attitudes, behavioral patterns based
on messages or lessons learned from parents and other
‘parental’ or authoritarian sources
 Shoulds and should nots; oughts and ought nots; always
and never
 Prejudicial views (not based on logic or facts) on things
such as:
religion dress salespeople
traditions work products
money raising children companies
 Nurturing views (sympathetic, caring views)
 Critical views (fault finding, judgmental, condescending
views)
Adult Ego State
 Thoughts, feelings, attitudes, behavioral
patterns based on objective analysis of
information (data, facts)

 Make decisions based on logic,

computations, probabilities, etc. (not
emotion)
Child Ego State
 Thoughts, feelings, attitudes, behavioral
patterns based on child-like emotions,
impulses, feelings we have experienced
 Child-like examples

Impulsive Happy Curious

Self-centered Pleasure seeking Eager to please
Angry Rebellious
Fearful Happy
Ego Portraits
 People have favorite, preferred ego state,
depicted by larger circle in a diagram
Parent Adult Child
P P
P

A
A
A

C
C C
Ego States and Contamination
 The word
contamination for
many conjures up
the idea of disease.
Parent Child Double
 This occurs when Contamination Contamination Contamination
we talk as if
something is a fact
or a reality when
really this is a belief.
Racism is an
example of this.
Human Interaction Analysis
 A transaction = any interaction or
communication between 2 people
 People send and receive messages out of and
into their different ego states
 How people say something (what others hear?)
just as important as what is said
 Types of communication, interactions
1) Complementary
2) Crossed
3) Ulterior
 Intonations: It’s the Way You Say It!
Placement of the emphasis What it means

Why don’t I take you to dinner tonight? I was going to take someone else.
Why don’t I take you to dinner tonight? Instead of the guy you were going with.
Why don’t I take you to dinner tonight? I’m trying to find a reason why I
shouldn’t take you.

Do you have a problem with me?

Why don’t I take you to dinner tonight?
Instead of going on your own.
Why don’t I take you to dinner tonight?
Instead of lunch tomorrow.
Why don’t I take you to dinner tonight?
Not tomorrow night.
Why don’t I take you to dinner tonight?
Transactional Analysis
To analyse a transaction you need to see
and feel what is being said as well.
 Only 7% of meaning is in the words
spoken.
 38% of meaning is paralinguistic (the way
that the words are said).
 55% is in facial expression.
Kinds of Transactions
Transactional analysis - Transactions
between people are seen as having 3 levels:
 Complementary – both people are operating
from the same ego state
 Crossed – the other person reacts from an
unexpected ego state
 Ulterior – two ego states within the same
person but one disguises the other
Complementary ‘Transactions’
 Interactions, responses, actions regarded as appropriate
and expected from another person.
 Parallel communication arrows, communication
continues.
Example 1: #1 What time do you have?
P P #2 I’ve got 11:15.

A A

C C
Complementary ‘Transactions’
cont’d
Example 2:

#1 You’re late again!

P P
#2 I’m sorry. It won’t
A A happen again.

C C
Crossed ‘Transactions’
 Interactions, responses, actions NOT regarded as appropriate or
expected from another person.
 Crossed communication arrows, communication breakdown.

Example 1 #1 What time do you have?

#2 There’s a clock on the wall, why don’t you
figure it out yourself?
P P

A A

C C
Crossed ‘Transactions’ cont’d
Example 2 #1 You’re late again!
#2 Yeah, I know, I had a flat tire.

P P

A A

C C
Ulterior ‘Transactions’
 Interactions, responses, actions which are
different from those explicitly stated
Example #1 How about coming up to my room and
listening to some music?

P P

A A

C C
Modern Theory
seven element model
 parent
Parent is now commonly represented as a circle with four quadrants:
Nurturing - Nurturing (positive) and Spoiling (negative).
Controlling - Structuring (positive) and Critical (negative).
 adult
Adult remains as a single entity, representing an 'accounting' function
or mode, which can draw on the resources of both Parent and Child.
 child
Child is now commonly represented as circle with four quadrants:
Adapted - Co-operative (positive) and Compliant/Resistant (negative).
Free - Spontaneous (positive) and Immature (negative).
behavioural modes model
•ineffective Modes reflect and invite a
'Not OK' response, and
•the four effective Modes reflect and
invite an 'I'm OK, You're OK' response

Structuring Mode - This is the boundary

setting Mode, offering constructive
criticism. In this Mode we are caring whilst
firm.
Supporting Mode - When in this Mode we
are affirming and considerate.
Co-creating Mode - From this Mode we
develop ways to help us live and work with
others.
Playful Mode - This is the creative, fun
loving, curious and energetic Mode. We
can confront people playfully as a way of
dealing with a difficult situation. This can
diffuse a potential problem and get the
message across.
Transactional Analysis
Four methods of understanding & predicting
human behavior
 Structural analysis – within the person
 Transactional analysis – 2 or more people
 Game analysis – understanding transactions
that lead to bad feelings
 Script analysis – understand a person’s life plan
Structural analysis
Structural analysis –
 Natural child – spontaneous, impulsive,
feeling oriented, self-centered & pleasure
loving
 Adaptive child – compliant, conforms to
the wishes & demands of parental figures
Structural analysis
 Nurturing parent - comforts, praises and
helps others
 Critical parent – finds faults, displays
prejudices, disapproves and prevents
others from feeling good about themselves
 A major goal is to figure out which ego
state a person is using
Game analysis
Game analysis - ulteriorly motivated transactions
that appear complimentary on the surface but
end in bad feelings:
 1st Degree games – minor upset, played socially
end up with minor discomfort
 2nd Degree games – more intimate end up
w/bad feelings
 3rd Degree games - usually involve physical
injury
Some commonly found
games
 Here are some of the most commonly found themes of games
described in Games People Play by Eric Berne:
 YDYB: Why Don't You, Yes But. Historically, the first game
discovered.
 IFWY: If It Weren't For You
 WAHM: Why does this Always Happen to Me? (setting up a self-
fulfilling prophecy)
 SWYMD: See What You Made Me Do
 UGMIT: You Got Me Into This
 LHIT: Look How Hard I've Tried
 ITHY: I'm Only Trying to Help You
 LYAHF: Let's You and Him Fight (staging a love triangle)
Why Don't You/Yes But
White: I wish I could lose some weight.
Black: Why don't you join a gym?
White: Yes but, I can't afford the payments for a gym.
Black: Why don't you speed walk around your block after you get
home from work?
White: Yes but, I don't dare walk alone in my neighborhood after
dark.
Black: Why don't you take the stairs at work instead of the elevator?
White: Yes but, after my knee surgery, it hurts too much to walk that
many flights of stairs.
Black: Why don't you change your diet?
White: Yes but, my stomach is sensitive and I can tolerate only
certain foods.
Typical Games
 Between A shop keeper and a house wife:
 “This one is better, but you cannot afford it”
 Between A Teacher and a Student:
 “This is a good topic, but you cannot handle
it.”
 Between an Expert and a Candidate:
 “What you just said is totally wrong”
Script analysis
Script analysis – everyone develops a life
script by age 5 & these scripts determine
how one interacts with others based upon
the interpretation of external events
 A negative life script occurs when the
person receives lots of injunctions by the
parents that used the word DON’T
Script analysis
Common negative life scripts:
 Never – one never gets to do what one wants
 Until – one must wait until a certain time or
until something is done to be able to do
something they want to do
 Always – one must continue to do what one
has always done
Script analysis
 After – a difficulty is expected after a certain
event
 Open-ended – one does not know what to do
after a given time
 Mini-scripts: Hurry up! Try harder! Be
perfect! Be strong! Please someone! These
drivers allow for temporary escape from life
scripts
Key concept
 Transactional Analysis is effectively a language within a
language; a language of true meaning, feeling and
motive.
 It can help you in every situation, firstly through being
able to understand more clearly what is going on, and
secondly, by virtue of this knowledge, we give ourselves
choices of what ego states to adopt, which signals to
send, and where to send them.
 This enables us to make the most of all our
communications and therefore create, develop and
maintain better relationships.
Some Selling Implications of TA
 Develop an adaptive selling strategy for ‘parent’,
‘adult’, ‘child’ customers
 ‘Best’ communication exchange for selling?
 Remember to respond in ‘complementary’ manner
 Most effective selling involves adult to adult
 Strokes, or positive interactions, important
 Verbal (e.g. hello, compliment)
 Touch (handshake, pat on back)
 A gift
 Listening
Dealing with Difficult Customers
 Keep ‘adult’ ego state in control of yourself.
 Don’t get defensive, argumentative, emotional.
 Don’t take it personally.
 Move cautiously, stay cool, remember
complementary transactions and strokes.
 Do not need to take continued abuse.
 If handled well (e.g. didn’t embarrass customer,
allowed them to take something out on you), can
turn out to be positive later.
Sales Quotes: Transactional
Analysis
 When a relationship is right, details are
negotiable;

When tension is high, details become

obstacles.
Sales Quotes: Transactional
Analysis

 Rule #1:
The customer is never wrong.

 Rule #2:
If the customer is wrong, read rule #1.