Transactional

Analysis
Dr. Sanjay Kehar
 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.
Understand people:
Have one thing in common: theyre different, so what appeals to
one person may not work with another
Do business with people they like, all other things equal
Do business with people they like, all other things NOT equal
(Lee Iacocca)
Must buy you before they will buy your product
Are excellent communicators
 Psychological and Sociological Theories of
Human Attitudes and Behavior

Transactional Analysis

Social Styles
What Does That Mean?

This morning, John said to Mary, Why

dont 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 cant find his car keys. When he
asks for Wilmas assistance in finding
them, they eventually get into an
argument. Whos fault was it?
Dont Grump At Me
One summer evening recently, a lady walks into
a restaurant of a well-known national chain. She
places an order after waiting in line for another
lady friend and four kids who are with her. After
receiving her food, she discovers she did not get
everything she ordered. She returns to the
counter and complains, First, I have to wait and
wait to place my order. Then, you mess it up on
top of that. Robbie, who had taken her order
makes a mistake in responding to the complaint.
What did Robbie do? What should Robbie have
done?
Theres A Good Farmer
Lukes father would often take the family
for a drive around the countryside after
supper on Sunday. His father liked to look
at other farms. Lukes father would
sometimes say, Hes a good farmer
when driving by a farm. What was the
basis for his fathers conclusion?
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)
Im OK - - Youre OK (Dr. Tom Harris)
Born to Win (Dr. Dorothy Jongeward)
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
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
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: Its the Way You Say It!
Placement of the emphasis What it means

Why dont I take you to dinner tonight? I was going to take someone else.
Why dont I take you to dinner tonight? Instead of the guy you were going with.
Why dont I take you to dinner tonight? Im trying to find a reason why I
shouldnt take you.

Do you have a problem with me?

Why dont I take you to dinner tonight?
Instead of going on your own.
Why dont I take you to dinner tonight?
Instead of lunch tomorrow.
Why dont I take you to dinner tonight?
Not tomorrow night.
Why dont I take you to dinner tonight?
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 Ive got 11:15.

A A

C C
Complementary Transactions
contd
Example 2:

#1 Youre late again!

P P
#2 Im sorry. It wont
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 Theres a clock on the wall, why dont you
figure it out yourself?
P P

A A

C C
Crossed Transactions contd
Example 2 #1 Youre 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
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
Being a Response Able Salesperson
Recognize you cannot control anothers behavior, but you can
affect their behavior by the way you respond to them.
Remember you control your own behavior and thoughts.
1) Keep things in perspective
Dont sweat small stuff
Give it test of time
Ask if its happened before
Distinguish what can be changed from what cant
Focus on haves vs. have nots
2) Have realistic expectations
Life is not fair or perfect
Bad (good) things happen, usually dont last forever
Things dont always go according to plan
People dont always act as youd like (remember ego state
explanations, people have bad days, etc.)
Dealing with Difficult Customers
Keep adult ego state in control of yourself.
Dont get defensive, argumentative, emotional.
Dont take it personally.
Move cautiously, stay cool, remember
complementary transactions and strokes.
Do not need to take continued abuse.
If handled well (e.g. didnt 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.