The State Change Technique: Why Most Salespeople Fail Before They Even Pitch

You've got 3 seconds.

Not to pitch. Not to close. To shift someone's emotional state from "leave me alone" to "tell me more."

I learned this the hard way. After knocking on my first 10,000 doors, I thought I was getting rejected because my product wasn't good enough. Wrong. I was getting rejected because I was approaching people when they were in the wrong emotional state.

Here's what I discovered: Their brain is running one algorithm the moment they see you coming — "threat to my comfort or source of something I want?"

Most salespeople try to be interesting. That's backwards thinking. You need to shift their STATE first.

What Is a State Change?

A State Change is moving someone from their current emotional state — tired, defensive, annoyed, distracted — to a higher state. Curious. Energized. Laughing. Open.

This isn't manipulation. This is human connection at its core.

Think about it. When was the last time you made a big decision when you were exhausted? When you were pissed off? When you were stressed? People don't make decisions in low emotional states. They make excuses.

I knocked on a door in Phoenix — summer, 115 degrees, this guy opens the door dripping sweat, clearly having a rough day. Old me would have launched into my pitch. New me said, "Man, this heat is brutal. You look like you need a cold beer more than whatever I'm selling."

He laughed. His shoulders dropped. "Come on in, it's freezing in here."

That's a state change. I moved him from frustrated to amused in one sentence.

You don't sell to people. You shift people. The sale follows the shift.

— Robert Blakely

Here's what I want you to do TODAY: Go have ONE conversation using this technique. Don't sell anything. Just practice shifting someone's state. Watch what happens to their body language. Listen to how their voice changes.

When you stop trying to sell, people start wanting to buy.