Close the Deal Before You Walk in the Room

By Eric Immesberger

The best operators, whether they are working a high-risk warrant or negotiating a multimillion-dollar contract, don’t rely on luck. They win because they have already run the mission in their heads before it ever happens.

When I was leading a task force, we never stepped into a room cold. We walked through the plan, anticipated the variables, and mentally rehearsed every possible outcome. By the time we hit the door, it was not our first time there. It was just the first time our target had seen us.

The same principle applies in business. Whether you are closing a client, presenting to investors, or walking into a board meeting, the work that determines the outcome happens before you arrive. Here is how to make that happen.

1. Run the Whole Mission in Your Mind

Before a single move, I visualized the entire operation. I pictured the location, the people in the room, and what each stage of the interaction would feel like. In your world, this means seeing the meeting from start to finish. The more vivid the mental rehearsal, the more familiar it will feel when it is real, and the less likely you are to be thrown off by the unexpected.

2. Plan for the Chaos

In tactical work, chaos is not a possibility. It is a certainty. Doors stick, radios fail, and people react unpredictably. In business, the equivalent is a last-minute agenda change, a hostile question, or a competitor dropping new information during your pitch. Do not just rehearse the perfect version of events. Walk yourself through the detours, interruptions, and curveballs. If you have already fought those battles in your mind, they will not rattle you when they happen live.

3. Anticipate and Answer Objections

Every suspect I ever interviewed had a story ready, just like every decision-maker has reasons to say no. Before you walk into the room, write down the hardest questions and the sharpest objections you might hear. Then practice your responses until they are as automatic as saying your own name. That way, you are not scrambling for words. You are delivering confidence.

4. Use Reps to Build Muscle Memory

On the range, I did not train until I got it right. I trained until I could not get it wrong. In business, your reps might be mock presentations, roleplays with your team, or practicing key talking points until they come out clean every time. Under pressure, muscle memory will always beat last-minute thinking. Build those reps until they are part of you.

5. Run It Before You Live It

Pick one high-stakes moment this week, whether it is a pitch, a meeting, or a negotiation. Run it in your head today. Imagine the best case, the worst case, and everything in between. When the time comes, you will execute like you have already been there—because you have.

In both law enforcement and business, success is not about reacting well in the moment. It is about creating a mental environment where nothing feels new, no matter how unexpected it is. That is how you turn high-pressure situations into predictable victories, and how you close the deal before you even walk in the room.