I was thinking about Steph Curry the other day.

Everyone knows him for his three-point shooting. But what makes him great isn't just his ability to shoot from deep. It's everything else he's developed over the years that makes him a complete player.

And it got me thinking about the agents I've met throughout my career.

I rarely meet the complete player in real estate.

Most agents I meet are specialists.

Some are really good at taking three-pointers. They're not afraid to pick up the phone, call strangers, chase expired listings, work FSBOs, or follow up with cold leads that have a very low probability of converting. They're constantly hunting for the next opportunity.

And I respect that because those aren't easy shots.

But here's what I've noticed. Some of these same agents are so busy chasing the next deal that they forget about the relationships they've already built. They close a transaction, move on to the next prospect, and barely stay in touch with the client who just trusted them with one of the biggest financial decisions of their life.

They're great at taking three-pointers, but they're missing the layups right in front of them.

Then I meet the other type of agent.

The Layup Specialist

These agents are great with people. They have strong relationships, their clients love them, and they get referrals. They know how to stay in touch and genuinely care about the people they work with.

But ask them to call an expired listing or have a conversation with someone who doesn't know them, and suddenly they're uncomfortable. They don't want to be rejected. They don't want to sound like a salesperson. They'd rather wait for someone to reach out.

And while they're waiting, someone else is out there creating opportunities.

Here's the thing. Neither approach is wrong. But neither one is a complete business.

I've seen agents build a decent living doing one or the other. But I've also watched what happens when their one source of business slows down.

The prospecting agent gets exhausted constantly chasing the next deal. The relationship agent has a slow month because their sphere isn't producing enough referrals. And suddenly they're wondering where their next closing is coming from.

That's why I believe you need both. You need to take the easy shots, and you need to be willing to take the difficult ones.

Taking the Shot Is Only Half the Battle

You still have to know how to make it.

Think about it. The three-point specialist might be great at getting someone on the phone, but can they actually convert that conversation into an appointment?

The layup specialist might have a great relationship with someone, but can they confidently ask for the business when the opportunity presents itself?

Both require skills that don't necessarily come naturally.

And that's something I learned many years ago about sales.

You can spend 45 minutes talking to a cold prospect, answer every question they have, explain the entire buying or selling process, and hang up feeling like you had a great conversation.

But did you?

Did you uncover why they were thinking about moving? Did you find out what was really holding them back? Did you ask for an appointment? Or did you just spend 45 minutes answering questions?

I've seen agents do this over and over again. And then they wonder why the person never calls back.

There's a difference between being knowledgeable about real estate and knowing how to sell real estate.

That's where your verbal skills come in.

When someone asks you a question, do you automatically answer it? Or do you sometimes answer with a question of your own to understand what they're really asking?

When someone says they're waiting for interest rates to come down, do you just agree? Or do you ask what would happen if rates didn't come down for another year?

When someone tells you they don't want to pay a commission, do you immediately start explaining your value? Or do you ask what matters most to them when choosing someone to represent them?

I'm not suggesting you avoid answering questions. I'm suggesting you learn how to have better conversations.

Sometimes the first question someone asks is only the surface of what's really going on. Your job is to dig deeper.

And that takes practice.

Which makes me wonder how many of us are actually practicing. Are you working on your scripts? Are you role-playing objections? Are you listening to how you communicate? Are you learning to ask better questions?

Or are you just winging it and hoping the next prospect is easier to convert?

Making more calls doesn't automatically make you better at sales. You can have the same unproductive conversation 100 times if you never stop to figure out what you're doing wrong.

Your Action Plan This Week

First, figure out what kind of player you are.

Are you the three-point specialist who's constantly chasing new business but neglecting the relationships you've already built? Or are you the layup specialist who's great with people but avoids the uncomfortable conversations that could create new opportunities?

Be honest with yourself. Then spend this week working on the part of your game that needs improvement.

1. Take 10 layups.

Call 10 people who already know you. Past clients, friends, family, or people in your database. Have real conversations. Reconnect. Find out what's happening in their lives. Don't wait until you need business to reach out.

2. Take 10 three-pointers.

Reach out to 10 cold prospects. Expireds, FSBOs, old internet leads, or people who have shown little interest. These are lower-probability opportunities, but they give you a chance to create relationships that don't exist today.

3. Spend 15 minutes a day practicing your sales skills.

Pick one objection you struggle with and practice handling it. Work on asking better questions instead of immediately giving answers. Learn how to uncover motivation instead of staying on the surface.

4. Ask for the appointment.

If you've uncovered a genuine need and believe you can help, don't end the conversation with "Let me know if you need anything." Take the next step.

At the end of the week, don't just count how many calls you made. Ask yourself how many meaningful conversations you had, how many appointments you created, and what you learned from the conversations that didn't go your way.

Because that's how you get better.

The Decision Is Yours

I've met plenty of agents who are really good at one part of this business, but very few who are willing to work on all of it.

And I think that's a choice we all have to make.

You can spend your entire career doing what you're comfortable with. You might even do pretty well.

But imagine what your business could look like if you took the relationship skills you already have and combined them with the willingness to prospect. Or if you took your ability to generate cold leads and combined it with a system for nurturing those relationships for years.

Now add the ability to ask better questions, handle objections, and convert more of those conversations into appointments.

That's a very different business.

You can't build a complete business if you're only willing to take the easy shots. But the opposite is just as true. Some of you are so busy taking the difficult shots that you're missing the layups right in front of you.

The question isn't whether you're a good three-point shooter or a good layup shooter today.

The question is whether you're willing to put in the work to become a complete player.

Because ultimately, that's a decision only you can make.