When Your Call Comes, Will You Be Ready? (06.02.26)

Andre Ingram spent 10 years in the G League before scoring 19 points in his NBA debut at 32. He didn't rise to the occasion, he fell back on his training. There's a real estate lesson in there worth hearing.

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Transcript

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Good morning, badass community, and welcome to your Tactical Tuesday call. Today, I want to share a story with you that I recently heard from our host basketball player Dorian Benford Jr., and it really had me thinking. It's a story of a player named Andre Ingram. Now, for those of you who aren't basketball fans, let me give you a little context. The NBA, the National Basketball Association, is the highest level of professional basketball. The NBA is currently in their playoff season. Just below it is the G League, which is essentially the NBA's development league. Think of it as the minor leagues. Players spend years there working on their skills, practicing, traveling, competing, and hoping that one day they'll get called up to the NBA. Most players who make it to the NBA get there relatively quickly. However, Andre Ingram did not. He spent 10 years in the G League, 10 years showing up, 10 years practicing, 10 years running drills, 10 years wondering if his opportunity would ever come. He did not get any spotlight, no fame, and definitely no guarantees, just hard work. Then, at 32 years old, after more than 380 G League games, he finally got the call from the LA Lakers. And what happened next is the part that matters most. He didn't get called up and look overwhelmed. He didn't get called up and look rusty. He stepped onto the NBA cart for the first time and scored 19 points in his debut. The crowd was chanting his name, NBA players were talking about his story, and the sports media everywhere picked up his story. Why? Because while everyone else was focused on the opportunity, Andre had spent 10 years focused on preparation. And that's what I want to talk about today. Because real estate has its own version of the G League. We just call it the daily grind. It's the calls, it's the follow-up, it's the mundane, the role play, the scripts, the open houses, the handwritten notes, the networking events, the social media posts, the market updates, the things that nobody sees, the things that nobody applauds, and the things that feel so repetitive. But what struck me most about Andre's story wasn't that he finally got caught up. It was what he was doing for 10 years before the call came. He was practicing every single day. So think about it. A basketball player doesn't wake up and decide to shoot 200 shots the day they get called up to the NBA. They've been shooting 200 shots every day for years. They practice the same fundamentals over and over. They've studied their plays, they've watched films, they've put in the reps. Why? Because when the game is on the line, they don't rise to the occasion, they fall back onto their training. And real estate is exactly the same. Your scripts are your jump shot, your listing presentation is your game plan, your buyer consultation is your offense, your contracts are your playbook, your CRM is your practice schedule. The agents who seem effortlessly on listing appointments aren't winging it. The agents who handle objection confidently aren't making it up on the spot. And the agents who navigate contracts smoothly aren't reading them for the first time. They've put in the reps, they've practiced, they've studied, they've prepared. Most agents want game day results without practice day habits. We want the listing, we want the referral, we obviously want the commission check, and we want the recognition. But we don't always want the daily reputation that creates those things. A basketball player might shoot 200 shots a day, a realtor might take 20 prospecting calls a day, a basketball player studies the film, a realtor studies market statistics, a basketball player learns the playbook, and a realtor learns contracts, contingencies, financing options, and negotiation strategies. A basketball player runs the drills and a realtor practices scripts and role plays. The activities look different, but the principle is exactly the same. So here's the thing the scoreboard doesn't always show the work immediately. And Andre Ingram didn't practice for 10 years because he knew exactly when the Lakers would call. He practiced because he wanted to be ready if they called. That's how we need to approach our business. You don't know which conversations will become a client. You don't know which client becomes a referral source. And you don't know which open house will lead to listing. You don't know which social media post gets seen by the right person, and you don't know which coffee meeting turns into your next transaction. You do not know when your next call is coming, but you can control whether you're ready when it arrives. So for Tactical Tuesday, here's my challenge for you. Pick one skill that needs more reps. Is it your scripts, your contracts, your listing presentation? Maybe it's role play. Is it learning your inventory and your market stats or just following up with your database? Pick one and commit to getting your shots up. Not once, not when you feel motivated daily, because as we know, confidence comes from preparation, and preparation comes from repetition. Repetition creates consistency and consistency creates opportunities. Andre Ingram spent 10 years preparing for a moment that most people thought would never come. So when that call finally happens, he was ready. Your next listing may be one conversation away, and your next referral may already be thinking about calling you. So your next opportunity may be closer than you realize. The question isn't whether the call is coming. The question is are you putting up enough reps today so you're ready when it does happen? I hope you have an amazing tactical Tuesday. Stay consistent, stay prepared, and remember championship moments are built during ordinary practices.