By Sam Taggart

Ever had a week so rough you start Googling “normal jobs”?

Danny Kerr did the reverse—he escaped 80-hour chaos… only to land in a safe, monotonous role that drained him faster. The lesson: without purpose and a reliable path to dopamine, success feels empty and momentum dies.

This post distills Hunter’s conversation with Danny into a field-ready playbook you can run today. If you (or your team) are on the sales rollercoaster and need a reset, start here. Watch the episode, then put these moves to work—clear, repeatable, and proven.

Watch / Listen

Guest: Danny Kerr, Co-Founder and CRO, Breakthrough Academy (BTA)

The D2D Expert’s Rebuild Framework (Use this if you’re in a slump)

1) People Before Profits

Hire character, then skill. Leaders coach the person first (why they knock, what they want at home), then the pitch. Your P&L lags your people decisions by about 90 days, so stack the deck now.

Try this today:

• Do a 10-minute “Why Reset” with each rep: money goal, “what it buys,” and the first tiny win that proves it’s real.
• Audit your next three hires for attitude over accolades.

2) Clear Growth Paths

Top reps stagnate when the ladder is foggy. Danny maps visible milestones (skills, metrics, behaviors) that unlock more compensation and more leadership bandwidth.

Try this today:

• Publish a “Rep → Sr Rep → Team Lead → Manager” scorecard with exact thresholds (meetings set, installs, QA scores).
• Tie coaching plans to the next rung only—no 27-point “fix everything” lists.

3) Leaders Who Train Leaders

Don’t crown your top closer and pray. Build “teacher-leaders” who can recruit, train, and replace themselves. Danny scaled by creating leaders who could duplicate results, not hoard them.

Try this today:

• Every team lead must run one weekly drill: opener reps, objection gauntlet, or neighborhood strategy.
• Leaders carry a bench: two candidates in the pipeline at all times.

4) System Over Heroics

The “rescue-closer” vibe is fun—until it isn’t. Danny’s rebuild runs on simple, repeatable systems, so the average rep wins without a “caped manager” on every door.

Try this today:

• AM huddle cadence (10 minutes): numbers, neighborhood, narrative.
• PM film (15 minutes): one call, two fixes, one commitment for tomorrow.

Micro-Goals that Keep New Reps Moving (When Motivation is Missing)

• Count doors, not deals: “25 live conversations” beats “I hope I close.”
• Two-inch wins: Book one same-day demo; ask for one neighbor referral; capture one bill photo.
• Rule of 3s: Three morning doors before 10:30 a.m., three midday, three twilight. Hit the metronome; feelings can follow.

These small commitments are how you crawl out of “I’m cooked” without waiting for a motivational lightning bolt.

Field Leadership Moves That Cut Churn

• Ride-along with intent: Three doors you run, three doors they run, three doors you debrief.
• Selective amnesia: Bad door? Five-minute rule—reset body and voice; new door, new story.
• Story stacking: Every install gets a three-line story reps can retell on the next block.
• Handoff highlights: A manager steps in to model one skill (not the whole pitch), then gives the ball back.

(These are the “leaders who train leaders” reps—build them into your calendar, not just your culture.)

Going from Franchises to Coaching

Danny’s move from running franchises to coaching contractors taught him what transfers well and what doesn’t. Universal truth: human psychology travels—curiosity openers, social proof, and crisp next steps work anywhere. What shifts is compliance, utilities, seasons, and scheduling norms.

If you’re expanding markets:

• Localize compliance first; don’t let momentum die on red tape.
• Re-test offer packaging (term length, incentives, install timing) per country.
• Hire a local leader with national context, then plug your system on top.

Steal-This Checklist (Managers)

• Publish the ladder: roles, requirements, rewards—one page, not a novel.
• Schedule the drills: a weekly 30-minute objection gauntlet is better than another motivation speech.
• Micro-goal the newbies: three daily commitments they can’t dodge.
• Measure the right leading indicators: live conversations, booked demos, next-step tasks; coach there, not on end-of-month miracles.
• Duplication mandate: every leader must have a replacement in the making.