In this episode, Jake welcomes longtime friend and fractional general counsel Todd Wilkowski to the show.

Todd’s journey from commercial litigator to trusted problem solver in the business world reveals the power of relational sales and the importance of genuine connection over transactional hustle. 

Todd dives deep into:

• Why understanding who you are and your unique value prop fuels authentic prospecting.
• The disconnect between traditional high-volume sales tactics and the modern need for meaningful relationships.
• How lawyers, and anyone in professional services, can build trust and a “book of business” by focusing on strategic, proactive advice rather than reactive problem-solving.
• The importance of being genuinely curious about your prospects, their story, and what truly drives them.
• Why long-term relationship-building beats quick wins and why “relationships before transactions” is not just a saying but a business game-changer.
• A cautionary story about the perils of approaching potential clients with a hard sell before establishing trust.
• How fractional roles create an opportunity for smaller companies to benefit from specialized expertise without the overhead of full-time hires.
• The value of playing the long game as a connector and trusted advisor.

Jake and Todd remind us that sales isn’t about dialing numbers or pushing products.

Instead, it’s about investing time into knowing your prospects, understanding their needs, and becoming a resource they look forward to connecting with. 

Key Takeaways:

• Believe in what you bring; don’t sell what you don’t believe in.
• Be more interested than interesting—curiosity opens doors.
• Trust takes time and can’t be rushed with immediate transactional asks.
• Leverage your unique strengths and be authentic in your approach.
• Relationships are the foundation of sustainable business growth.

If you’re tired of chasing cold leads and want to reboot your lead gen strategy with heart, this episode is for you.

This episode is brought to you by Orchestraight. You can get a free trial of Orchestraight, an NLP based Lead Gen tool, for 7 days, up at orchestraight.com.

Orchestraight. The straightest path to success.

In this episode, Jake unpacks the fresh concept of STRATA, the six-layer framework embedded in neurostrategy that revolutionizes how you communicate and persuade.

Far from just another sales acronym, STRATA maps exactly how your prospect’s brain filters trust, emotion, bias, and decision-making in a precise sequence. You’ll learn why most communication and presentations fall flat because they ignore the brain’s preferred order of receiving information… and how STRATA fixes that with intentional architecture rather than instinctual guessing.

The six powerful layers:

• Signal: The vibe, presence, and social proof you send before saying a word.
• Trigger: The shortcuts and biases the brain uses for snap decisions.
• Reframe: Shifting mindset to see problems and solutions in a new light.
• Anchor: Locking in an emotional or identity connection to your message.
• Transfer: Delivering your pitch, story, or offer, but only after prepping the brain.
• Action: Creating a compelling motion that moves prospects to act.

Jake and his co-host explore how skipping these layers leads to missed opportunities and how applying STRATA intentionally makes your business development, sales calls, pitches, and content far more effective.

Plus, they discuss how Orchestraight naturally incorporates STRATA to help craft messages that truly resonate. If you’re tired of winging it and want a blueprint that aligns your message with how the brain buys… this episode is your playbook. 

Key Nuggets:

• STRATA restores the psychological order your brain craves to process influence.
• Most presentations fail not from poor content but from hitting the wrong triggers or missing steps.
• Emotions rule decisions; logic follows… order of delivery matters.
• Your signal precedes your words — presence, energy, and trust are communicated before the pitch.
• Creating true connection is a multi-layered experience, not a one-line pitch.
• The “summer of STRATA” is here — a call to upgrade your neuro strategic messaging.
• Orchestraight embodies STRATA effortlessly, making messaging smarter and more human.

Make this your summer breakthrough. Build your communication foundations step-by-step… and watch how your prospects not only listen but move easily toward “yes.”

This episode is brought to you by Orchestraight… You can get a free trial of Orchestraight, an NLP based Lead Gen tool, for 7 days, up at orchestraight.com. Orchestraight… The straightest path to success.

In this episode of Lead Gen Reboot, host Jake Stahl dives deep with Nikki Rausch, the Sales Maven specializing in transforming the misunderstood process of selling.

Tired of chasing leads like it’s a lottery?

Nikki flips the script, showing why building rapport and meaningful conversations isn’t just better... it’s faster and more effective.

Jake and Nikki explore:

• Why sales is a “conversation with” not a “pitch at”
• The NLP mandala: How mindset and presence change your interactions
• Active listening and asking smarter questions to unlock real needs
• Reframing sales fears and ego to check them at the door
• Making memorable first impressions even in cold outreach
• The art of “closing the loop” — knowing when to follow up and when to bless and release
• Intentional networking: Be the giver who builds a tribe, not the taker lost in numbers

🧠 If you’re ready to stop dialing roulette and start creating sales conversations that stick, this episode is your guide to rebooting your sales mindset and strategy.

🔗 Grab Nikki’s free training, Seal the Deal, at yoursalesmaven.com/jake

Test-drive brain-powered sales with a 7-day trial of orchestraight.com, the straightest path to smarter, humanized AI outreach.

In this episode, Jake Stahl shifts gears from sales strategy to self-mastery.

Sharing stories from his own life, Jake opens up about how moments of uncertainty, transition, and emotional overwhelm can become powerful turning points.... IF we learn how to reframe them.

He walks through the foundational principles of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), showing how language, focus, and internal patterns shape our reality and our results.

This conversation dives deep into how to regain a sense of control, stay grounded in high-stress environments, and rewire the stories we tell ourselves so we can move forward with purpose and clarity.

Highlights include:

• The power of pattern interruption to stop negative mental spirals
• How language and self-talk can shift your emotional state instantly
• Practical tools to recognize when you're running unconscious scripts, and how to change them
• Why self-awareness is the root of influence, resilience, and real leadership

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating personal or professional change. It's raw, reflective, and real. b

Brought to you by Orchestraight, the AI Business Development platform that helps people grow into who they’re meant to become.

In this episode, Jake Stahl sits down with Bryan McDonald — the “King of Referrals” — to dismantle the long-held myth that lead generation is a numbers game. 

If you’re tired of dialing thousands and chasing cold prospects, this conversation will reset your mindset for good.

Jake and Bryan share hard-earned wisdom on:

• Why being laser-specific beats casting the widest net
• The psychology behind “less but better” in lead generation
• How focusing on referral networks supercharges your warm leads
• The power of consistently giving before you get — and why that matters more than you think
• Avoiding low-value relationships and knowing when to say no
• Real human engagement vs. AI spam — and why people want to buy, not be sold to

🧠 If you’re stuck in the numbers game grind and ready to build meaningful, high-quality connections that scale, this episode is your wake-up call.

🔗 Explore brain-powered sales tools and get your 14-day free trial at orchestraight.com — the straightest path to sales success.

In this episode, Jake Stahl flips the script on traditional follow-up strategies that come off as pushy, salesy, and ultimately ineffective.

Instead, he reveals how to triple (or even 10x) your response rates with a subtle but powerful shift: stop chasing replies, start offering value. 

Jake and co-host Jon explore tactical, real-world methods like:

• Sending useful articles or podcasts instead of reminders
• Using social proof through client testimonials
• Making follow-ups feel friendly, not forceful
• Creating "non-threatening" visibility to build trust

Plus, they discuss how Jake’s AI tool, Orchestraight, personalizes outreach with human-like precision—turning your follow-ups into a real relationship-building tool. 

🧠 Smart, usable, and refreshingly honest... this is the episode every business owner and salesperson needs to hear. 

🔗 Learn more about Orchestraight and start your free trial at orchestraight.com

In this episode of Lead Gen Reboot, Jake Stahl sits down with the “King of Clarity” himself, Steve Woodruff, to dismantle the tired old elevator pitch and introduce the power of the memory dart.

Discover how to rise above the noise, communicate with laser focus, and create messages that actually stick.

🔥 Topics covered:

• Why the elevator pitch is dead (and what to do instead)
• How to craft your own “memory dart”
• The 8 tools of brain-friendly communication
• Secrets to compelling emails, presentations, and meetings
• How clarity drives referrals and engagement

💥 Whether you're in sales, leadership, or just tired of being ignored—this episode is a game-changer.

📚 Books mentioned: Clarity Wins and The Point by Steve Woodruff

🌐 Learn more: stevewoodruff.com

In this episode of Lead Gen Reboot, Jake Stahl dives into the bandwagon effect... why humans are wired to follow the crowd, and how smart sales pros can use that instinct to build momentum and trust.

From tribal behavior to modern-day FOMO, Jake connects psychological dots to show how to ethically engineer influence into your sales process.

This one’s a masterclass in creating the perception that “everyone’s doing it”, and why that’s often all it takes to convert a maybe into a yes. 

Takeaways:

• Why the bandwagon effect works (and how to spot it in the wild)
• The neuroscience of groupthink and decision-making
• How to leverage timing and momentum to guide buyer behavior

In this episode of Lead Gen Reboot, Jake Stahl welcomes entrepreneur Wes Lemos, the founder of Sales Connector.

They dive deep into the evolving landscape of lead generation, discussing the pitfalls of automation driven outreach and the importance of genuine human connection.

Wes shares insights from his experience building multiple businesses, emphasizing how a strong team and meaningful networking can drive success. 

Listeners will learn:

• Why prioritizing relationships over rapid-fire sales pitches leads to better results.
• How to effectively leverage LinkedIn for organic lead generation.
• The balance between automation and authentic engagement in sales.
• The key role of emotional intelligence in business networking

If you're tired of the "numbers game" and want to transform your approach to lead generation, this episode is for you!

🎧 Tune in and discover how to make lasting business connections that convert.

Connect With Wes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weslemos/

In this episode, Jake Stahl flips traditional sales wisdom on its head. If you’ve been grinding through endless cold calls or drowning in a sea of LinkedIn posts, Jake reveals why the obsession with quantity is killing your results.

Instead, he dives deep into two powerful psychological principles—the Availability Heuristic and the Dunning-Kruger Effect—that subtly influence your business decisions and stunt your growth. 

Jake explains how your brain's tendency to overemphasize recent events (availability heuristic) and the false confidence of beginner-level knowledge (Dunning-Kruger effect) can sabotage your sales efforts. You’ll learn why seeing one negative post response might make you stop posting altogether—and how to break free from these mental traps.


Key Takeaways:

✅ The Availability Heuristic: Why your brain clings to recent experiences and how it distorts your perception of reality (e.g., one failed post convinces you that all future posts will fail).

✅ The Dunning-Kruger Effect: How a little knowledge can create false confidence, while true experts often doubt themselves.

✅ Real-World Applications: Jake shares practical strategies to overcome these biases, including seeking diverse perspectives, checking your ego, and avoiding confirmation bias traps.

✅ AI as a Bias-Buster: How Orchestrate's neuro-strategy AI challenges your thinking rather than confirming your biases, helping you make smarter business decisions.


🔥 Featured Insights:

• How to reframe your mindset when a LinkedIn post flops.
• Why top athletes and business owners constantly seek improvement despite their expertise.
• The surprising reason why people over 50 have a higher success rate when starting new businesses.

💡 Tools & Resources Mentioned:

• Orchestraight.com – Jake’s AI-driven neuro-strategy platform, designed to challenge your assumptions and sharpen your business development skills. Start a 14-day free trial to see how it transforms your sales game.