🔥 Trust Isn’t Built in a Boardroom…

What you’ll find in this week’s newsletter:

• 🔥 A Round of Golf and a Free Mac?! [True Story]

• 🚀 Top 10 Video AI Generators

• 😱 Big Fee Changes for Deals & Coupons Coming…

• 🤖 Why AI Video Ads Still Rub People The Wrong Way

• 📈 How Sellers Can Survive the Trump Tariffs

🚨 YOU’RE INVITED TO THE MARKETING MISFITS PARTY AT PROSPER!

Visit booths and show your passport stamps to the BDSS booth by 3PM on March 27th to secure your ride and entry to the party on March 27th at 4:30 PM!

Make sure you get your passport to attend!

Don’t miss out on these events at Prosper:

1.  The S.P.I.N. Party (Solution Providers Industry Night) - Tuesday March 25th from 6-9PM.

Use code: SOLNORM for a discounted “Solution Provider Only” ticket.

(Buy a "Combo Ticket", to gain access to Brandon Young’s party at Atomic Golf from 9PM-12PM, and ride the party bus with us to Brandon’s party.)

2. The 5th Annual Prosper After Party - Thursday March 27th from 8-11PM.

• Sushi From Morimoto

• Top Shelf Tequila Tasting Bar

Use code: NORM50 for $50 off.

 🔥 A ROUND OF GOLF AND A FREE MAC?! [TRUE STORY] 

Back in the ’90s, I got invited out for a casual round of golf.

Nothing fancy.

Just a few guys, some cigars, and enough bad swings to keep us all humble.

I ended up sharing a cart with a guy from Apple.

Now, at the time, I was deep in the world of Microsoft.

I was getting all the latest software for free, and I was completely set in my ways.

Switching over to Apple wasn’t even on my radar.

But as we played, we talked—about life, tech, and how things were changing.

He was extremely excited about what Apple was building.

He wasn’t trying to sell me anything—he genuinely believed they were about to change how people worked.

After the game, we grabbed a bite and were saying our goodbyes when he stopped and said, “Hang on.”

He popped the trunk of his car and pulled out an Apple portable computer.

He handed it to me and said, “Take it. Once you use Mac, you’ll never go back.”

No pitch.

Just belief in what he was building.

I brought it home, fired it up—and yeah, he was right.

I never looked back.

That day wasn’t about selling or pitching.

It was about connection.

A conversation that turned into a friendship and a shift in how I thought about tech—and business.

Where do the the best deals in business happen?

Not in boardrooms…

They happen on golf courses, over cigars, and around the dinner table.

If you’re lucky, you walk away with more than a business card—you walk away with a whole new perspective.

Enjoy the rest of the newsletter.

P.S. This week, Michelle Barnum Smith gave away her TikTok Shop Course (valued at $1000+) to one lucky Beardo.

🚨 Find out who the lukcy winner is at the bottom of this newsletter AND a special 50% discount code.

— Norm

🚀 10 AI VIDEO GENERATORS TO STAY AHEAD!

Check out the best AI video generators you should try in 2025:

• Synthesia for studio-quality videos with realistic avatars

• Alibaba Qwen for a free creative video generation tool

• Kling for ultra-high-quality creative videos

• Runway for advanced creative video tools

• Google Veo for videos with impressive physics

• OpenAI Sora for cinematic videos

• Pika for great image-to-video transformations

• Luma for cinematic scene generation

• Adobe Firefly for video creation with inconsistent output

• Wisecut for automatic editing with audio cleanup and subtitles

But remember, there’s an art to AI videos.

It’s not as easy as you think.

Read WHY AI VIDEO ADS STILL RUB PEOPLE THE WRONG WAY in this newsletter to stay ahead of your competition 👇

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👇TOP MUST READ STORIES THIS WEEK 👇

🔥 HOW AMAZON SELLERS CAN SURVIVE THE TRUMP TARIFFS

Here’s 10 Takeaways From This Episode:

1. Negotiate Tariffs Directly with Suppliers – Open a conversation with your suppliers about sharing or absorbing tariff costs. Leverage long-term relationships and loyalty to work out mutually beneficial solutions.

2. Always Be Sourcing Backup Suppliers – Don’t rely on a single manufacturer. Constantly look for alternative suppliers who may offer better pricing, terms, or flexibility in light of economic changes like tariffs.

3. Update Your HTS Codes Strategically – Ensure you’re using the correct Harmonized Tariff Schedule codes, and explore legally reclassifying your products to categories with lower duty rates.

4. Negotiate Better Payment Terms with Suppliers – Request 30–90 day terms or 20/80 payment plans instead of paying upfront. Many manufacturers are more open to this now than ever before.

5. Reevaluate Nearshoring with Caution – Nearshoring isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Consider availability of resources, cost, and production capabilities before moving supply chains to nearby regions.

🤖 WHY AI VIDEO ADS STILL RUB PEOPLE THE WRONG WAY

I’ve been testing AI tools left and right lately—some are great, some still need a lot of work.

And when it comes to video ads?

We’re not there yet.

According to a new study from NielsenIQ, most consumers aren’t loving AI-generated video ads.

In fact, a lot of people called them annoying, boring, or just plain confusing. That’s not exactly the reaction you want when you’re trying to sell a product.

One of the biggest issues?

They’re forgettable. 

Even worse, there’s a weirdness to them. You know when you see something and your brain says, “Something’s off here…”?

Facial expressions are a little too smooth, transitions are clunky, the voiceovers sound robotic—it just doesn’t feel real.

That disconnect is what’s known as the uncanny valley—and it’s making people uncomfortable.

When that happens, the brand loses trust.

Suddenly, instead of feeling authentic, it feels cheap or fake.

There are some brands that are doing it right.

I think Limlex is doing an excellent job of using AI to get across their features, while keeping the video feeling like content that should be on TikTok.

@shoplimlex

Link to product in bio!

Now, that doesn’t mean AI video tools are useless.

Far from it.

But if you’re a brand thinking about using AI for customer-facing content, here’s my take:

• Don’t start with your hero ad. Use AI behind the scenes—storyboarding, ideation, maybe an internal pitch deck.

• If you do go public with it, be transparent. Let people know it’s AI—and make sure the quality is dialed in.

• And above all, remember: creativity and connection still win. If your AI ad doesn’t feel human, it probably won’t land.

Here’s the full breakdown if you want to dive deeper 👉 Read more

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE BEARD GUY?

Can you find Norm in the picture below? Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see the answer!

💰WHY BIG BRANDS SPEND MILLIONS ON DOMAINS... AND HOW YOU CAN PROFIT TOO!

Here are my favorite TIPS from this episode!

1. Use Domain Names as Direct Marketing Tools: Register a memorable domain and redirect it to your Amazon store or product page to eliminate distractions and increase conversions. Jeff uses toxicavenger.marketing to link directly to his book on Amazon.

2. Make the Domain Part of Your Brand Name: Treat your full domain (e.g., paw.com or scan.art) as your brand, not just your URL. This ensures every brand mention doubles as a call to action and a clickable link, increasing visibility and traffic organically.

3. Apply for a Custom TLD (Top-Level Domain): For those wanting total control, consider applying for your own domain extension (like .king or .brand) during the next ICANN window. Expect to invest $225,000+, but it gives you long-term branding power and revenue potential.

4. Repurpose Expired Domains for SEO & Brand Equity: Monitor domain expirations to acquire ones with valuable backlinks or previous traffic. These can be resurrected as affiliate sites, branded redirects, or SEO boosters for your main business.

5. Build and Sell Microbrands Around Domains: Develop basic websites or tools on keyword-rich domains (e.g., voice.art) and flip the domain + business package. This model turns a static domain into a sellable asset with recurring income potential.

🚨 Watch the full episode here

🌎 MARK DOWN THESE EVENTS! 🌎

🎉 The winner of Michelle Barnum Smith’s TikTok Shop Course is… Matt A! We will be reaching out directly to the winner! Be on the lookout for more giveaways coming to your inbox.

Didn’t win?

🚨 Use code: NORM to get 50% off Michelle's TikTok Shop course and sign up HERE

And that’s it, Beardos!

See you next Monday!

- Norm

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