😱 My Strangest Business Meeting Ever…

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

• 😱 My Strangest Business Meeting Ever… [True Story]

• 🚀 AI Videos Just Leveled Up… Again

• 🤖 Answering RUFUS’ Questions Will Be the Smartest Thing You Do

• 🎉 Wheel of Kelsey [Weekly Draw]

• ✅ The ICE Method: A Framework For Nine-Figure Business Growth

😱 MY STRANGEST BUSINESS MEETING EVER… [TRUE STORY] 

Back in the ’90s, I flew out to L.A. to meet up with my old buddy, Kim, for a business meeting.

We agreed to meet a potential partner at a sidewalk café, on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

We grabbed a couple of chairs outside while we waited for the partner to show.

The third guy pulled up 5 minutes later and immediately whipped out a small electronic device.

He started sweeping over our jackets and belts looking for a recorder.

I thought “Well, that’s one way to say hello.”

I felt insane… it was like I was in line at the TSA.

He said he had to make sure we weren’t wired before we got to business.

I was glaring at Kim thinking “What the hell did you get me into.”

Turns out, the guy was just paranoid about protecting his big idea.

I learned he was from Israel and had recently married into the heir of the Guinness Brewery.

He was quirky but a great guy overall.

After wrapping up our conversation, he insisted on driving us to our next stop.

We climbed into his ’64 Rolls-Royce Phantom, complete with hand-crank windows.

We started going down Rodeo Drive.

At a stoplight, I couldn’t resist.

I cranked open the window, leaned out the window and did my best attempt at a British accent saying “Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?”

For the young folks reading this newsletter, this was from an old 1980’s commercial.

The look on the other driver’s face was priceless.

We rolled the window up and rode the rest of the way laughing.

We signed a deal later that week.

Business Lesson:

Sometimes, first impressions are nothing what you expect them to be.

If I’ve learned anything, don’t bail because things start off strange.

You never know when a weird intro leads to a great opportunity.

Enjoy the rest of the newsletter.

— Norm

And don’t forget to share this newsletter!

🔥 AI VIDEOS JUST LEVELED UP… AGAIN [WITH GOOGLE VEO3]

Google launched Veo 3. It’s an AI tool that makes videos, and now it adds audio. That means full clips with voices, animal sounds, and synced lips.

It's their answer to OpenAI’s Sora.

The big difference?

This one talks.

@hashem.alghaili

Prompt Theory (Made with Veo 3) - What if AI-generated characters refused to believe they were AI-generated?

If you’re in the US and paying for Google’s new $249.99 “Ultra” plan, you can try it now.

It’s also available through their Vertex AI platform for businesses.

Google also rolled out:

• Imagen 4 → their new image generator

• Flow → a tool that builds video scenes from simple text

• Updates to Veo 2 → you can now add or remove objects in a clip with a prompt

• Lyria 2 → a music AI now available for YouTube Shorts creators

Google’s had some hiccups with image AI before. Imagen 3 had to be pulled last year after some bad results. Even Sergey Brin said they rushed it.

If this tool holds up, it could change how brands, creators, and even sellers make content.

Amazon’s RUFUS is pulling in real-time feedback from “Customers Say” AI right into its responses.

Here’s another example:

🎉 WHEEL OF KELSEY DRAW

Prize: a free month of pro subscription to Joylink - a new affiliate software that works with large Amazon deal affiliates.

🚨 Enter → HERE. (You’ll be asked for your email and name so we can contact you if you win.)

🔥 ANSWERING RUFUS’ QUESTIONS MIGHT BE THE SMARTEST THING YOU DO THIS WEEK 

Sellers can now see which questions RUFUS shows on their Amazon product pages.

Shoppers are using conversational search more than ever before.

And these conversational questions now show up during the Amazon buying journey.

If your listing doesn’t address them, customers might leave.

Focus on being helpful. That’s what converts.

Azoma (formely Ecomtent) lets you update your copy at scale to answer those questions, using keyword-rich and COSMO-optimized text with one click.

You can check out Azoma → Here

This is not an ad, this is something brands need to check out.

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!

🔥 THE TRUTH ABOUT SEO IN 2025: AI, CONTENT & RANKING TACTICS

Here’s My Takeaways From This Episode:

1. Prepare for a Zero-Click Future
   With Google's AI-powered SGE (Search Generative Experience), more answers are shown in search without clicks. Design your content to provide value in snippets—think lists, bullets, bolded takeaways, and direct answers.

2. Make Content Skimmable and AI-Friendly
   Write in a format that both Google’s AI and humans can skim easily. Use numbered steps, summaries, and section headers so your content is more likely to be pulled into AI-generated answers.

3. Lean Into Voice Search and Long-Tail Keywords
   AI-driven search means longer, more natural queries. Optimize for conversational phrases like “What’s the best budget air purifier for allergies?”

4. Use Schema Markup Extensively
   Add structured data (FAQs, how-tos, product info) to your site. It helps AI understand your content contextually, not just semantically.

Find this episode of Lunch With Norm on YouTube and anywhere you listen to podcasts

🔥 THE ‘ICE’ METHOD: A FRAMEWORK FOR NINE-FIGURE BUSINESS GROWTH

Here are my favorite TIPS from this episode!

1. Use the 1-3-1-1 Weekly Planning System

What it is:

• 1 goal for the week

• 3 priorities that will help achieve that goal

• 1 meeting to review the plan

• 1 accountability check-in (typically Friday)

2. Define Clear Role Profiles for Every Team Member

Create a one-pager for each team member. Outline what success looks like, KPIs, responsibilities, and how their role fits into the bigger picture.

3. Use Leading Indicators, Not Just Lagging Metrics

Instead of just tracking revenue (lagging), measure how many emails were sent or how many influencers were contacted (leading).

Find this episode of Marketing Misfits on YouTube and anywhere you listen to podcasts

And that’s it, Beardos!

See you next Monday!

- Norm

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