😱 The Real Reason Your VA Keeps Quitting…

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

• 😱 The Real Reason Your VA Keeps Quitting… [True Story]

• ✅ Amazon Holiday Inventory Deadlines

• 🚨 Rufus Now Has Memory!

• 🔥 Build Your First AI Agent in Minutes

• 🚀 TikTok Live Saved My Business…

Hey Beardos,

If you’re having issues with your Amazon business, I opened up a few spots on my site to take a look at some brands.

No catch. Let’s get the most out of Q4.

P.S. Reply to this email with “#wheelofkelsey” for a chance to win an email marketing audit and growth report from last week’s podcast guest, Zac Fromson. The result will be announced on Wednesday 🔥

😱 The Real Reason Your VA Keeps Quitting… [TRUE STORY] 

Treat your virtual assistant like family.

Trust me, I’m about to explain why a few extra dollars can turn your VA into your secret weapon.

As an Amazon seller myself, I’ve relied on VAs for ages, and there’s something that really gets under my skin.

You go to these events and hear folks talking about how to get a VA for rock-bottom prices, basically how to negotiate them down as low as possible.

And I just think, “Why would you do that?”

Many of these VAs are in the Philippines, where life isn’t exactly luxurious.

If you’re going to bring someone onto your team, treat them like part of the family.

Pay them decently; don’t go for $3 an hour, do $5 or $6 at least!

Here’s what I do:

I often use an agency to find candidates, and once they’re on board, I make sure they have what they need.

If they have an old phone, I get them a new one on a lease.

If their computer’s a dinosaur, I upgrade it.

If they stay a year, it’s theirs.

And if things don’t work out?

That’s life (I always let them keep it in the end).

I also think about generators because storms happen, and power goes out.

Don’t leave your VA hanging.

The bottom line?

They’re not some faceless worker.

They play a crucial role in the success of your company.

Treat them well.

Business lesson:

I believe trying to negotiate down is the worst.

Sure, you’ll pay less hourly, but in the end, you lose out.

You’ll have a VA who’s going to be hunting around for something that’s 10 cents more and have 0 loyalty.

In the long run, when you pay a bit more and give them the right tools to succeed, you’ve got your secret weapon.

Enjoy the rest of the newsletter.

— Norm

🎄 Amazon Holiday Inventory Deadlines

Amazon has narrowed its delivery window requirements to better manage holiday volume. Bookmark these dates!

Prime Big Deal Days

• Amazon Warehousing & Distribution (AWD): Aug. 29

• FBA (minimal splits; single or minimal inbound locations): Sept. 10

• FBA (optimized splits; multiple inbound locations): Sept. 19

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Week

• AWD: Oct. 9

• FBA (minimal splits): Oct. 20

• FBA (optimized splits): Oct. 30

Shipments arriving within the scheduled 7-day delivery window will get priority processing. Anything late may face bottlenecks.

🤖 Alexa+ Tests Product Discovery Through Conversational AI

Sponsored Products campaigns are now being automatically integrated into shopping conversations when customers chat with Alexa+ about products.

When users ask Alexa for product recommendations, they’ll see a mix of both organic and sponsored options.

If you have an active Sponsored Products campaign, your ads may be eligible to appear on Alexa+ as part of Amazon’s growing ad surfaces, no extra setup needed.

All performance data will be included in your existing reporting dashboards.

Currently, Sponsored Products on Alexa+ is available only on Echo Show devices.

This update follows the launch of Alexa+, Amazon’s next-generation conversational AI assistant that delivers a more natural, context-aware experience.

It also opens the door for advertisers to connect with customers in an even more seamless, engaging way during their shopping journey.

🌎 Where in the World is The Beard Guy?

🚨 Amazon Rufus Has Memory?!

In a recent LinkedIn post by Max Sinclair, he shared how Amazon’s Rufus now has a memory component and will use your own search history to enhance its product recommendations.

Max was quoted “I don't think people quite grasp yet how transformational this discovery shift is about to become, and how different optimizing for LLM / reasoning model-based search is compared to traditional keyword stuffing.”

😮 TikTok Live Saved My Business...[Here’s How]

My takeaways from this episode! (Find the full episode on YouTube):

1. Front-load Engagement to Hack TikTok’s Push Cycle

TikTok evaluates lives at 30s, 1m, 5m, and 15m checkpoints. If comments/shares/GMV spike early, you get a bigger traffic push. Run a micro-giveaway (e.g., “Name this mannequin, best answer wins”) in the first 60 seconds. That primes the algorithm before you even start selling.

2. Run Lives in “Engagement Mode” Before Selling

For the first 5–10 minutes, don’t hard-sell. Play games with chat, riff off trolls, or banter with mods. Once TikTok has tested and expanded your reach, then switch into a 5–10 minute flash sale cycle.

3. Engineer a Halo Effect on Amazon with Price Floors

When you go live, raise your Amazon listing price by 15–20%.

Many viewers don’t trust TikTok checkout yet and migrate to Amazon. By inflating your Amazon price only during lives, you capture TikTok’s halo traffic without losing margin.

4. Use Trolls as Algorithm Fuel

Don’t ban trolls immediately. Negative comments still count as engagement. Instead, riff back, use humor, and let your community pile on. Only auto-block if they’re spamming sensitive info. TikTok’s algo doesn’t care about sentiment — just volume.

5. Route Orders Through Shopify for Maximum Flexibility

Use Shopify as your “traffic cop” for TikTok orders. Route fulfillment via Amazon MCF, your own warehouse, or 3PL in Shenzhen depending on inventory. This gives you Amazon’s speed while keeping TikTok’s margin structure clean.

🔥 1M+ TikTok Creator Explains What Brands Get Wrong About Influencers

Here are my favorite tips from this episode!

1. Choose Small Creators Over Big Influencers

Brands should prioritize micro and nano influencers. Smaller creators often sell more because they appear authentic and niche-focused, while many large influencers get low conversions despite big follower counts.

2. Incentivize Long-Term Sales With Bonuses

Top affiliates respond to GMV-based incentives: e.g., extra 5% if they go live, $500 if they hit $10K GMV, or even gamified prizes (AirPods, trips, etc.). This mirrors what brands like Goli use to scale affiliate armies.

3. First Outreach Should Be “Yes or No” Ready

Outreach messages must be short and cover budget, timeline, deliverables, and product samples up front. Leave the creator with only one question: Do you want to work with us?

4. Retainer Models Beat One-Offs

The strongest partnerships are monthly retainers (e.g., $500 for 5–10 videos + commission). This creates multiple touchpoints for the same audience, builds trust, and lets creators naturally integrate products over time.

5. Treat Affiliates Like Partners

The fastest way to build loyalty is to treat creators like humans: send gifts for their family/pets, invite them to brand trips, recognize their preferences. One well-cared-for creator can outperform dozens of transactional ones.

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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