Alex Dees is the co-founder & CEO of Meridian, an AI startup that helps brands measure and improve their visibility in AI search.

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Guest Resources

Alex Dees LinkedIn – Connect with Alex on LinkedIn.

Alex Dees X – Connect with Alex on X.

Meridian – Get an AI to recommend your brand. Check out Alex’ website to learn more about Meridian and access case studies, testimonials, and free resources.

3 Value Bombs

1. AI is collapsing the entire buyer journey; finding, evaluating, choosing, and buying into a single chatbot conversation.

2. If AI isn’t recommending your brand, it’s recommending your competitor; it’s a zero-sum game at the bottom of the funnel.

3. Winning in AI search comes down to six factors: clarity, consistency, authority, proof, freshness, and specificity.

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.

Today’s Audio MASTERCLASS: Why Getting AI to Recommend Your Brand Is the Next Big Growth Opportunity

[1:37] – Alex shares something he believes about becoming successful that most people disagree with.

Success often comes after many years of failure.
If you’re going through failure, you’re likely on the right path; just keep going.

[2:17] – Alex talks about how building in public can change brand power, trust, and speed of growth compared to traditional marketing.

Building in public creates trust before the first sales call.
Investors, employees, and customers already feel familiarity.
Distribution and visibility early on can accelerate company growth dramatically.

[2:59] – Alex shares one of his more viral moments.

A company launch video hit 5 million views and 15 million impressions.
Going viral significantly accelerated business traction.

[3:33] – Alex tells why that video go viral.

Optimized for engagement above all else.
Offered a compelling giveaway to drive comments.
Pattern-broke from typical launch videos.
Gave viewers something meaningful to talk about.

[4:35] – Alex talks about how AI is rewriting discovery for brands and products.

Consumers now ask AI what to buy, where to go, and who to trust.
AI increasingly makes recommendations that users follow.
The buyer journey is now encapsulated inside a single chatbot interaction.

[5:18] – Alex tells what the new AI-driven buyer journey looks like in practice.

Previously: Google → blogs → reviews → comparisons → purchase.
Now: One chatbot conversation handles recommendations, comparisons, and decisions.
Brands must ensure AI includes them in those recommendation flows.

[7:10] – Alex talks about how the traditional buyer journey is collapsing and what replaces it.

The four stages: finding, evaluating, choosing, buying are happening in one interface.
AI pulls from reviews, editorials, and content across the web.
Businesses must ensure AI has strong, accurate answers about them at every stage.

[8:32] – Alex tells how to win if AI is recommending competitors.

AI recommendations are often zero-sum at the bottom of the funnel.
Meridian helps optimize backend code, frontend content, new content creation, editorials, socials, and directories.
Strategic prioritization determines who AI selects.

[10:11] – A timeout to thank our sponsors.

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[12:57] – Alex talks about how small businesses are already winning or losing in this AI-driven landscape without realizing it.

Many competitors haven’t adapted to AI optimization yet.
SEO used to take 12 months; AI optimization can move faster.
Winning means understanding what AI looks for and reverse-engineering from there.

[15:25] – Alex talks about how to position your content so AI recommends your CRM partner over competitors.

AI looks for six key signals:
- Clarity (what you do, for whom, why you’re different)
- Consistency (aligned messaging everywhere)
- Authority (credible presence across the web)
- Proof (case studies, quantified outcomes)
- Freshness (recent, relevant content)
- Specificity (clear niche positioning)

[17:57] – Alex tells that it is smart to ask AI how it came to its recommendation.

Ask AI what it recommends and where it sourced information.
Use those sources as a roadmap for content strategy.
Start improving visibility immediately using that intelligence.

[18:41] –Alex talks about where AI-driven discovery is headed in the next 12–24 months.

AI will become the default discovery layer.
Many purchase decisions will happen before users ever visit your site.
AI referrals can be 5–20x more valuable than traditional search traffic.
Google is increasingly showing AI overviews and moving toward AI-first results.

[19:53] – Alex talks about how Meridian helps businesses increase AI visibility.

Defines target queries clients want to win.
Analyzes how AI currently recommends solutions.
Builds a prioritized, data-driven roadmap to improve visibility.
Optimizes across the six core signals AI values.

[20:39] – Call to action.

Alex Dees LinkedIn – Connect with Alex on LinkedIn.
Alex Dees X – Connect with Alex on X.
Meridian – Get an AI to recommend your brand. Check out Alex’ website to learn more about Meridian and access case studies, testimonials, and free resources.

[21:20] – Alex gives his final take away.

Start marketing to AI, not just humans.
Define your AI-proof trust footprint.
Be brutally clear about who your product is for, who it’s not for, and why you’re different.
Publish that clarity across your website, socials, reviews, and trusted platforms.

[22:40] – Thank you to our Sponsors!

HighLevel: The ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies! Learn more at HighLevelFire.com!
Thrivetime Show: Make 2026 your best year yet! Start your transformation by attending the world’s highest rated business growth workshop taught personally by Clay Clark, featuring Football Star & Entrepreneur, Tim Tebow, and President Trump’s Son, Eric Trump, at ThrivetimeShow.com/eofire!

Killer Resources!

1) The Common Path to Uncommon Success: JLD’s 1st traditionally published book! Over 3000 interviews with the world’s most successful Entrepreneurs compiled into a 17-step roadmap to financial freedom and fulfillment!

2) Free Podcast Course: Learn from JLD how to create and launch your podcast!

3) Podcasters’ Paradise: The #1 podcasting community in the world!