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Should I volunteer?
We all get the calls.  Can you sit on this committee?  Can you work this event?  Can you make a 
donation?   A few quick tips for when to say “yes” and kind phrases to help you say “no”: 

Consider saying yes if:

• You want to support the cause.
• You want to help the person asking you to volunteer.
• It fits into your marketing plan (Do you have a marketing plan?)
• It’s a win‐win opportunity where you’ll get visibility and be able to connect with
• potential synergy partners.
• It will bring you joy.

Kind ways to say no:

• “It is a worthy cause.  I can’t actually volunteer but would it help if insert something you  can do.
• “I plan my donations and volunteer time on an annual basis.  Can you call me back in
• November so I can fit you in next year?”   “My budget is limited and I have other causes that seem to be a better match for my  business.  Can you call me when the target market better matches my customer base?”
• “I could say yes, but I know I’d disappoint you by missing the meetings.  My schedule is  too tight right now.  Best of luck.”

If necessary, actually write out your marketing plan.  Schedule, in writing, volunteer and donation opportunities that will help you meet your business and personal objectives. When 
you’re done, celebrate the fact that you made your decisions in a thoughtful manner and no 
longer have to   “decide‐on‐the‐fly”.

Sue Kinch, President of Fresh Eyes Business Services, can be reached at (248)572‐4405 or at 
sue@fresheyes.cc

Q: What is the primary function of a web site home page? 
A: To help potential and existing customers move one step  closer to buying by making it easy for them find the content  they want.

• Does the overall first impression of your homepage convey a sense of professional competence and grab attention?
• What information are your potential customers likely looking for? Is there good visibility for these high‐demand information areas? (Psst…customers don’t really care about our mission statements. Complexity, industry jargon, long paragraphs and flashing marketing messages repel visitors. )
• Can the visitor glean a clear sense of your core business without reading your opening paragraph?
• Does your home page include a concise list of benefits to the visitor? Is there a bulleted list of compelling reasons why the visitor should choose your company instead of a competitor?
• Is contact information including a phone number and physical location clearly visible?
• Does your home page make it easy for the visitor to find the information they are looking for?
• Is there an easy link to third party validation (testimonials) to establish creditability?
• Is there an easy link for the visitor to give feedback or ask a question?
• Is there a clear path to the “next step”?  What do you want the visitor to do?
• Is the information on your home page up‐to‐date & accurate?
• Consider including links to frequently asked questions and actually answer the questions. Quick accurate information builds credibility. Vague, sales‐like answers are a turn off to everyone.

Investing an hour or two in upgrading your Home Page might be the least expensive yet most effective 
marketing decision you make this month.   

Sue Kinch, President of Fresh Eyes Business Services, can be reached at (248)572‐4405 or at 
sue@fresheyes.cc

Do my employees feel valued?

Turnover is expensive!  What am I doing to keep good employees?  Have I explored every 
“employee benefit” option available? When is the last time I put myself in my employees' shoes 
and looked at my business from their perspective?  
While our employees understand that times are tough, they are tired of hearing about it.  We 
all know cash bonuses are the #1 requested “perk” but if you can't do cash bonuses, do 
something else. It is easy to get in the habit of managing behaviors and processes and forget 
that we are managing people. Think of one low‐cost creative way to say thank you this month.

Maybe the ideas below can serve as a springboard:

• Write a note to an employee’s spouse listing the employee attributes you admire.
• Take an employee for a cup of coffee.  Say thank you.  Discuss no other work topics. Ask   questions so the entire conversation is about the employee and what is happening in his/her personal life.
• For one day, field all phone calls so employees can “catch up” on their desk work uninterrupted.
• Buy a book of 5 car washes; give out coupons every time someone does a "sparkling" job on a project.
• Create a scrapbook where you can record employee successes.

Identify one fresh thing you can do to make your employees feel valued and do it by the end of 
the week.  When you are done, celebrate moving your business forward one small step.

Sue Kinch, President of Fresh Eyes Business Services, can be reached at (248)572‐4405 or at 
sue@fresheyes.cc

Should I consider professional email marketing for my business?
Professional email marketing is a cost effective way to contact prospects and existing customers allowing you to 
improve your bottom line. Professional email marketing can strengthen business relationships, build customer 
loyalty and deliver measurable results. It’s worth considering. 

Is there a downside to shooting off emails to everyone in my address book?
If you do a so‐so job on emails, because you’re short on time or knowledge, readers will think you do a so‐so job on 
everything else. Unprofessional email marketing can turn happy customers into unhappy non‐customers and ruin 
your professional reputation. Poorly worded email content or incomplete disclaimers on specials can generate 
significant expense. Further, sending unprofessional emails could land your IP address on blacklists and cause 
future emails to be blocked by filters. 

What can I do to increase the chances of my emails actually being delivered, opened and read?

• Consider hiring Fresh Eyes Business Services to teach you about email marketing or to handle your email marketing campaigns.
• Only mail to legitimate contacts who would expect an email from you. Bounce backs and spam reports
• will cause future emails to be blocked. Continuously build your email list and keep it clean.
• Provide value to the reader every time and choose a delivery time that works for your audience.
• Establish and keep a reasonable schedule.
• If advertising a “special”, make it special or the reader will never open another email from you.
• Use a clear and consistent FROM name that is recognizable to the reader.
• Include “opt out”, “add us to your address book” and “forward to a friend” options.
• Use short and informative subject lines, avoid long paragraphs and personalize when possible.
• Avoid ALL CAPS, $ signs, multiple exclamation points!!! and words that alert content‐based spam filters.
• Use a service that allows you to track results, test options and send both HTML and plain text versions.
• Segment lists when possible to improve ability to target content for better results.
• If sending email to @hotmail.com or @msn.com addresses you must be Sender ID compliant, visit
• http://anti‐spamtools.org for information.

How does one build a permission based email list?

• Input email addresses of current customers, one year is the general rule of thumb.
• Input email addresses of current business partners.
• Collect email addresses in your place of business or at point of sale.
• Collect email addresses at trade shows, expos and networking events.
• Add a sign‐up form on your web site, include only the information and segments you will use.
• Send postcards to current mailing list encouraging recipient to sign up.
• Include sign up instructions in all publications, sales receipts, surveys, articles and press releases.
• Do NOT blindly upload third party lists such as chamber members.
• Do NOT harvest emails from web sites.

Sue Kinch, President of Fresh Eyes Business Services, can be reached at (248)572‐4405 or at 
sue@fresheyes.cc

Does your Contact Us page provide value to your reader? To you?
The Contact Us page is one of the most often viewed pages on commercial web sites. Use the check list
below to make your Contact Us page the best it can be.

1. Decide what you want your Contact Us page to do. Generate sales leads? Market research?
2. Help build a client data base?
3. Use a quick and intuitive form to gather only the information you need. Gather names and
4. email addresses but make phone numbers and mailing addresses optional unless you really need them.
5. Consider including links to frequently asked questions and actually answer the questions. Quick accurate information builds credibility. Vague, sales‐like answers are a turn off to everyone.
6. In addition to check boxes or buttons, leave a field for the reader to ask you a specific question in their own words.
7. Let your reader know you will keep their information confidential and actually keep their information confidential.
8. Consider including an image of a person on the contact page. If you know who is going to reply to the emails, use that person’s picture.
9. If you’d prefer a phone call to an email, have your phone number large and visible with a “we’d love to talk to you now” call‐to‐action line on every page of your web site.
10. Tell the prospect when you will respond and respond promptly with concise and accurate information.
11. If a web site guest submits an email, have an automated “thank you, your submission was successful” page.
12. Be sure the link to your Contact Us page is clearly visible on every web page.
13. Include your complete contact information so guest can easily access their preferred method of communication.

Investing an hour or two in upgrading your Contact Us page might be the least expensive yet most effective marketing decision you make this month.

Sue Kinch, President of Fresh Eyes Business Services, can be reached at (248)572‐4405 or at 
sue@fresheyes.cc

Does My Business Provide Basic Customer Service?

If we want customers to pay for our products or services we should earn their business. What type of customer
service does your business provide?

Basic Customer Service Pledge
• We will smile and treat you with respect and courtesy.
• We will offer quality products and services at a fair price.
• We will serve you promptly and be committed to your satisfaction.
• We will respect your privacy and never sell your confidential contact information.
• We will thank you for your business.
Consider indentifying three people who will tell you the truth. Ask them to “secret shop” your business and
complete the following:

Did we smile and treat you with respect and courtesy?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Did we offer quality products and services at a fair price?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Did we serve you promptly and ask if you were satisfied?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
If we collected your contact information, did we tell you what why and what we would do with it?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Did we thank you for your business?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Comments:
If you do not have three people who will tell you the truth, consider hiring someone. Use the information to

Business Location

Where is a good location for my business?
Opening a new business is exciting. Finding the right location to “hang your shingle” is one of the most important business decisions you’ll make. Use the checklist below to help you find your new home
away from home.

1. Location! Easy access for your targeted customer base is essential. For example, if you are a drive through coffee shop you want to be sure to be sure morning commuters can easily exit and enter morning traffic flow.
2. How long does it take you to get to and from location? Do you have easy access to your personal life?
3. Square Footage. Draw a floor plan to make sure there is enough space for your business. Divide the monthly rent by square feet available to compare properties and fairly assess value.
4. Additional Charges. What will you have to pay in addition to rent? Most buildings have triple net charges to cover things like building maintenance, taxes and insurance.
5. Length of Lease. How long is the lease? How much and how often has rent increased in the past? What are future expectations?
6. Design. Who is responsible for build out expenses? Can you paint? Can you install slat wall displays? What are the limitations?
7. Lighting. Does the current lighting meet your needs? If not, who will be responsible for bringing it up to desired standards?
8. Communication. What types of phone and internet lines are available? How much will it cost to get your phones and internet up and running?
9. Utilities. Are utilities included in rent? If not, how are the meters set? Ask to see past bills.
10. What type of insulation does the building have?
11. Parking. Does the facility have adequate parking for your customers?
12. Sign. What sign opportunities come with the location? Be sure to check local ordinances.
13. Neighbors. Do the neighboring businesses share a common target audience? Consider noise
14. Feel. What is your gut telling you?

When you think you’ve made your decision, ask people in your support circle to visit location with
you and tell you what they think. Ask open‐ended non‐leading questions and LISTEN. Don’t force it.
Use the information you’ve gathered in the above steps to make an informed decision that feels right.

Sue Kinch, President of Fresh Eyes Business Services, can be reached at (248)572‐4405 or at 
sue@fresheyes.cc