Fluid Design

For as long as I've been designing websites, I've almost always designed using a fluid design- one that is set up so that it 'fits' the screen of the viewer, as often as possible. Obviously you can't fit everyone's screen, because some people use a small portion of their monitor to view the internet, saving another portion for their other open apps.
However, I feel this is the best way to go for most sites. If I use tables in the design, I set them so that they only use a percentage of the screen size. I did have a client who had purchased a template online, and we made some adjustments to it to customize for their site - he actually pulled out a ruler and showed me that the lines on each side of the design were not the same width, even though I had them set at the same pixel width. He also wanted the site to be perfect on his monitor, which was a fairly large one...
The problem with making a site 'perfect' on your monitor? You're forgetting that your customer is who you should be building your site for. My goal for website customers is to make a site that visitors can easily navigate, will enjoy viewing, looks good on their monitor, and is easily readable to them. That usually means, among other things, that I don't set exact font sizes in the design, but rather set it at 'large' or 'medium' according to how the font looks.
I do this for one simple reason - if I am on a site with tiny print, I will hold my CTRL button and use the scroll wheel on my mouse to enlarge it - if that doesn't work, I usually don't hang around very long. Life is too short to strain my eyes trying to read something in microscopic print.
Any site needs to look good, but it's most important that viewers can use it easily - and if they can't, what is that saying to them? "If you're not cool enough to use this site, then we don't want your business" is what it says to me. And I don't want to be responsible for a site that's saying that.

Seasonal ideas

If you have a website, do you update it for seasonal changes? Obviously, you don't want to do a total remake several times a year, but it is always a good idea to acknowledge the holidays and seasons of the year.
My favorite search engine is Google; if you've never seen the way they honor different holidays, visit this page - it's their 'museum' of logos.
I know you can't do something on the same scale, but you can support your favorite holidays. As an example, during the Christmas holidays, I make a slight change to my logo, then link it from my main page, to a retelling of the Christmas story from the book of Luke. Starting this next year, I plan to do something similar for the Easter season - after all, the main purpose of Christmas' gift is fulfilled in Easter.
Think about it, and see what ideas you and your designer can come up with to celebrate the holidays and seasons that are important to you.

The Accidental Salesperson

A few years ago I was offered a short-term position as a radio ad salesperson; to prepare for that job I visited my favorite bookstore and found a copy of the book "The Accidental Salesperson" by Chris Lytle. It's been one of the best investments I ever made for my career.
Lytle uses unorthodox methods to make his points, including suggestions for movies to watch on how to NOT be a successful salesperson. And like a good preacher, he finds lessons in all kinds of situations, including an airport shoe shine man.
Make sure you read all the way to the end of the book - there's a special section on Chris' website that is accessible only to readers of the book.
And if you're thinking "But I'm not a salesperson", remember, everybody is a salesperson in some part of their life. While the book is geared towards advertising sales, it can be translated to other types of marketing.
This is a great system, and Chris also offers marketing emails several times a week, that are also helpful.
If you need a good boost in your sales career, find this book and buy it. At about $18, it's worth every penny. Buy it, read and study it, and get the system in gear. You'll be glad you did.