Our Process
We rely on (1) a strategic process and (2) our extensive experience in marketing and advertising of travel, tourism and hospitality services to develop comprehensive, interactive marketing and advertising campaigns that produce measurable results. From ACRO, you get more than just a collection of services: we're committed to acting as your trusted guide, fostering a collaborative environment of partnership. Our fundamental approach is to leverage your industry experience along with our own - sharing insights and ideas, and developing unique, custom-built solutions to realize your business goals.
How we begin engagements with new clients
By joining our representation portfolio, you will enjoy increased visibility, more qualified trade and consumer leads, and greater sales and margins, as a result of our positioning you as the leader in your category in your markets of choice.
But we do not enter into into new client engagements lightly.
We prefer to work with clients who:
- Have worked successfully with a professional marketing and advertising agency in the past
- Are willing to fully disclose up front their goals and expectations of the engagement, as well as the budget to be made available
- Acknowledge and respect our expertise and advice
- Are comfortable with entering into a relationship of mutual trust
- Are reasonable and courteous in regard to schedules and timing
- Are able and willing to pay our invoices promptly
- Accept our need to make a fair profit.
Interested in working with us?
So that we may understand your needs, please complete our Prospective Client Questionnaire. We will review your submission and contact you within approximately 7-10 days.
How we interact with tourism-representation and destination-marketing clients
We can act as your organization's advertising, marketing and sales departments in your target markets of choice, inducing and responding to trade and consumer inquiries. We will assign an Account Manager, who will promote your organization's tourism products with strategic input from our Chief Executive Officer.
Discovery conference
We will hold a discovery conference - face-to-face or teleconference - before beginning initial work for any new client or project.
Creative brief
Following the discovery conference, we will develop a creative brief and submit it to you for approval.
Next steps
Having reached agreement on a firm creative brief, to attain your marketing goals, we will take the following steps:
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Drawing upon our knowledge of the target markets, work with you to discover and develop your most appealing Unique Selling Proposition
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Promote your product to consumers and the trade via Web sites, media releases, print advertising, and direct postal-mail and e-mail marketing
- Build and maintain relationships with key members of the travel trade
- Participate in trade and consumer travel shows
- Distribute your brochures
- Respond to trade, media and consumer inquiries on your behalf
Reports
You will receive monthly reports detailing any new market and competitor research along with our marketing and sales activities on your behalf, the results obtained, key performance indicators, and planned actions for the following month.
Confidentiality
In the course of providing our services we may acquire knowledge of confidential aspects of your business. We value this knowledge and will not share it with anyone. We will execute a non-disclosure agreement if you so desire.
Velocity
Responsiveness is important to us; we will return all phone calls and e-mails in a timely manner. We also understand that deadlines
are important; we will do everything possible to meet and/or exceed any deadlines to which you are working.
Proposals
Our proposals outline the planned scope of work and
budget requirements, and include billing rates for specific deliverables.
Agreements
Execution of an agreement is necessary before we begin work for any client.
Change orders
Clients may request and approve additional work outside the original scope via written change orders.
Partners
We have a dependable network of highly qualified associates to turn to when a project requires work that is outside of our immediate range of services. We work closely with these associates to ensure the product or service they deliver meets our high standards and our clients' needs.
Meetings
Because time - both yours and ours - is valuable, we wish to keep meeting time to a minimum. Before meeting with you, we will provide an agenda. We will start and end meetings on time.
Accounting
Credit
We perform credit checks on all prospective clients, and periodically on existing clients.
Pricing
We prefer to price all work on a project basis, and will normally do so except in the case of projects that stretch the boundaries of established best practices. To the extent possible, we will estimate all projects in advance. Hourly rates will apply if the nature of the project is such that accurate estimation is not possible, or if for any reason estimated work expands beyond the original parameters of the estimate.
Fees and billing
- For projects totaling under US$2,000, we will pre-bill one-half of the project total upon execution of an agreement, and the balance upon completion of the project.
- For projects totaling between US$2,000 and US$10,000, we will pre-bill an initial deposit equaling 50% of the project estimate upon execution of an agreement, and bill the remaining charges monthly as they occur.
- For projects totaling over US$10,000, we will pre-bill an initial deposit equaling 25% of the
project estimate upon execution of an agreement, and bill the remaining charges monthly as they occur.
- We offer a discount of 10% for projects of any size when fees are paid entirely in advance.
Reimbursable expenses; markups
We bill expenses incurred on your behalf at our cost plus 15%. Such expenses might include outside services such as Web hosting or printing; licensing of software owned by third parties; etc.
Media commissions
We will retain any media commissions earned for placement on your behalf. We will bill any noncommissionable media placements at our cost plus 15%.
Statements; payment terms
We provide statements monthly. All balances are due net 30 days. A service charge of 5% per month will be added to stateall balances not paid within 30 days. Payment must remain current for us to proceed with any further work.
Disputes
We prefer to resolve disputes in person and with a one-on-one meeting. If a dispute arises, please call your ACRO contact immediately. Your dispute will be directed to and handled by the President of ACRO Corporation. As a last resort, our agreements specify that for purposes of venue, the agreement has been entered into in Sagadahoc County, Maine, USA, and that any dispute will be litigated in Sagadahoc County, Maine, USA.
We encourage clients to visit us...
Open-door policy
We encourage our clients to stop by our office during regular hours, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern time. But if you wish to meet wth a specific member of our team, please call before coming.
Getting here
Our Maine office is located near the center of Boothbay Harbor. You can follow this link to see directions and a map.
Lodging
If you will be staying in Boothbay Harbor overnight, there are several nearby hotels from which to choose:
Linekin Bay Resort (Seasonal)
92 Wall Point Road
Boothbay Harbor
207-633-2494
866-847-2103
mark@linekinbayresort.com |
Boothbay Harbor Inn (Seasonal)
31 Atlantic Avenue
Boothbay Harbor
207-633-6302
800-533-6302
info@boothbayharborinn.com |
Flagship Inn (Year-Round)
200 Townsend Avenue
Boothbay Harbor
207-633-5094
800-660-5094
info@boothbaylodging.com |
For more information about the Boothbay Region, please see the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce site.
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