Videocom

This one-man company almost   managed to connect three other companies to develop a new and more   competitive firm. He put Collabratec into several great opportunities.

Challenges

He had written a business plan   that was, to be gentle, pitiful.

Solutions

While he was working on politics   and structure, I wrote the business plan. My first.

Results

A venture capitalist reviewed the   plan and made special effort to compliment me, even though his investment did   not produce any ROI.

Western Atlas

Note: This was Market   Engineering’s first contract and second contracts. Strategic Pre-Planning was   not yet conceived. Just the clear idea that technology development required   input and partnership with marketing. This contract provided credibility for   Texaco’s contract.

Challenges

Though the largest and most   successful service provider in the oil exploration industry, Western was   always looking ahead. As with most companies of the time, “marketing” was   understood as tactical… brochures, mailings, trade shows, demonstrations.

Solutions

Market Engineering was invited to   do a workshop, based on Lundquist’s visibility and success at Sierra   Geophysics. The offer was to take notes at an industry trade show and return   intelligence about what other companies were doing.

Results

The industry was in a time of   change. Computing was rapidly integrating entire businesses. I framed the   changes as Platform Integration, Process integration, Information   integration, and Work-Group integration. Research listed included elements   (e.g., user interfaces) and benefits of integration and the size of effort   required. (e.g., retraining of product development staff. I also provided   current strategies (visible at the trade show) of major competitors,   including my previous company, Sierra Geophysics.

Western Atlas Software

Western went rapidly into   workstation technologies for both internal use and licensing to clients.

Challenges

Adapt my experience in one company   to serve another company. Help a client company adapt to industry changes   found by market research.

Solutions

Rather than copy existing   technologies, I helped Western teams to envision next generation systems. I   was, at the time, the driver of Sierra’s market facing product lines. I had   the background to develop skills in Western by asking questions rather than   asserting my own opinions.

Results

Then I made my worst mistake as a   consultant. I did make state that opinion while going over the head of my   primary contact. I was shut out. Very valuable, yet very discouraging lesson.

WhiteStar

WhiteStar was an early adopter of   digital mapping while serving a wide range of industries, including the oil   industry.

Challenges

Growth would come from two broad   markets: traditional clients and the new digital systems that would benefit   from WhiteStar’s platforms. The strategy was to provide integrated mapping in   that could be embedded into other products.

Solutions

The CEO was skeptical of marketing   and, in particular, branding as keys to attracting partners as opposed to   direct contact sales that had served the company well for over two decades.

Results

Unknown. Market Engineering’s   contract was not extended.