L2v, good post! Your thinking in this regard exemplifies imo the reasons you were obviously a very successful salesman/sales manager.
"I like that marketing strategy a lot. Give the product guys something they really want and need, have them run it up their management chain with all of the reasons why it's a good idea, and THEN,.... HAVE THOSE BIG HITTERS bring their patent licensing folks into the discussion. Different meeting."
The primary lesson for a young salesman is that he must get through to and convince the M-A-N to be successful. No matter how big or small the client is, a salesman has gotta be dealing with a client with access to the Money necessary, the Authority to spend it, and the Need for your product.
This approach may be the explanation for IDCC's success and/or lack of success in their licensing efforts. For instance, maybe they don't see companies like IP Wireless as financially viable as a licensing target at this time because they don't have the Money; or an LG may be out of the fold thus far due to the 'cultural factors' involved with an Asian Company and we have been unable to get through to the folks at LG with the Authority; and likewise we have been unsuccessful with the MOT's and NOK's because they are not convinced yet of the Need to license or pay for IDCC ipr (F&J are working on this as we speak I imagine).
I think you are correct in your description of the not so subtle changes brought about by Merritt in IDCC's strategy. They are now focusing on the M-A-N by coupling product offerings with the heretofore "tax collector" nature of previous licensing efforts.
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