The term "real world" surface analysis is often used in opposition to "academic" surface analysis. The distinction is conventionally viewed as being a matter of single crystal studies under ultra high vacuum in the academic case, vs. everything else in the real world case. In reality there is, of course, some overlap between the two, but it is true that industrial analysts must often deal with unknown materials under less than ideal conditions. The following is a far from exhaustive list of the challenges: samples with fingerprints and surface environmental contamination; volatile materials; buried layers, both elemental and organic; complex mixtures such as copolymers and blends with multiple additives; submicron features and defects, possibly on the surface but often buried; insulators; samples too large for most vacuum systems, but which must be preserved and cannot be cut; inhomogeneous materials. More often than not, a multi-instrument approach is needed to address industrial surface analysis problems. The three techniques of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) comprise the backbone of most industrial surface analysis laboratories. Other techniques like infrared spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy are also being increasingly utilized. An important--and sometimes overlooked--aspect of surface analysis is sample preparation, which often turns out to be the key to solving a problem. This talk will use examples from a diverse industrial laboratory to illustrate the synergism between the various surface analysis methods. Emphasis will be placed on organic materials, since a large part of industrial analysis is concerned with polymers and other organics. New sample preparation methods for XPS and time-of-flight SIMS will be described which extend the capabilities of these techniques.