I read a piece in the Aug. 28 issue of EE Times (page 6) about a global survey conducted by Walker Information on loyalty among customers of the semiconductor industry. The survey also made a distinction between truly loyal customers (29 percent) and satisfied ones (65 percent). The survey got me thinking about my own behavior.

There are two businesses that are my loyalty leaders: my barber and a restaurant. Then there are a few that are loyalty laggards. I don't do business with the laggards. The rest are in loyalty limbo because I'm satisfied with the experience but it doesn't rise to the level of making them a loyalty leader. They get a small chunk of our family spend. Then there are the doctors, who get a big chunk of our family spend. In a sense, we're trapped.

My guess is there are a number of engineers and managers who read this paper who also feel trapped into doing business with a particular semiconductor supplier. Ouch!

My barber tops the list of loyalty leaders. These days, my barber is a 71-year-old woman, a retired surgical nurse who got bored with retirement, went to barber school and joined a shop in town. The owner of the shop is also a woman, and both tonsorial wizards have a humorous insight into the struggles one faces on the downside of life. Getting a haircut is fun.

Since I work out of my home, Barbara and I go to lunch every day, a nice late-life perk after spending so many years on the road. A local restaurant is our loyalty leader. It's locally owned and the owners are active in the business, waiting on customers or working the kitchen. And they take time to say hello even if it means a quick break from kitchen duties. They also make us feel like they really care about us, and they do. Eating lunch isn't just about food; it's about the experience.

My guess is if you're an engineer or manager, chances are you have the same experience with the suppliers who have earned the loyalty leader position. They genuinely care about earning your business and how they might solve your problems. And they aren't there just to pitch the product of the month because some dude back at the store has given the marching orders to make the monthly numbers. Loyalty counts.