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This is also known as “drinking your own champagne,” but somehow the “dog food” phrasing seems more catchy. Its is not “practicing what you preach,” though that is a subset. It is about using your own products to run your business, and showing ROI to customers. Three companies that do this extremely well are:

• Tableau software‘s mission is to help people see and understand data. The software itself is an absolute gem, saying it is “a spreadsheet on steroids” does it no justice. Tableau’s marketing department can offer any of its internal users to present on how they run analytics and reporting. These speakers do double duty, they show thought leadership on their function as well as their use of Tableau.
• Riverbed Technology Inc. makes users and IT happy with best in class application and network acceleration. Users get a fast, reliable experience and the IT teams look like heroes. The Riverbed CIO is the most credible spokesperson to show how the company is increasing employee productivity with its products.
• Cisco Systems Inc. is legendary in using its technology in house. From its intranet, to wireless, to phone systems, and gold-plated security, Cisco has more show than tell when presenting to customers. The credibility of showcasing internal projects is priceless.

There are more examples, but the point here is to ask what is your organization promise or what are you “selling?” Do you heartily consume your own products? If you are an airline, would your employees prefer a different airline if no one was watching? If you are a university, do you run it with the same business acumen that you teach your MBA students? If you are a consulting company that optimizes processes to improve productivity and efficiency for your clients, can you show case your internal processes as best in class?