Ho-Hum employees? "Lighting Their Fire" is Job One... for hotel managers. A "hot" new book explains that firing up your people is the first step toward firing up profits. And-- surprise-- it's way more than an "HR thing."

What does "internal marketing" mean to you? Too many leaders associate the phrase with such uninspiring tools as, say, the company mission statement slapped on a bulletin board in the break room... or a dull-as-dishwater company newsletter... or maybe a holiday party that people feel obligated to attend. Such leaders assume internal marketing is in the realm of HR. But according to Susan M. Drake, selling your brand promise to employees is a critical function that should begin at the loftiest level of your organization.

"Effective internal marketing is a CEO-level priority," asserts Drake, president of Spellbinders and co-author of Light Their Fire: Using Marketing to Ignite Embloyee Performance and WOW Your Customrs (Dearborn Trade Publishing 2005). "It's all about getting employees to love your brand so they, in turn, will convince guests to love it."

Most employees are not enthusiastic pushers of their company's brand promise, products, and name. It's a sobering thought, and one with serious implications for your financial bottom line. No wonder Spellbinders constantly emphasizes to its clients-- including big names like FedEx and Hilton Hotels-- that creating an organization that employees want to shout about is the most important priority for a leader.

In other words, there is nothing a CEO can focus on that's more important than "lighting the fire" of the people who work for him or her. For practical examples, just take a look at the contents of Light Their Fire. It covers:

• The various internal audiences that exist for most organizations
• The need to adapt your messages by audience
• The role of different communications vehicles, from meetings to emails to conferences
• How to combine different communications tools for maximum effectiveness
• Methods for measuring the effectiveness of your messages
• Getting more mileage from your orientation and training programs by using them as marketing tools

Here are just a few insights and suggestions from Light Their Fire:

Realize that "E" employees WOW customers. What are "E" employees? Well, the "E" stands for "Engaged, Enabled, Empowered, and Ensured." Drake describes such workers as "people whose passion for what they do erases the boundaries of service." She relates two very different examples to illustrate her point:

• Drake was enjoying a manicure at an Elizabeth Arden spa in Chicago when someone smelled smoke. Everyone calmly evacuated the building and gathered at the entrance. The manicurist suggested that Drake take a seat on a stack of lumber (the building was being renovated)... and proceeded to finish the manicure on the sidewalk. "One employee who put my needs first cemented my favorable feelings about the Red Door," she writes.
• A truck driver was transporting a load of cows across the country. Although he would normally spend the night in his 18-wheeler, the cows were mooing so much he couldn't sleep. He checked into a Hampton Inn hotel (a Spellbinders client, incidentally) and, after a good night's sleep, mentioned the problem to the breakfast hostess. She informed him that the poor cows needed milking, and helped him contact someone to help. "We all know that this person's job description certainly didn't include milking cows," write the authors. "But that was an unimportant detail to her. She understood that her job was to take care of guests."

Let employees know that they can-- and must-- go to such lengths to keep your customers happy and they'll be well on their way to "E"-hood.

About the Authors
Susan M. Drake is president and founder of Spellbinders, Inc., an award-winning marketing and communications company. She is the author of six books. Co-author Sara M. Roberts is the founder of Roberts Golden Consulting, a San Francisco-based change management and organizational development firm. Michelle J. Gulman is a management consultant and entrepreneur based in New York.