The SQUEEZE: Creating an enthusiastic and motivated corporate culture is important to ensuring the company’s brand is represented consistently externally. This objective gives rise to topics concerning how to get employees to buy into the business brand. Susan M. Drake, Michelle J. Gulman, and Sara M. Roberts address the concerns of developing internal marketing objectives. In “Light Their Fire: Using Internal Marketing to Ignite Employee Performance and Wow Your Customers,” Drake, Gulman, and Roberts teach companies how to help their employees understand the brand before marketing to real-world customers. Employees are important assets, but they are also customers. They must be convinced of a company’s product before they can market it. One of their important strategies includes teaching company executives how to build employee loyalty. “Light Their Fire” is ideal for small business owners, business executives, and human resource managers. It is a practical read.

Notable Endorsement: None.

Common Q’s Answered by this Book:

• What is internal marketing?
• How do you use training as a marketing tool?
• What are the strategies for creating an internal brand?
• What are the eight steps to implementing a successful internal marketing program?
• What are examples of internal and external threats to corporate culture?
• What is the meaning for the acronym SMART?

About the Author: Susan M. Drake has written multiple books on integrated curriculum development. Recent titles include: “Creating Standards-Based Integrated Curriculum: The Common Core Standards Edition” and “Meeting Standards Through Integrated Curriculum.” Michelle Gulman is an author and expert on the subject of internal marketing and brand management. Sara Roberts is the President and CEO of Roberts Golden Consulting, a change management firm based in San Francisco, CA. Roberts works closely providing large-scale change solutions for Cisco Systems, FedEx, and Hilton Hotels. Roberts is also a contributor to numerous publications including BusinessWeek, Inc. Roberts completed a master’s degree in instructional technology through the University of Nebraska. For more information, visit: www.robertsgolden.com.

Book Vitals:

Publisher: Kaplan Publishing (June 2005)