Building a Brand from the Inside Out w/ Michelle Herl
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In this episode of the He Said, She Said: Razor Branding™ Podcast, Jaci and Michael sit down with Michelle Herl, Vice President of Marketing at SOR Controls Group, to talk about what it really takes to build a marketing function from the ground up inside a mid-size industrial manufacturer – and keep it growing for more than 25 years. Michelle shares how she started with no office, no budget, and catalogs hanging from wires, and turned it into a seat at the leadership table. She also breaks down how SOR manages a house of brands across three distinct product lines – SOR, SSi, and SENSOR – and why educating your internal team on brand structure matters just as much as reaching customers. From building a strategic planning system that keeps the one pager club at bay, to winning over the CFO by watching the bottom line like a marketer who actually cares about money, this conversation is full of real-world lessons for anyone trying to make marketing matter in a complex B2B environment.
Key Takeaways
- Getting the house in order before going to market is essential, especially in manufacturing and industrial B2B
- Earning a seat at the leadership table takes time, but it starts with proving that marketing drives strategy, not just tactics
- Managing a house of brands requires consistent internal education across sales teams, partners, and leadership
- A structured planning system with clear priorities keeps marketing focused and protects the team from reactive one-off requests
- Building trust with finance means watching expenses, questioning invoices, and showing that marketing is accountable to the bottom line
- Differentiating through people, not just products, creates authentic brand moments that competitors cannot replicate
Listen wherever you get your podcasts or at razorbranding.org
