Corporate Account Manager
CREMER
This week, Women in Chemicals is proud to spotlight Norma Brinson, Corporate Account Manager at CREMER North America. Norma's career has taken her from HR and product management at Estée Lauder to a 15 year journey at CREMER, where she expanded the company's Latin American business, trained and mentored new sales talent, and today focuses on driving company growth. Along the way, she raised two sons as a single mother, competed in two fitness competitions in her late 40s, and built a leadership style grounded in candor, transparency, and giving credit. In our conversation, Norma shares why understanding the "why" matters, how culture shapes the way we sell, and why every woman should consider mentoring someone.
The Road to Sales: As a college freshman, Norma was not sure what to focus on, so she took an assessment test. It suggested a career in sales. At first she rejected the idea, and instead earned a degree in Spanish with a minor in business, planning to teach. Corporate America had other plans. She found she could earn more than teaching would offer, and she began her career coordinating HR activities.
After moving to New York, Norma managed products at Estée Lauder, but she did not move into sales until she returned to Texas. After taking time off to stay home with her one year old, she realized being a stay at home mom was not for her. She applied for a role as a bilingual customer representative and managed accounts across the US and Mexico. Her clients wanted to meet in person, and her strong performance led to a move into sales, where she traveled often and built lasting customer relationships.
An Interview She Didn’t See Coming: Norma met CREMER employees at a neighboring booth at a tradeshow. They asked her a detailed series of questions, then took her to lunch to continue the conversation. It turned out to be an interview, and they offered her a job. Based in Houston, she expanded CREMER's Latin American operations, traveling easily to Mexico City and other key cities.
In 2016, she was promoted to Regional Sales Manager, where she trained a team of recent graduates and even wrote a "101 Crash Course on Sales" training book. In 2021, she became Sales Talent and Key Account Manager, effectively handling two roles in one. When CREMER acquired a service business, she made sure to learn the new products and customer base thoroughly, leaning on her visual learning style, before she started selling. Following a management change in 2025, she moved into her current role as Corporate Account Manager.
To Norma, selling a service and selling chemicals are not so different. It is all sales. You find customers, gather documentation, send samples, meet with the technical team, and work with customer service on the purchase order. The steps vary a little, but the formula stays the same: stay engaged, follow through, and win.
Leading with Candor, Transparency, and Credit: When Norma began managing people, she wanted training and support, and CREMER provided it. She enrolled in a program built around the book Winning, which emphasized candor, respect, communicating with direct reports, and validating their work. Her approach is to be transparent, communicate clearly, set clear expectations, and review goals in regular one on one meetings. You should not wait all year, she advises; by the final meeting of the year, it should be a quick review.
Giving credit is just as important. Norma ensured her team members received credit for their achievements, and were celebrated and recognized. Many of her former direct reports have spread their wings and gone on to very successful careers.
Why the "Why" Matters: People starting out need guidance, and Norma has seen that firsthand. She was once asked to help a direct report fresh out of college who was struggling. She had him travel with her and shadow everything she did. Her philosophy with customers is that the first meeting happens in the office, but by the second meeting, you get out of the office and get to know them personally.
He learned fast. He stayed for three years, is successful today, and for the past year has even been the boss of Norma's youngest son. If you create a path and make things clear for people, she says, they will be successful. Communicating the why is important, and you should do it because you care.
Selling Across Cultures: Can sales translate across regions? For Norma, it comes down to culture. Latin American culture is passionate, family oriented, and expressive, with warm greetings like hugs, and you need to understand that. The US market is more professional, with no hugging and only occasional talk about family. Norma understands both cultures and adapts accordingly, and she believes understanding those cultural nuances is essential.
Her bilingual skills have also made her a trusted voice in hiring. When Norma was working at Mary Kay Corporate, the company president needed a bilingual hire, Norma interviewed several candidates entirely in Spanish and narrowed the field to three. The evaluation included writing a letter and a reading exercise. Only one candidate excelled at both, and Norma's choice proved to be the right one.
Resilience as a Single Mother: In 2008, Norma went through a divorce and was co-parenting her two boys, who were in middle school. When the recession hit, she lost her job. Rather than rush, she took the time to find a company that would support a healthy life and work balance. She landed a remote position at CREMER, where she owned her schedule. When her sons stayed with their dad, she traveled to see customers.
There are rough times in life, Norma says, but women are resilient, and you simply do what you need to do. At the time, she did not even realize she was stressed. She was just doing her job. Those 12 years taught her hard work, dedication, focus, and how to show up for both her customers and her kids. She calls them a blessing: she spent quality time with her children while focusing on herself and her career, earning promotions, mentoring others, and competing in fitness competitions.
Taking On a New Challenge: After her divorce, Norma decided to focus on herself. She saw fit women and asked herself, "Can I do that?" Even with a million other things going on, she talked to a trainer and signed up for a fitness competition in her late 40s. Training meant an hour at the gym every day and a strict meal schedule. She froze her meals, traveled with her food, and trained in hotel gyms. She was upfront with her customers, who supported her and watched her progress along the way.
After earning a medal in her first competition, Norma decided to do a second one just for fun, this time with a different trainer and nutritionist. CREMER, which values its employees' personal goals, learned about her journey and featured her in its magazine. The article's theme was resilience: women, and really anyone, can do anything if they stay focused and dedicated, keep going until they reach their goal, and then get ready for the next one.
Advice to the Women in Chemicals Community: Norma has been mentoring young account managers for 10 years, because she believes women sometimes just need a push. Her advice to the Women in Chemicals community is to go out and mentor someone. Helping someone grow brings immense satisfaction, and you never know how many people need that help. If you are ready to get started, consider applying to the Women in Chemicals mentorship program.