We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ema Roloff a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ema, appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

It may sound like a small risk, but it has ended up being a life-changing decision for me. The best risk I have ever taken was posting my first video on LinkedIn during the early days of COVID.

In April of 2020, I realized that the world of sales and marketing had to fundamentally shift and it would never go back to what we had previously known. The tools that I had used to sell for years were no longer going to be effective and decided to try a video-led social selling approach. Posting the first handful of videos felt like a risk. What would people say? Would anyone watch my videos? Would anyone take me seriously as an expert?

It may seem like a small risk to many, but the decision to start my social selling journey completely changed the trajectory of my career. My enterprise sales revenue increased, I built relationships that allowed me to launch my speaking career, and I have now launched a consulting company alongside my husband.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi, I’m Ema! My professional journey is a blend of education, innovation, and sales. Starting my career as a social studies teacher, I always believed in the power of education as a transformative tool. This belief guided me through my transition into corporate training and eventually to enterprise technology sales. My educational approach in sales, focusing on empowering clients with knowledge and insights, has been a cornerstone of my success.

The onset of COVID-19 was a defining moment for many, myself included. With traditional in-person presentations becoming a thing of the past, I shifted gears to digital platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok. This transition allowed me to continue educating and connecting with clients, fostering a new way of business development that resonated with the ‘new normal’.

Alongside my husband James, I co-founded Roloff Consulting. Our mission is to be a catalyst for sales teams navigating the digital landscape. We offer interactive courses and workshops, an engaged online community, and tailored strategy consulting. Our focus is on equipping sales teams with innovative tools and strategies to modernize their approach.

Our approach at Roloff Consulting is rooted in a blend of educational methodology and practical sales experience. We believe in the power of community. Our online platform offers a space for continuous learning and sharing of digital sales and social selling strategies. It’s a place where ideas meet execution, fostering growth and innovation.

I am incredibly proud of our journey from taking a career risk to establishing a thriving consulting company. Our vision is to be more than just consultants; we aim to be enablers of success, helping our clients expand their reach, build authority, and generate revenue through modern sales strategies.

Our goal is to empower businesses to navigate the digital sales landscape confidently and successfully.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I have built my audience slowly over time by creating content that serves my ideal clients in a way that is authentic to me.

My advice to anyone looking to build a brand, personal or professional, is to do the same. Think of yourself as a teacher and get really clear on what “subject” you teach. Once you have that clear in your mind, start creating content that teaches people all about your subject. Start at the 101 level and build from there. Break down the subject in a way that is clear and concise and helps support your audience in making informed decisions.

If you are intentional with the content you create, you will find the right followers find their way to you. With this approach you may not get to a million followers in a month, but you will build an engaged audience that allows you to convert your social channels into revenue streams for your business or career opportunities for you as an individual.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Authenticity and consistency.

My connections, prospects, and customers have a very realistic idea of what working with me will entail because each interaction with me is true to who I am. Regardless of if you meet me at a conference, see me give a presentation, or connect with me online for the first time you will sense who I am. You will sense that I am passionate about helping companies transform the way they work, but you will also quickly realize that I don’t take myself too seriously and strive to make work interesting and engaging. This authenticity allows me to attack the type of customers who resonate with my personality and approach which leads to better working relationships.

My consistency in building my brand shows potential customers that when I set my mind to something I will put the work in to make it happen. An inherent trust is built when you see that someone shows up, day in and day out to provide valuable insights and connections.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.roloffconsulting.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emaroloff/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTxpxIwGqOoZ6HieZVnNVww
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@transformationprincess