If you’re interested in selling your products on Alibaba, here’s a quick walk through of what you’ll need to get started.

1. Register for Your Account

First, you’ll need to sign up for an Alibaba account. Registering for an account is pretty straightforward, and all you’ll need is a valid email address, your name and the name, location, and phone number of your company. At this time, you’ll also have the opportunity to choose the type of account you’d like: a seller account, buyer account or a hybrid of both.

2. Establish Your Company Profile

After verifying your account via email, you’ll need to set up your company profile, also known as your company page. Keep in mind that this is the information that potential buyers (or sellers, if you’re interested in becoming a buyer as well) will see, and so you’ll want to be as thorough as possible.

Generally speaking, you’ll need to include the following information:

• Type of business
• Location
• Products you plan to sell
• Company size
• Target markets (where you hope to sell your product(s)/service(s)

A thorough profile will instill confidence in potential partners, and taking the time to provide accurate information when you set up your profile can go a long way in securing future business.

3. List Your Products

Obviously, to sell your products on Alibaba, you’ll need to list them, and similar to providing complete business information, you’ll also want to provide detailed descriptions and images of the products you choose to list. By providing accurate and thorough descriptions, you can increase product reach and attract potential buyers

While the product listing itself is important, the amount of products you list can also play a vital role in your success as an Alibaba seller. If your product page only includes 5-10 products, your page will appear empty or incomplete. Furthermore, the more products you have, the more likely you are to show up in product search results, which translates to more exposure and a higher chance at securing partners.

4. Be a Quality Communicator

If you haven’t noticed yet, in many ways, perception is key to success. Creating a sense of integrity and confidence with regards to your brand is essential to maximizing any Alibaba partnerships. And while a stellar company page and detailed product descriptions can go a long way, they don’t always close the deal.

5. Consider a Gold Membership

It’s free to join Alibaba, but for those interested in really harnessing everything it has to offers, especially the customer base and site functionality, a Gold Membership may be worth considering. Currently, there are three different Gold Membership Levels: Basic, Standard and Premium.

Each of these levels offer members their own custom web page; priority rankings in their search results; unlimited product postings (free memberships cap at 50); and the ability to quote buying requests. Additionally, each level has access to product showcases, which according to Alibaba, can translate into 100 times more product views.

6. Take Advantage of Alibaba Resources

Alibaba has a plethora of educational and training resources that can help business owners make the most of the tools and functionalities that they provide. From the basics of foreign trade and industry analysis to e-commerce and Alibaba basics, users who did into their learning center are bound to find information that can aid in increasing profits.