One of the benefits of an Alibaba.com membership is the full account service provided throughout the entire selling journey. Service providers all over the world work around the clock to ensure sellers get the most out of our platform and one of those service providers is Trademor, based out of Pakistan. In the five years since its inception, Trademor has won several awards and has gone on to become one of the best Alibaba.com account service providers in the world. They have a 75+% retention rate across their client base and onboard more new customers than any other service provider in Pakistan.

What’s your role, and how do you work with Alibaba.com?

Shah Talha Sohail is the Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Trademor and he oversees the day-to-day business operations of the company. Hassaan Yousuf is the Department Head for US accounts and is the main point of contact for US sellers on Alibaba.com. They've worked very closely with Alibaba.com, offering account support for Alibaba.com sellers both local and international.

What is Trademor?

Trademor is an ecommerce service provider that helps businesses start and thrive in online selling. The company was created in 2017 when we saw that local sellers lacked the skills needed to digitize their companies and succeed in ecommerce. Online selling wasn't really big in Pakistan in 2016, but we have a background in advertising and digital media and foresaw the ecommerce revolution, so we decided to help local sellers adapt to the new landscape. Our mission is to empower SMEs to succeed in ecommerce using Alibaba.com, giving them all the training and guidance needed to trade more online.

How do you help Alibaba.com sellers succeed?

We are with our clients from day one. Any question a client has about Alibaba.com, in general or specific, we try our best to answer fully and help them succeed. We've accumulated all the experience and made the mistakes we needed to make to learn all the tips, tricks, and information needed to succeed on the platform, so that we may provide clients a clear series of steps to follow in their path to success. That's why we have a 75% retention rate and were awarded the Diamond Partnership, a global award given to the service provider with the highest retention rate, most new customers, and best overall client satisfaction. Clients are our top priority and we’re extremely committed to helping them succeed. We don't overpromise. We under promise and overdeliver and manage expectations appropriately.

What are some of the main questions sellers have for you?

It differs from client to client but there are some questions all our clients want to know when first starting out in ecommerce.

• Will I succeed?
• Will this work?
• Is this a good business venture for me?
• How long will it take for me to turn a profit?

Once they're onboarded then they start getting into the technical questions.

• How do I upload products to my account?
• How do I showcase my staff and facilities?
• How much do I need to invest in marketing?
• What should I do to show buyers that I'm a genuine seller?

It all depends on the needs of each individual client. Some clients need guidance with their product images or keywords, others want a revenue forecast for the next 12 months. Whatever the query, we leave no question unanswered and utilize our knowledge and experience to best guide them.

What is the best piece of advice you can offer Alibaba.com sellers?

Every client has different expectations and strategies, but the best piece of advice we could give is to be responsive. Respond to every message, be available, and respond in a timely fashion. When a potential buyer sends a message, they've likely sent that message to 10 other sellers, so if you take more than 1 - 2 hours to respond, there's a good chance you're going to lose that buyer. We don't mince words. Succeeding in ecommerce isn't easy. Starting an Alibaba.com membership is like getting a gym membership. You pay for the membership, and then you need to put in the work to get better.

What do you find most rewarding about your role?

We really enjoy when we get a client who is struggling or dissatisfied, and we work really hard to get them from 0 to 100, address all of their concerns, and help them find success on the platform. Then, a few months down the line, when they tell us how much they appreciate what we did for them and how our efforts played a direct role in them achieving their desired result, it feels really good. It's very rewarding to know we give our clients the proper tools and support needed to succeed in the long-term.