Steve is a key member of the US Alibaba.com team, and is the go-to guy for explaining the different services that are available to businesses. While his primary expertise is in sales, Steve also delves into user research to figure out what buyers need and want from the platform as well as what sellers need to be successful. A true roadie at heart, Steve loves to travel and is constantly on the lookout for a good concert. Find out why Steve loves working at Alibaba.com:

What makes Alibaba.com different from other ecommerce platforms?

We're an ally to small businesses. Our customers are very comfortable selling products on Alibaba.com because they know that we are never going to undercut their pricing. It's a B2B platform, so they're in control of the price range. We also have 10 million active buyers spanning over 200 different countries, who aren't just logging in but taking action like submitting inquiries.

What advice do you have for sellers to be successful on Alibaba.com?

My advice to sellers would be to start slow. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme. You don't need to upload your 300,000 product SKUs right away. Take advantage of our US team here—we have experts in logistics and account management that can help your business be successful on the platform.

What are some of the most common questions you get from sellers?

The most common question we get is "Who are my buyers? Am I selling to businesses or direct to customers?" Sellers also want to know how they can compete with Chinese manufacturers. We make it clear is that you can sell in any market, which can actually insulate your business against risk of trade wars and tariffs. A lot of our sellers take advantage of our geotargeting tool so they can select specific countries in the world that they want to market their products to and receive purchase requests from.

Do you have any favorite client stories?

Coalition Apparel was the very first business that I signed up on Alibaba.com. We had a build-up event in Los Angeles, and I met them without realizing we'd already spoken over the phone. They were so excited to meet me in person, and I got the chance to answer some of their more specific questions about certain inquiries they're getting and how to promote their products. It was great to get some face time with them and build that relationship.