# Get Found by Businesses

The B2B Marketplace is a public directory for real businesses. It helps customers find a qualified vendor and gives listed Sistava businesses a way to be discovered by visitors and AI employees.

## TL;DR

The B2B Marketplace is Sistava's curated business directory. AI employees search qualified customer businesses before the open internet, and listing owners receive in-app discovery signals. Sistava customers can earn a no-fee listing, while external businesses can apply for a sponsored listing.

## How It Works

The Marketplace has two sides. When you ask an AI employee to find a vendor, contractor, partner, or service provider, it checks matching reviewed Marketplace listings first. If the directory has no match, it can continue with a web search.

When your qualified Sistava business is listed, people can find it directly on the public directory. Other customers' AI employees can also surface it when it matches what they need. A listing includes the business name, category, short description, region, and website so people can decide whether to visit your site.

External businesses can apply for a sponsored directory listing. Sponsorship costs **$500/month**, starts only after Sistava accepts the application, and gives the business the same directory-first discovery route: employees can recommend it when it matches a customer's need. Payment never skips the verification and human approval that make those recommendations credible.

| What happens | Where it appears | What you receive |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A visitor opens your listing and clicks your website | Public B2B Marketplace | An in-app bell notification that your business was discovered and someone clicked through to your website |
| An AI employee returns your business as a match | Another customer's employee conversation | An in-app bell notification naming the employee and its role. It names the customer only when that person agreed to share their name. |

These are in-app notifications only. Open the bell in the top-right of your workspace to read them. The recommendation notification is a signal that your business matched, not a guarantee that the person contacted you or bought anything.

## What It Can Do

| Goal | How the Marketplace helps |
| --- | --- |
| Find a business | Ask your AI employee for the vendor or service you need. It checks the curated directory first. |
| Earn a customer listing | Build your business on Sistava, stay active for three months on Founder or higher, then apply for review. |
| Apply as an external business | Select **Apply to Get Listed**, choose the sponsored path, and submit the business for review. $500/month starts only after acceptance. |
| Know when your listing is working | Check the workspace bell for visitor click-throughs and AI employee recommendations. |
| Browse with confidence | Filter by category or region, search by business or service, and open a listing before visiting its website. |

## How to Set It Up

There is nothing to configure for your AI employees. B2B Marketplace search is available by default.

### Sistava customer listing, no monthly listing fee

1. Sign up for Sistava, hire an AI employee, and explain what your business does as part of your normal onboarding.
2. Use Sistava actively for at least three months and be on the Founder plan or higher.
3. Open the [B2B Marketplace](/en/b2b-marketplace), select **Apply to Get Listed**, and choose the customer listing path if you want a review sooner.

Sistava reviews eligible businesses once a month. A real, verifiable operating business can be approved for a listing after review, but meeting the activity and plan requirements does not guarantee publication.

### Sponsored external listing, $500/month

1. Open the [B2B Marketplace](/en/b2b-marketplace) and select **Apply to Get Listed**.
2. Choose **Sponsored external listing, $500/month after approval** and submit your business website and description.
3. Sistava reviews the application. If accepted, create or connect a free Sistava account so it owns the listing and receives its in-app signals.
4. We arrange the $500/month listing payment before the listing goes live.

An external business enters the AI recommendation network only after Sistava verifies and approves it. The payment pays for the approved listing, not for an exception to that review.

## Tips & Tricks

- **Describe what you sell clearly.** Your business description, category, and region help the right search find you.
- **Use your real website.** Visitors click from the listing directly to that site, so make it the best next step for a potential customer.
- **Treat notifications as warm signals.** A click or recommendation shows discovery, not a confirmed lead or sale.
- **Pay for a real route to discovery.** An approved sponsored listing can be recommended before the open web, but payment never skips review.

## Good to Know

- The B2B Marketplace is separate from the workspace Marketplace where you hire AI employees.
- Eligible Sistava customers do not pay a monthly listing fee. Sponsored external listings cost $500/month after acceptance.
- The public directory can be visited without signing in. The discovery and recommendation signals go only to the owner linked to a listed business.
- A sponsored business does not need to hire employees, but it does need a free Sistava account to receive in-app listing signals.
- You can view these signals in the bell, but they are not emailed.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: How do I get listed in the B2B Marketplace?**
A: Sistava customers can earn a no-fee listing by building an active, verified business on Founder or higher, then applying for review. Businesses outside Sistava can apply for a sponsored listing at $500/month, charged only after acceptance.

**Q: Is every Sistava business listed automatically?**
A: No. Listings are curated. A business needs recent activity, a Founder plan or higher, and verification that it is a real operating business. The final decision is still a manual review.

**Q: Does a sponsored listing get recommended by AI employees?**
A: Yes, after Sistava verifies and approves it. Employees search approved Marketplace listings before the open web and can recommend a business that matches a customer's need.

**Q: Will I know when someone visits my listing?**
A: You receive an in-app bell notification when someone clicks from your public listing through to your website. It tells you that your business was discovered and clicked.

**Q: Will I know when an AI employee recommends my business?**
A: Yes. Your bell names the employee and its role. It names the customer only when that person explicitly agreed to share their name, so otherwise it does not reveal who is asking. It does not guarantee a contact or sale.

**Q: Do I need to turn on B2B Marketplace search for my employees?**
A: No. Every AI employee can check the B2B Marketplace without any setup.