Forecasting Tool

How the forecast works

Every plan with leads is sold in lead sets of 40 to 60* leads a month. When you first open the tool it builds the same default setup Leads Manager creates for a new campaign, matched to your kind of store and your market: the makes you sell, the credit tiers you work, the buyer signals that fit your customers, the delivery channels, and three lead form questions. At that default setup every lead set carries the lead set minimum: at least 40 qualifying leads a month, and a short month carries over at no charge.

Change any setting and the badge switches from Lead Set Minimum to Planning Forecast. The number then moves with your choices. Fewer makes, a single intent stage, fewer channels or a narrower Market Area speak to fewer shoppers, so the forecast drops. A wider Market Area, more makes, more channels or fewer lead form questions reach more people, so it climbs. The list under the forecast shows each choice that moved the number and by how much, with a one click undo for each.

Reset to Default Settings brings the minimum back at any time.

Your default setup and what you control

After sign up you set the targeting yourself in Leads Manager, on the same controls you see here. You can update it once each billing period, and in your first month, changes open after the first two weeks. The lead set minimum holds as long as the default radius, the default lead form questions and the other defaults stay in place (Terms of Service, Sections 8.8 and 8.9). Every request about your account goes in writing through a support ticket, so nothing gets lost.

Extra lead sets can be added to any plan. Each set in its own location or for its own lead type reaches the most new shoppers, which is why the tool lets a dealer group map every store and see the combined reach, with every ZIP code counted once.

What counts as a lead

Every lead is a real person asking about buying a vehicle, or asking for an offer on their own vehicle, local to your Market Area, delivered in real time to your CRM and to no other dealer. Shoppers answer your three lead form questions before they submit, so your team knows what they want before the first call.

Work every lead with at least five contact attempts on different days during the first seven days, by call, text and email. If a lead has a wrong number or fake details, report it with Report to QC within ten days of delivery and our team reviews it for a replacement (Section 8.4). A shopper who says not interested on the first call, wants a lower price, or buys somewhere else is a normal part of selling cars, not a bad lead.

Seller leads for Marketplace Acquisitions

Seller campaigns bring you local owners who asked for an offer on their vehicle. They start at the strictest vehicle settings: ten model years or newer, 125,000 miles or less, and a clean title, with every make included. You can widen any of the three, and a seller Market Area runs from 25 to 50 miles. Every vehicle and Market Area setting keeps your lead set minimum; changing the default lead form questions ends it. You buy outright, take trade ins and pay off loans, so a seller with a payoff or a lease is a valid lead (Section 8.10). The Hybrid plan runs one buyer set and one seller set side by side, and the tool forecasts both.

Built for every kind of dealer

A salesperson gets leads in their own name and their own CRM login, with no inventory feed required. A franchise store pairs its brands with the Loyalty and Conquest programs, while an independent lot leans on the most popular used brands. A buy here pay here dealership leads with in house financing, past bankruptcy and past repossession programs. A broker sources any brand and leads with lease offers, and a dealer group maps every rooftop in one view. Pick yours at the top of the tool and the default setup follows.

Financing ads are a regulated category under federal fair lending rules, so age, gender, marital status, income and residence always stay open to everyone 18 and older in your Market Area. The tool shows those settings locked, exactly as Leads Manager does. Market figures come from public and proprietary sources and update as new figures are released.

Questions dealers ask

Is the forecast a promise of a lead count?

At the default setup each lead set delivers at least 40 qualifying leads a month, and a short month carries over at no charge (Terms of Service, Section 8.8). Once you change a setting, the number shown is a planning forecast for those settings, and actual results may be higher or lower.

Why did my forecast drop when I picked fewer makes?

Each make, condition, channel and buyer signal you remove narrows who sees your ads. Fewer people seeing the ads means fewer inquiries, so the forecast follows. Widen the setting again, or press Reset to Default Settings, and it comes back.

Can I change my targeting after I sign up?

Yes. You set it yourself in Leads Manager and can update it once each billing period. In your first month, changes open after the first two weeks.

Do I need an inventory feed to get leads?

No. An inventory feed is welcome and lets your ads show your live vehicles, but it is not required, which is why salespeople and brokers use LeadLocate too.

Where do the market figures come from?

Population, households, income, vehicles per household, commute and language figures come from public and proprietary sources for every ZIP code inside your Market Area.