What ADF lead emails are and why they matter.

An ordinary email is written for a person to read. An ADF email includes structured information a CRM can read. XML uses pairs of tags, such as <make>Honda</make>, to label each value. You do not need to write XML to use it.

The sender prepares the message and sends it to your CRM's intake address. The CRM reads the fields and uses them to make a lead. What arrives depends on what the provider sends; a missing phone number cannot be recovered from an empty field.

ADF describes the inquiry. It does not publish your cars, answer the buyer or assign responsibility by itself. Those are separate steps in your dealership's workflow.

This simplified example uses a fictional buyer and dealership. It leaves out provider-specific details and is for explanation, not a file to paste into a live integration.

<adf>
  <prospect>
    <requestdate>2026-10-15T14:00:00Z</requestdate>
    <vehicle interest="buy" status="used">
      <year>2020</year>
      <make>Honda</make>
      <model>Civic</model>
      <stock>A104</stock>
    </vehicle>
    <customer>
      <contact>
        <name part="first">Jordan</name>
        <name part="last">Example</name>
        <email>jordan@example.com</email>
      </contact>
      <comments>Can I see it Saturday?</comments>
    </customer>
    <vendor>
      <vendorname>Example Auto Lot</vendorname>
    </vendor>
  </prospect>
</adf>

prospect groups the inquiry. requestdate records when it was made. vehicle identifies the car, contact holds the buyer's details and comments carries their question. vendor names the dealership.

For the person answering, the useful part is plain: Jordan asked to see stock A104 on Saturday. Check which car that is, confirm it is available and offer a time. The tags should not get in the way of that conversation.

When inquiries go only to one employee, the rest of the team cannot tell what arrived or whether someone replied. Days off, staff changes and a busy inbox can leave a buyer waiting without anyone realizing.

Forwarding the message around can create a different problem: two people answer, or both assume the other did. Copying details by hand also makes it easy to lose the car, the original question or the time of the inquiry.

A shared lead record gives the team a place to check those details and name an owner. Keep the original question with the record, and decide who watches unassigned leads during each shift.

Ask your listing site or lead provider to send leads in ADF format to your CRM address. Ask them to confirm the destination and send a test inquiry with fictional details. An ordinary notification email is not necessarily an ADF message.

• Confirm the CRM received the test, not just that the sender reports success.
• Check the buyer's name, contact details, question and car against the test message. Make sure the inquiry arrived at the correct dealership.
• Assign the lead and check that the person responsible can find it. Test the handoff as well as the delivery.
• If nothing appears, check the destination address and format with the provider. Keep the time and test identifier available for troubleshooting rather than repeatedly resending real inquiries.

Repeat this check when you change providers or intake addresses. Keep the address private between your dealership, CRM and approved providers; it is a destination for creating leads, not a public contact address for shoppers.

Motorvar gives the dealership an intake address for ADF lead emails. The owner manages that address in Settings and gives it to the listing site or lead provider. Copy it carefully and keep it private.

Accepted inquiries become leads on the same board your team uses for other inquiries, with the contact details and question supplied by the sender. Check the car match and assign an owner before replying. An email that cannot be processed needs review; sending a message is not proof that a usable lead arrived.

• How fast should you answer a car lead?
• Moving your lot off spreadsheets