> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Track customer market interests

> Record what vehicles a customer wants to buy so your sales and sourcing team can match inventory to the right person.

Use this guide when a customer tells you what kind of vehicle they hope to buy—even if you do not have that car in stock today.

**Market interests** live on the customer record in [Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts). They help your team remember year, make, model, budget, and notes when the right car appears.

## What you will accomplish

* Add a market interest on a customer record with year, make, model, and optional budget.
* Read the **Market Interests** table on the customer page.
* Understand status labels such as **active**, **paused**, and **fulfilled**.
* Know how market interests differ from tags, notes, and marketplace listings.

## When to use market interests

* A collector asks you to "keep an eye out" for a specific model or trim.
* A customer is shopping your [marketplace](/docs/facility-web-pages/publish-marketplace-listings.md) but has not found the right car yet.
* Your sales team needs a written wish list tied to the correct person—not a sticky note at the front desk.
* You want one place to see budget and vehicle details before calling the customer about a new arrival.

> [!NOTE]
>
> **Market interests are not inventory**
>
> Adding a market interest does **not** list a car for sale. It records what a **customer wants to buy**. To publish a vehicle publicly, use [Publish marketplace listings](/docs/facility-web-pages/publish-marketplace-listings.md).

## Before you start

* The customer exists in [Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts).
* You know the year, make, and model the customer described (approximate is fine to start).
* Ask for a budget range when it helps your team filter opportunities.

## Open Market Interests on the customer record

**1. Open Contacts**

Click **Contacts** in the sidebar and open the customer—for example from [All Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts/all).

**2. Scroll to Market Interests**

Scroll down the customer page until you see the **Market Interests** section.

**Expected result:** You see a table with columns such as **Vehicle**, **Budget**, **Status**, **Notes**, and **Created**—or an empty state with **Add Interest**.

![Customer detail page Market Interests table showing two vehicle requests with year make model, budget, status, and notes](https://mintcdn.com/carstoragesoftware/ggah6moKlxnkQYNH/images/contacts/contacts-market-interests-table.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=ggah6moKlxnkQYNH\&q=85\&s=935a4e0482463458fc183600ec39977d)

*Each row is one vehicle the customer asked your team to source. The section header shows how many requests are on file (for example **2 requests on file**).*

## Add a market interest

**1. Click Add Interest**

In the **Market Interests** section header, click **Add Interest**.

**Expected result:** A window titled **Add market interest** opens.

**2. Choose Year, Make, and Model**

* **Year** — pick from the dropdown (for example **2020**).
* **Make** — type to search makes (for example **Porsche**).
* **Model** — type to search models (for example **911**).

**Why this matters:** Structured year/make/model fields help your team search and report consistently. Spelling counts—use the suggestions when they appear.

**3. Add Trim (optional)**

If the customer cares about a specific trim (for example **GT3 RS**), choose **Trim** when the field is available.

Skip trim when the customer is flexible.

**4. Enter Budget (optional)**

Type the maximum budget the customer mentioned.

**Expected result:** The amount saves in your facility's currency. Leave blank if the customer did not share a number yet.

**5. Add Notes (optional)**

Use **Notes** for details that do not fit in the dropdowns.

Examples: "Manual transmission only", "Open to Spider variant", "Needs to fit in existing storage spot".

**6. Save the interest**

Click the save button at the bottom of the window (often **Add interest** or **Save**).

**Expected result:** A new row appears in the **Market Interests** table with status **active**.

![Add market interest dialog with Year, Make, Model, Trim, Budget, and Notes fields](https://mintcdn.com/carstoragesoftware/R5kE8xRstcG_Arf7/images/contacts/customer-market-interests-add-dialog.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=R5kE8xRstcG_Arf7\&q=85\&s=7056a688e5505259ed36a388a5d26cbf)

*Fill in as much as the customer told you. You can add more interests later if they are shopping for multiple vehicles.*

## Understand status labels

Each interest has a **Status** badge in the table.

![Market Interests table showing active, paused, and fulfilled status badges on different vehicle rows](https://mintcdn.com/carstoragesoftware/R5kE8xRstcG_Arf7/images/contacts/customer-market-interests-status-badges.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=R5kE8xRstcG_Arf7\&q=85\&s=d0bbc5215c3d48222b8e5ef068c3ae3b)

*Status badges help your team see at a glance who is still shopping, who asked to wait, and who already found a car.*

> [!NOTE]
>
> | Status | What it means |
> | - | - |
> | **active** | Your team is still looking for a match. |
> | **paused** | The customer asked to wait—check back later. |
> | **fulfilled** | You found a vehicle and the customer bought or accepted it. |
> | **cancelled** | The customer is no longer looking for this vehicle. |

Update status when the customer's situation changes so your team does not call about a car they no longer want.

## Update or remove a market interest

When a customer changes their mind, you can update the row on their record without creating a new customer.

**1. Open the customer's Market Interests table**

Go to [All Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts/all), open the customer, and scroll to **Market Interests**.

**Expected result:** You see each vehicle wish list as its own row with **Vehicle**, **Budget**, **Status**, and **Notes** columns.

**2. Open the row you need to change**

Click the row (or the edit action on that row) for the interest you want to update.

**Why this matters:** Keeping one row per vehicle prevents duplicate outreach when two teammates both think they should call about the same Porsche.

**3. Change Status when their plans change**

Pick the status that matches what the customer told you:

* **active** — still shopping
* **paused** — asked to wait; check back later
* **fulfilled** — they bought a matching car through your facility
* **cancelled** — no longer looking for this vehicle

**Expected result:** The badge in the **Status** column updates. Your sales team can scan the table and skip rows that are no longer active.

**4. Update budget or notes when details change**

If the customer raised their budget or added trim requirements, edit those fields on the same row.

**Why this matters:** A stale budget causes your team to skip cars the customer would actually buy—or call about cars above their range.

**5. Save and confirm on the customer page**

Save your changes and stay on the customer record long enough to confirm the table looks right.

**Expected result:** The updated status appears in **Market Interests** and in the customer's **Activity** timeline.

> [!TIP]
>
> **Fulfilled vs cancelled**
>
> Use **fulfilled** when your facility helped them buy the car. Use **cancelled** when they bought elsewhere or stopped looking. Both stop future outreach—the label helps your team report sourcing wins later.

## What success looks like

* Every serious buyer has at least one market interest on their record—not only a verbal promise.
* Budget and trim notes match what the customer said on the phone or in person.
* When a matching car arrives, any teammate can open the customer and see the wish list immediately.

## Common mistakes to avoid

* Do not create a market interest on the wrong customer—always confirm the name at the top of the page.
* Do not use market interests for cars you are **selling** from inventory—use marketplace listings instead.
* Do not skip **Notes** when the customer gave important details (transmission, color, mileage limits).

## Troubleshooting

> [!TIP]
>
> **Make or Model search shows no results**
>
> Check spelling. Try a shorter search term. If the vehicle is very rare, pick the closest make/model and put exact details in **Notes**.

> [!WARNING]
>
> **I added an interest on the wrong customer**
>
> Delete or cancel the incorrect row, then add the interest on the correct customer record. Double-check the customer name before saving.

> [!TIP]
>
> **The customer found a car elsewhere**
>
> Change the status to **fulfilled** or **cancelled** so your team stops outreach for that row.

## What to do next

* [Add and manage customer notes](/docs/contacts/add-and-manage-customer-notes.md) — capture communication preferences and follow-up promises.
* [Publish marketplace listings](/docs/facility-web-pages/publish-marketplace-listings.md) — when you have a car ready to sell publicly.
* [Respond to a conversation](/docs/inbox/respond-to-a-conversation.md) — tell the customer when you find a possible match.


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