What is LEX? The Open Standard for Sales Lead Exchange
What is LEX?
LEX (Lead Exchange Standard) is an open format for sharing sales leads between companies. When a customer shows interest in a product, that information needs to move from the website or dealership to the manufacturer, dealer, or CRM system. LEX makes that data transfer simple, reliable, and vendor-free.
Think of LEX as a universal language for sales lead data. Instead of every company building custom integrations, LEX provides a standard format that any system can understand. It works with JSON, XML, and traditional EDI formats like X12 and EDIFACT.
Who Uses LEX?
Anyone who moves sales lead data between systems:
- Manufacturers — receiving leads from dealerships or retail partners
- Dealers — receiving leads from manufacturer allocation systems
- Lead Aggregators — distributing leads to multiple dealers or brands
- CRM Systems — importing and processing lead data
- Marketing Platforms — passing leads to sales teams
- Field Service Companies — coordinating leads across regions
LEX works across industries: automotive, heavy equipment, real estate, aviation, maritime, and general B2B sales.
Why Not Use the Existing Formats?
Several legacy formats exist, but they come with problems:
- Proprietary lock-in — one well-known automotive format is controlled by a single vendor who changes rules anytime they want
- Cost to use — some older standards require membership fees or certification costs
- Limited format support — many legacy formats only work with one format (often XML only)
- Dealer system silos — some DMS-linked leads only work within one vendor ecosystem
- No clear governance — unclear who controls the standard and how changes are proposed
LEX solves these by being open, free, multi-format, and community-governed.
How LEX Works
Every LEX message contains:
- Header — who sent it, who receives it, timestamp, message type
- Payload — the actual lead data (customer info, vehicle, status)
- Optional blocks — consent records, vehicle history, trade-in details
Messages flow from lead creation through closure: shopping, inquiry, reservation, negotiation, order, delivery, and archive.
Use Cases
Use Case 1: Regional Dealership Network
A regional dealer group operates 15 dealerships. Each dealership uses a different DMS. With LEX, all dealerships send leads in one format. The group headquarters receives统一 data regardless of which DMS each dealer uses.
Use Case 2: Manufacturer to Dealer Allocation
A vehicle manufacturer allocates new inventory to dealers. Instead of email or manual spreadsheets, they send structured LEX messages with vehicle details, dealer assignment, and customer information. Dealers receive complete data in their preferred format.
Use Case 3: Cross-Border Lead Routing
A lead aggregatorserves customers across multiple countries. LEX handles the country-specific phone number formats, currency, and language metadata automatically. Leads route to the correct regional dealer with all necessary context.
Use Case 4: CRM to Field Service
A company generates a sale, and the CRM creates a LEX message. The field service dispatch system receives the complete lead data, schedules service, and updates status back through the same LEX format.
What Makes LEX Different?
- Open Governance — No single company controls LEX. Changes require community agreement.
- Zero Cost — MIT licensed. No membership fees, ever.
- Multi-Format — JSON, XML, X12, EDIFACT. Pick what your system speaks.
- Privacy Built-In — Consent records are core, not an afterthought.
- Long-Term Stable — Designed to last decades, not quarters.
Ready to Learn More?
Explore the technicalspecification or start integrating with our getting started guide.