Intelligence Brief · v1.0

myDW Free Trial —
Conversion Path Analysis

A structured framework for understanding what happens inside the 60-day free trial, where conversion breaks down, and where you can insert yourself to accelerate trial-to-paid outcomes — without owning the platform.
Trial Duration
60 Days
Trial Audience
End Users (not dealer-facing)
Purpose
Identify BDM intervention points
Output
Internal meeting agenda + action items
Why This Document Exists

The myDW free trial is end-user facing — it's not a dealer tool. But the conversion from trial to paid subscription flows back through the dealer's CP portal via a key purchase. That means there is a commercial moment you can own, even though you don't control the trial experience itself. This document identifies what you need to know, who you need to talk to, and where you can act — based on what you currently know versus what you don't.

Current State

The Trial Flow — Known vs. Unknown

Before identifying where to intervene, map what is currently understood about the trial path. Items marked unknown are questions to answer in your internal discovery meeting.

1
End User Discovers myDW
Via dealer recommendation, DW website, or organic search. Arrives at mydw.cloud/login/free-trial.
Known
↓
2
Free Trial Signup
End user registers for a 60-day trial. Trial begins immediately or upon confirmation — exact trigger unknown.
Partially Known
↓
3
Trial Activation & First Use
Does the user connect devices during trial? Is there an onboarding prompt? What does the in-trial experience look like? Unknown.
Unknown
↓
4
Trial Engagement Window (Days 1–60)
What does the platform do to keep the user engaged? Are there automated nudges, progress emails, or health alerts during trial? What usage data is captured?
Unknown
↓
5
Trial Expiry Prompt
What happens when the 60-day window closes? Is there a conversion prompt? Does access lapse immediately or is there a grace period? Who receives the notification — user, dealer, or both?
Critical Gap
↓
6
Conversion to Paid — The Handoff Moment
Paid access requires a subscription key purchased through distribution and assigned via the dealer's CP portal. Is the end user directed to their installer at this point? Is the dealer notified? Is there any automated bridge between trial expiry and key purchase?
Critical Gap — Your Opportunity
↓
7
Key Assigned by Dealer — Subscription Active
Dealer purchases key through distribution, assigns to customer org in CP portal. Subscription begins. This step is within your visibility.
Known — Dealer Owned
The Core Problem Stage 5 and 6 are the conversion moment — and right now there is no confirmed process for notifying the dealer that their end customer's trial is expiring. If the dealer doesn't know, they can't act. If the end user doesn't know who to call for a key, they let the trial lapse. This is likely where the majority of unconverted trials are lost.
Discovery Questions

What You Need to Find Out — and Why

These questions should be directed to whoever manages the myDW platform product side — product management, platform engineering, or a senior technical contact. Group them by category for a structured conversation.

🔧
Trial Mechanics
Product
1
How exactly is a free trial initiated? Does the end user sign up directly, or does it require dealer involvement to create the trial org?
Determines whether the dealer is in the loop from day one or only hears about it after the fact.
If dealer-initiated: you can standardize this as part of the dealer enablement kit. If self-serve: you need a notification mechanism to close the loop.
2
When does the 60-day clock start — on signup, on first login, or on first device connection?
Affects when the conversion window actually opens and how much active trial time the user genuinely has.
If it starts on signup, many users may burn days before they've even connected a device — reducing effective trial time significantly.
3
Is there a grace period after trial expiry, or does access terminate immediately at day 60?
A hard cutoff with no notice creates a poor conversion experience and may generate support tickets rather than sales.
If immediate cutoff: the pre-expiry window (days 45–55) is critical and needs dealer notification to be effective.
📊
Usage Data & Visibility
Data
4
Do you have data on current trial-to-paid conversion rates? What percentage of trials convert within 60 days, and within 90 days?
Establishes the baseline. Without this number, you can't quantify the impact of any intervention you propose.
Even a rough estimate — "about 20% convert" — gives you a baseline to measure against after implementing your intervention touchpoints.
5
Can you see which trial accounts have connected devices versus which are registered but unused?
Inactive trials are the easiest conversion targets — they signed up, then stopped. A single prompt at day 14 inactivity often recovers them.
If this data is accessible: it directly informs a dealer nudge campaign — "your trial customer hasn't connected yet, here's how to help them."
6
Is there any linkage between a trial account and a specific dealer CP org? In other words, does the platform know which dealer "owns" a given trial end user?
This is the most important data question. Without dealer-to-trial linkage, you cannot route a conversion notification to the right dealer.
If no linkage exists today: this is your highest-impact Ideas Platform proposal. Building this link unlocks every downstream automation.
📧
In-Trial Communication
Process
7
What automated emails, if any, does the platform send to the end user during the trial? Are there onboarding prompts, engagement nudges, or expiry warnings?
Identifies whether the in-trial experience is actively driving toward conversion or passively waiting for the user to figure it out.
If no in-trial communication exists: this is a significant gap and a strong proposal. A 3-touch trial nurture sequence mirrors what you've already built for dealers.
8
At trial expiry, what does the end user see? Is there a prompt directing them to contact their installer or visit a purchase page?
The expiry screen or email is the single most important conversion touchpoint in the entire trial flow.
If the expiry message doesn't clearly say "contact your DW installer to continue" — that message needs to be added immediately. It costs nothing and likely recovers a meaningful percentage of lapsed trials.
9
Is the dealer notified at any point that an end customer associated with their account is approaching trial expiry?
If dealers don't know a trial is expiring, they can't reach out. This notification gap is likely the primary cause of trial lapse.
If no dealer notification exists: this is your single most actionable proposal. A dealer-facing "trial expiring in 14 days" alert in the CP portal or via email could meaningfully move conversion rates.
🎯
Strategic & Roadmap
Strategic
10
Is there a product roadmap item for improving trial conversion? Who owns that initiative internally?
Tells you whether you're pushing against an open door or proposing something already in progress — and who to align with.
If it's on the roadmap: align your proposals to accelerate it and position yourself as the commercial lead for the change. If it's not: your Ideas Platform submissions fill the gap.
11
When DW Cumulus and DW MetaPix launch, will they use the same trial model? Is there an opportunity to build the conversion framework correctly from the start?
Getting ahead of two upcoming product launches is a high-visibility strategic move. Building the right trial-to-paid path for Cumulus and MetaPix from day one is significantly easier than retrofitting myDW.
If yes: position yourself as the person who builds the onboarding and conversion framework for both products before launch. That is a major scope expansion of your current role.
Working Hypotheses

Why Trials Are Probably Not Converting

Based on what is known about the current process, these are the most likely causes of trial-to-paid drop-off. Each should be confirmed or refuted by the discovery questions above.

Hypothesis A
Dealers don't know trials are expiring
No notification reaches the dealer when their customer's trial approaches day 60. The conversion window passes silently. The dealer only finds out when the customer complains their access stopped.
Ask Q9. If no dealer notification exists, this is confirmed.
Hypothesis B
End users don't know how to convert
The trial expiry screen or email doesn't clearly direct the end user to contact their installer for a subscription key. The user has a positive trial experience but no clear path forward and lets it lapse.
Ask Q8. Review the expiry message if accessible.
Hypothesis C
Trials aren't being actively used
A significant portion of trial signups never connect a device or log in after day one. The trial itself isn't the problem — the onboarding into the trial experience is. A user who never gets value from the trial has no reason to pay for it.
Ask Q5. If usage data is accessible, check active vs. inactive trial rate.
Hypothesis D
No dealer-to-trial linkage exists
Trial accounts are not associated with a specific dealer CP org. Even if a notification system existed, there would be no way to route the alert to the right dealer. The structural link is missing before the communication problem can be solved.
Ask Q6. This is the foundational data question — everything else depends on it.
Action Framework

Where You Can Intervene — and How

Depending on what the discovery conversation reveals, these are the interventions available to you — ordered from immediately actionable to requiring platform changes.

Intervention
Timing
What It Requires
Owner
Add "how to convert" language to Touch 3 dealer email — instruct dealers to ask their customers if they've started a trial and how to facilitate key purchase when it expires
Now
Edit the email sequence you've already built. No platform access needed.
You
Add conversion path to Dealer Enablement Kit — explicit section: "What to do when your customer's trial expires"
Now
One addition to an existing document. No dependencies.
You
Cover trial expiry workflow in the Dealer Webinar (Segment 4 or Q&A)
Now
Add 2 minutes to existing webinar content. Already built.
You
Request that the trial expiry email/screen include clear language directing end users to contact their DW dealer for a subscription key
Short Term
Requires platform team to update the expiry communication. Low technical lift — copy change only.
Cross-Functional
Propose dealer-facing trial expiry alert in the CP portal — notification when a linked end customer's trial is within 14 days of expiry
Short Term
Requires dealer-to-trial linkage to exist (Q6). If it does, this is a UI/notification change. If it doesn't, linkage must be built first.
Ideas Platform
Propose dealer-to-trial org linkage as a platform feature — associate each trial signup with the dealer who provisioned or referred them
Proposal
Platform data model change. High impact, moderate technical complexity. Requires product team buy-in.
Ideas Platform
Build trial-to-paid conversion framework into DW Cumulus and DW MetaPix from day one of launch — avoid inheriting the same gap
Pre-Launch
Requires involvement in pre-launch planning for both products. Strategic positioning opportunity.
Cross-Functional
Next Step

Internal Discovery Meeting — Agenda

Schedule a 30-minute meeting with the myDW platform owner or product lead. Use this agenda. Come with the questions — leave with the answers that determine which proposals to submit.

myDW Trial Conversion — Discovery Session
30 minutes · Internal · BDM Cloud Services + Platform/Product Lead
0:00
Context — Why We're Here
Frame the meeting: we've provisioned dealers and built onboarding materials, but the trial-to-paid conversion path has visibility gaps. Goal is to understand the mechanics and identify where we can improve conversion together.
3:00
Trial Mechanics (Q1–Q3)
How is a trial initiated, when does the clock start, what happens at expiry. Get specifics — not summaries.
10:00
Data & Visibility (Q4–Q6)
Current conversion rate, active vs. inactive trial data, and — most critically — whether dealer-to-trial linkage exists today.
18:00
In-Trial Communications (Q7–Q9)
What automated emails exist, what the expiry experience looks like, whether dealers are notified. Ask to see the actual emails if possible.
24:00
Strategic Alignment (Q10–Q11)
Is conversion on the product roadmap, who owns it, and how does it apply to Cumulus and MetaPix launches.
28:00
Agreed Next Steps
Leave with: one immediate action each party will take, and a shared understanding of which gaps will become formal proposals.
What to Do With the Answers After the meeting, update the Intervention Matrix above with confirmed findings. Any gap that requires a platform change becomes a formal Ideas Platform submission. Immediate actions (copy changes, dealer communications) go into effect without waiting for proposals to be reviewed.
Strategic Framing for Leadership When you bring this to your Senior Director, frame it this way: "We've identified that the trial-to-paid conversion path has no dealer notification mechanism today. I've mapped the gaps and I'm working with the platform team to close them. Here are the two proposals I'm submitting to the Ideas Platform based on what we find." That is a proactive, revenue-connected narrative — not a complaint about a broken process.